16.

"Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing

some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands

of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I

mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of

some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch

everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean

if they're running and they don't look where they're

going I have to come out from somewhere and catch

them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher

in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the

only thing I'd really like to be. I know it's crazy."

15.

a) more snow storms for nyc - besides not being able to ride my bike so well, enjoying myself much more this time around - thanks to warm boots and cute knitted hats! (two things i hate wearing!)

b) letterpress owned my life this week. i'm more than happy to sort type for hours - but ask me to "design" something and print it and i might just die. i don't know anything about typography, or lines, or negative space, or life...

these are some proofs that i pulled today... trying to find mistakes, problem solve, and also figure out what the hell i am doing. it all sort of makes me feel like a big turd, but maybe by the time the snow melts i will have my head all wrapped around it. and who knows, maybe when i go back to school i'll take a graphic design course - might be fun/helpful?!

c) tonight i ate more ramen. from minca. hold the bean sprouts = eating the whole bowl = happiness. whole bowl of noodles + pint of beer = dead and exploding insides. going to manhattan bums me out... let's just stay in brooklyn, k?

d) had the cafe au lait donut today from dough. going to eat another one tomorrow. cow :)

e) for the first time in my life i feel like i'm in some bad 20-something rom-com. it's interesting enough, but all i really want to do is ride bikes, drink a beer, sing along real loud, and go on a date to spot dessert bar. is that too much to ask? (no douchbags or lame shoes, please)

f) ten songs for the end of january 2011:

charles manson - look at your game, girl

the thermals - brace and break

port o'brien - tree bones

the national - racing like a pro

coco rosie - candy land

pretty girls make graves - this is our emergency

neutral milk hotel - two-headed boy

saves the day - jodie

cursive - some red handed slight of hand

at the drive in - pattern against user

g) ice cream pt 5: rootbeer!

14.

hola,

recently i had a day off after a long week (horray). while i didn't get any laundry done (oops, funk!) i did manage to cross a few things off my to-do list. ie: i finally made some pennant-garland (?) for the house. once i find some nails i think i will hang it over my 1920s panoramic that is laying on the floor of my bedroom.

i also bought some black thread, which enabled me to start on my "re-style" projects. i wish i had more of an idea of how to sew (etc) properly, but i am still excited because i think at least one dress will turn out cute. hopefully i will finish one soon! yay!

(not the churro)

i bought not one, but two! pastries from "dough" - a chai-cream filled donut and a churro. the churro i had to buy out of necessity... D and i had a (failed) mission to seek out and eat all the world's churros and decide which was the best. well, we only ate about five, and disneyland is leading the pack by a landslide... even after my "dough" churro. alas, who would have thought! the chai filled donut what meh - i think i'll stick to jelly filled or ye old faithful (plain glazed). but seriously, if you're ever in clinton hill (why would you be?!) get yourself a donut from "dough" on the corner of lafayette and franklin. they close at four, so i hope you get up earlier than i do!

i also made dinner last night... roasted the rest of the squash with broccoli and green beans & served it with pasta. i was so disappointed. let's not talk about it...

let's talk about ice cream instead:

today i made dreams a reality when i put my cream cheese/kiwi mixture into the ice cream maker and voila, cream cheese/kiwi ice cream came out! most people think that is a weird combination, but i think you'd be surprised. i'm also a freak, btw. i was really worried when i was cookin' this puppy up last night... didn't know how well the coconut and tofutti c.c. would mesh, or if you would even be able to taste the cream cheese, and it was lumpy as hell, but i am glad to announce that everything has worked out! now i can't stop eating it, eep! i want to start making my friends their favourite flavours (coffee, mint chip, pb&chocolate) but i also really want to make rootbeer, avocado, and other exciting flavours! we'll see what the future holds!

i also want to make peanut butter swirl sugar cookies with a jelly dollop! ... must find baking pan that fits in the oven!

until next time, i'll leave you with a nifty band from the bronx (80s) that my coworker showed me tonight....

13.

"Oh... well, about Life being a game and all. And
how you should play it according to the rules. He was
pretty nice about it. I mean he didn't hit the ceiling or
anything. He just kept talking about Life being a game
and all. You know."
"Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays
according to the rules."
"Yes, sir. I know it is. I know it."
Game, my ass. Some game. If you get on the side
where all the hot-shots are, then it's a game, all right -
I'll admit that. But if you get on the other side, where
there aren't any hot-shots, then what's a game about it?
Nothing. No game.



... i only play board games.

12.

ready for a long drive...

let's go?

11.

food: sewing: hickey:

phew! glad the weekend is over... it was pretty disappointing. maybe my deodorant attracts assholes? maybe it's just new york... anyway, here's to better days!

(roasted cauliflower w/ coconut-y black beans & brown rice)

(short stories by roahl dahl - if you haven't read his "adult" work, please do! it's amazing!)

(roasted + mashed cauliflower & butternut squash w/ sauteed

leeks & garlic + tofu cream cheese)

( = tasty pasta dinner!)

(i hope i wasn't wrong when i thought it had potential... we shall see!)

this week i'm going to sew, re-read "the catcher in the rye", make mix cd's for my friends, make a crazy ice cream flavour, make something new in the kitchen, and more!

xo tara

(life is cheap but' livin is expensive)

"weekend in a mix"

hickey - el farolito

the gossip - got body if you want it

bruce springsteen - i'm on fire

black flag - wasted

blood for blood - livin' in exile

hole - rock star

notwist - one with the freaks

the unicorns - i was born (a unicorn)

tsunami bomb - say it if you mean it

tiger army - WTF

10.

keeping the mix theme alive...

it's been far too long since anybody has made me a thoughtful little mix. i received this in 2005...

"mix to say so long"

death cab - photobooth

built to spill - car

decemberists - here i dreamt i was an architect

belle and sebastian - like dylan in the movies

microphones - karl blau

elliot smith - alameda

get up kids - shorty

promise ring - red and blue jeans

appleseed cast - santa maria

notwist - one with the freaks

jets to brazil - chinatown

corrina repp - finally

minus the bear -

q and not u - line in the sand

black eyes - deformative

death from above - romantic rights

pg99 - sonnet to both ugly and murderous

jr ewing - a case of evacuation

das oath - awesome rape

hot cross - better a corpse than a nun

nation of ulysses - met the girl i'm gonna marry

les savy fav - i.c.timer

liars - they don't want your corn they want your kids

gang of four - damaged goods

the jam - slow down

constantines -

if my future holds mixtapes, butterflies, and smiles, i won't be disappointed.

9.

alright, so i've been on this mix making kick lately... i want to make a mix for every person, every place, every year, etc. tonight, despite my hatred for los angeles, i made one with it in mind. it's made almost entirely of bands from california (mostly southern), except for a few, which are at least from movies that take place in la.

if i went to la...

red hot chili peppers - under the bridge

black flag - wasted

tsol - i'm tired of life

descendents - silly girl

aerosmith - crazy

pennywise - stand by me

blatz - california

di - richard hung himself

rancid - i wanna riot

tiger army - never die

youth brigade - sink with california

the plimsouls - a million miles away (valleygirl)

modern english - i melt with you (valleygirl)

go west - king of wishful thinking (pretty woman)

the vandals - urban struggle

the aquabats - super rad

dead kennedys - winnebago warrior

the nerve agents - carpe diem

the muffs - kids in america (clueless)

no doubt - sunday morning

operation ivy - room without a window

pawns - united we fall

sharp knife - where we you (when i ripped that flag off your fucking car, cochise)

strung out - mind of my own

mephiskapheles - doomsday

so, if anyone wants to drive me to disneyland, just let me know. i'm down.

8.

here we are, another "snow day" in nyc:

i have an interview tonight for a letterpress internship, and although what i really need is a third job, i'm pretty excited. fingers crossed! i also have butterscotch liquid being made into ice cream as we speak. i hope it's delicious! an ice cream cart can't survive with bad ice cream!

(ice cream looks a lot more exciting when it's in a cute little container, not as a mess on my countertop)

a few weeks ago i posted a picture of a dress i wanted to alter... now you can see the (almost) finished product, though unfortunately the dress itself won't see the outside of my apartment until spring. ho hum.

(dress from my point of view)

(dress from your point of view)

i (thankfully) didn't have to do too much: removed the pockets & bows, took in the armholes/shoulders, took in the side seems, and brought up the hem. didn't even have to touch the darts - horray! ps. there are buttons all down the back. love.

(spicy veggie ramen from Minca, nyc)

everyone gives me the stinkeye when i say this, but sorry folks, i have not been overly impressed by the food i've eaten in new york thus far. that said, there are two edible items which i quite adore and have only enjoyed here... $3 falafel and ramen. and to all the kids who poo-poo my expensive ramen enjoyment (vs the dollar kind), you are missing out. the extra 9 or 10 bucks is really worth it for those deliciously chewy noodles and savory broth that isn't made from a powder.

manhattan: minca - 536 E 5th st. near avenue b. (near tompkins square park)

brooklyn: zuzu ramen - 173 4th ave. at degraw (park slope)

that's it for now.

xoxo

7.

i made a mix for a person that's never going to hear it. i wanted to at least put the playlist out into the world...

westside connection - the gangsta, the killa, and the dope dealer

all girl summer fun band - mr. & mrs. troublemaker

animal collective - the purple bottle

the anniversary - ain't that bad

bell orchestre - les lumieres, pt. 2

built to spill - car

the murder city devils - every shitty thing

cap'n jazz - little league

the misfits - hybrid moments

the mall - oakland kids

japanther - super tap

green day - burnout

the get up kids - campfire kansas

franklins - hi-skool hi-jinx

dead kennedys - terminal preppie

the constantines - steal this sound

q and not u - line in the sand

bad brains - attitude

billy joel - still rock and roll to me

the buzzcocks - everybody's happy nowadays

cock sparrer - england belongs to me

DI - the saint

black eyes - deformative

ccr - hey tonight

choking victim - 500 channels

the smiths - rubber ring

i'll be the only one enjoying this mix until i remember it was stupid to make in the first place and delete it. for now though, stoked!

that's all for now... look forward to ice cream, ramen, and project: restyle in the near future!

xoxo

saw this at the SFMOMA years ago and thought it was rad. Phil Collins - The world won't listen: smiths karaoke in istanbul...

(sorry the quality is shit)

6.

obligatory new year's post...

i don't have too many new year's resolutions this year, mainly because i made a list of shit that needed to change when i left san francisco for new lands, and i think i've been doing an okay job thus far. and while i haven't been thoroughly impressed with new york city or 2011 thus far, i do think i will be a more rounded person when i move back west (and by more rounded i mean calloused and tough)

inner:

1) no expectations, no disappointments (i don't want to be an entirely pessimistic grinch, but my sensitive self could stand to be a little less dreamy.)

2) "boys are just dessert." (i need to stop getting bent out of shape about boys. they suck and there's better things to worry about!)

3) stop overanalyzing everything. (you'll never know, it doesn't matter anyway, get over it.)

4) be better at keeping in touch with people that are worth it.

5) start waking up before noon every day! (sheesh)

6) be nice (i tend to be a bitch when i feel awkward cause i don't know what to say)

outer:

1) go on a supreme road trip

2) go on mini trips

3) seriously figure out food carts and medium dreams

4) write letters

5) get my life back to where i can be proud of what i'm doing/not doing.

6) somehow manage to get tattooed by ashley love and bailey hunter robinson before i move

7) make this blog not look pathetic

8) read more

9) find new music to listen to

with that said, i'm going to clean my nasty apartment, throw out all the old food in the fridge, get my butterscotch ice cream into the pot and then the fridge, work on my sewing project, dance around the living room, eat falafel, drink tea, not give fuck! here's to a new year, new bullshit, and dealing with it way better! horrah!

love,

tara

5.

dear 2011: i'm not quite sure what to think of you. sometimes i think you're okay, other times, not so much. get your act together, please. xoxo tara

one thing i am sure about, though, is how much strung out rules.

in other news....

ice cream exhibit b: thai iced tea! i changed the recipe a bit, and i think this one is much better! tomorrow i am going to make butterscotch ice cream.... weee! (ps. do you like my sweet label i made! ?) ice cream cart here i come!

i made vegan apple cobbler. as you may or may not be aware, i severely suck at baking (muffins, anyone? no thanks) so i was delighted when this came out actually resembling apple cobbler in taste and form. horrah!

this is the lovely apron that mia got me for giftmas. i love it - never want to take it off! (i look like an old lady though. bummer)

time to a) clean my room - it's embarrassing me and b) sleep on the couch.

the end.