cal day 2010.

Here's my weekend in a nutshell--writing, Cal Day, dinner, writing. Enjoy :)




I've been working on my First Amendment & the press paper all weekend. So intense.

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Around 3:30 I headed to Memorial Glade to see the Cold War Kids concert that started at 4; they went on at 4:30. They played on the steps of Doe Library -- it was so cool! They were here to ~celebrate the end of Global Outreach Week, which the ASUC put on to try and inform students of issues across the globe.



In case you hadn't heard of the Cold War Kids, here's their most famous song, "Hang Me Up To Dry."



Don't waste plastic bags!



COLD WAR KIDS.











Damn the tall people that kept getting in the way of my pictures. Hi, I'm barely 5'2", LET ME IN FRONT OF YOU. Goddamn.



This is a video from the show that I found on Youtube. The show itself was...well, it was mediocre. They're talented musicians (I've seen them play before), but there didn't seem to be any passion behind the music when they played yesterday. They came, they played, they left. Their set was also disappointingly short, no more than about nine songs. That's not a concert, that's an opening act on a bad night. I don't know, on the one hand it was nice to hear live music, and great that we had a band that people had actually heard of come play, but it just wasn't a mind-blowing show. It was fun though, and I met up with an old friend there which was really great!

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I made mac & cheese from scratch for dinner!



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If you haven't already, meet my camera/best friend/other half, C.J. Brownie points if you know where her name comes from!

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Back to writing, I'm determined to finish this paper tonight!

zachary's.

Morgan, Sam and I went to Zachary's a couple of weeks ago! We got the Mediterranean Pizza...a mixture of red bell peppers, green olives, artichoke hearts, feta and jack cheeses. IT WAS DELICIOUS.

video killed the radio star.

Hey all! I decided to mix things up and do a video post...let me know what you think!

4.17.10

where is my mind?

The last few weeks of the semester are so stressful! I'm counting the minutes down until it's summertime; despite the stress of the LSAT, writing law school applications, commuting to my (likely) internship in San Francisco, starting my RA job, and (finally) moving, I CAN'T WAIT. I decided not to take a summer class and focus on applying to law school instead. It wasn't the easiest decision, because if I had taken a class this summer I wouldn't have to take an elective my last semester, but eh, whatever. You can't win them all, right? I can't believe I registered for my penultimate semester of college today; it's completely surreal.

Lately, I find that I'm easily distracted. Like, after writing this sentence, I checked my personal email, my school email, facebook, twitter, tumblr, changed the song on iTunes (from the Pixies to Glee, in case you were wondering), and finally came back to this thought. Putting aside that I have more social networking sites than any one person should, I simply have no attention span for anything. Today, I was intent of working on a difficult paper I have that's due Tuesday...but I can't work without a clean desk, and cleaning my desk turned into cleaning my room which turned into not getting any (school) work done. Productive procrastination? I've mastered it. I need to focus, damnit! I only have two weeks of actual class left, dead week, and then finals...so close!

Anyway, I'm going to attempt to do some reading before going to bed, if I can manage to focus on the novel at all. I'm currently reading Olivia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower for my Atomic Age class, if you were wondering.

Here's some classic Pixies for your time; it's definitely relevant to this post. Enjoy!

bridges & balloons.

One of the best (and worst) things about Berkeley is the sheer amount of absolutely amazing eateries around campus. It's amazing because it's great having a variety of interesting and delicious places to eat; it's bad because it's not always the cheapest option and it's not good for someone trying to watch their waistline! Regardless, I love it.


Ici is a Berkeley staple and one of my favorite places in the city. It's a gourmet ice cream shop with a twist; not only does it have traditional flavors such as chocolate, but it also carries flavors such as lavender, black-pepper pistachio, rhubarb sorbet, and more, depending on the day! On this lovely day, my friend Morgan and I adventured over there to see what we'd find.


Though I was tempted by the black-pepper pistachio (which was AMAZING), I was boring and got the coffee-fudge swirl. It was so delicious, perhaps the best coffee ice cream I've ever had.


Morgan was slightly more adventurous and got a scoop of rhubarb sorbet and Meyer lemon. Both were delicious as well!


Morgan also got an affogato, which is vanilla ice cream topped by a warm espresso, and in the case of Ici, with candied orange peel. It was mouthwatering, and I'm looking forward to getting one the next time I make it over there. Even though it's a little bit of a walk to go all the way to Ici, it's definitely worth it, as I am reminded every time I go.

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In other news, this picture is to prove to my mother that yellow nail polish does look good sometimes! At least, I think so. Also, hooray for accidentally wearing Cal colors...GO BEARS!


Here's Colin Meloy of the Decemberists doing a cover of Joanna Newsom's "Bridges and Balloons." I usually can't stand her, but this cover is one of my favorites. Enjoy, and have a good weekend!

mambo italiano.

A big part of my college experience has definitely been food. Whether it's going out with friends to eat or cooking for myself, it's a totally different experience. Living at home, I always had a home-cooked meal, because my mom is amazing. Living on my own, for the most part I cook for myself. That was one of the benefits of my apartment; even though it's technically university housing, it's not a dorm--it's an actual apartment, with a full kitchen! Though I had the option to get meal points, I declined, and so I feed myself. One thing that I've discovered that I love making is pizza from scratch--not only is it affordable, it's quicker and SO much better than most pizza delivery places! Granted, there are amazing pizza places in Berkeley (think of Cheeseboard and Zachary's), but making it myself is especially rewarding.

Here's me making what's quickly becoming my signature pizza, goat cheese & sun-dried tomatoes! Enjoy, and let me know how it goes if you attempt to make it! I apologize for the quality of the pictures, it's really hard to cook and take pictures at the same time.



Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.



I bought a jar of sundried tomatoes from Trader Joe's.



Also, goat cheese from Trader Joe's! I use about half of this package for one package of dough.



Get one cup of boiling hot water; you're going to put the sun-dried tomatoes in it!



About 3/4s cup of sun-dried tomatoes in the water. Soak for 15-20 minutes.



While your tomatoes are soaking, take the dough out. Open the bag and let it rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes.



After you've soaked your tomatoes, drain them and then dry them as best you can.



Roll the dough into a ball and then start to stretch it out! I made two mini pizzas instead of one big one, since I don't have a pizza stone and this fit better on my baking sheet. Also, this way I could eat one pizza and save one for the next day!



After you stretch out the dough, put on the goat cheese!



I LOVE goat cheese. It's kind of ridiculous.



Next, put on your sun-dried tomatoes.



The finished product, pre-baking. The pizza on the right was sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, and I put basil, salt, and extra virgin olive oil on both. Ready to go into the oven!



After about sixteen minutes, this came out of the oven. Time varies depending on the oven, so I'd just watch your pizza...it's ready once the Parmesan has browned, the sun-dried tomatoes are getting crispy, and goat cheese is starting to slightly bubble and brown! Mmmmm.



Close-up.



So delicious!


It's so easy to make, affordable, rewarding, impressive, healthy, and most importantly, absolutely delicious!

fire and rain.

I can't believe it's only been a week since I came back to Berkeley from Spring Break; it honestly feels like a lifetime ago. The past week was nice, but it was the calm before the storm. This week, the last four weeks of school really heat up, with midterms, papers, and then finals! I have an incredible amount of work to do, most of it actually interesting, but at the same time I just want to stay under my covers and watch movies. Actually, I have to watch two movies for my Atomic Age class, so I can actually get away with doing that...haha. In any case, I've got a lot to do, and I'm not particularly moved to do anything at all.

This weekend was excellent; my family (friends) Sue & Steve came up to see me and take me out to dinner (and breakfast)! Not only was it delicious, but it was so kind of them to come all the way up to come visit me :)



And of course, they wouldn't come without FROGS! :)



Today was really rainy. My friend and I had to head up to the Lawrence Hall of Science to check out their exhibit on race, and it was so wet out!



It definitely brought up a lot of interesting questions...I'm excited to discuss it in class on Wednesday.



In any case, I should get back to my studies...midterm on Tuesday, and then I have a paper due each week for the next four. Stressful, but with each major assignment I turn in I'm reminded of how much closer to summer I am!



BONUS SHOT: Me before my Passover Seder! Lookin' fancy :)

ALSO ALSO ALSO: it's my half birthday today, which means I am exactly six months away from my 21st birthday! It's so close I can almost taste it.

lovelovelove.