quake

We just had a pretty big earthquake! 5.6 ain't no joke! I hope everyone in the southern part of the east bay is okay.

The room was shaking and everything that was hanging, was swinging.
There was a subtle sound of creaking or movement.
The whole thing lasted for about 7 seconds which is a long time to feel the earth move under your feet while wondering if you're going to need to find some additional safety beyond the local doorframe (not so possible from the fourth floor penthouse here sadly!)

Here are screen shots from Earthquake.usgs.gov just after it happened:

lost treasure found - yay!

Last night as I was preparing my toiletries for a visit to Santa Cruz, I discovered a cache of makeup products that I thought I'd lost a looong time ago (at least a year).
They were in the small outside pocket that I don't use very often - soo rad.

The first item I registered in my cache of lost treasure made me squeal with happiness - it was the one item I lamented losing regularly. Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Liner in the most amazing color, Spandex. I immediately put some on and was so happy.

I once went to Nordstrom's with a friend for some event where we all got little pink bags with swag and for every dollar we spent, we got a token towards gift prizes when we were done. She took me to the Lancome counter where she knew the woman working there. She got a full makeover and bought a few of her standard products. I discovered Lancome's Artliner in a color called Spectrum (which isn't on the sephora website - sadly because it's the most amazing color: iridescent and almost rainbow. It's so exciting to be reunited!

When I bought the artliner, she gave me two tubes of their Definicils Mascara. I gave one of the tubes to a friend (I'm too nice sometimes but I love to share the wealth) I love the size of the tube and had only used it once or twice. Yes, it's only a sample but still - it was barely used!

My most favorite "drug store" lipstick was in the cache too! I know that one would have been a really easy one to replace - if I'd even noticed it was gone. But, now that I have my Maybelline Wet Shine Lip Color in Pink Topaz back, I'll definitely be using it. This one is almost gone and I might even repurchase!(if they're still making it)

I have a handful of little bottles of glitter - I can't remember where I got any of them and I think a few were given to me. Two of my favorites, white and hot pink, were in this cache. I might have noticed them missing but it wasn't such a loss. The white one really is amazing - it goes on colorless and just gives you glittery greatness. And the hot pink - my trick is to put a touch of blush on the apples of my cheeks first and then touch this on top - it's over the top glittery but super fun for a party or out on the town.

One of the products was the Colorscience Lip Polish in the color, Bed of Roses. It's a pretty interesting lip product. It's mineral based so in the tube it's a bit oily and thick. It has a special lip gloss applicator and a little comes out on it at a time. You're supposed to apply and let dry. It does stay on for a while - longer than others - when you let it dry. But, this morning, my bottom lip has an itchy spot. Could be that the product is a bit old (didn't smell or look funny when I applied it last night) or that my lips are sensitive to the lip plumping stuff. I think I'll try to give this one to someone cuz it's pretty cool and I'd hate to just toss it. I might even try it on again - tho, the color is not ideal for me (it was a free sample given to a friend when she bought some bronzer from them and the color wasn't right for her).

And, last, but not least, my Body Time Luminous Rose Silk Facial Powder. I remember wondering where it went once and haven't thought of it since. I'm really happy to have this back tho because I wear mineral foundation at work and sometimes, when I'm having a good day, I don't need the color and this will be perfect. Yay!

Thanks for reading - if you're curious about any of these products enough to go get them, do let me know what you think.

self portrait challenge - food.02

My second "food" entry for SPC.

On Sunday, we went to Baker Beach

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and grumbled at the Blue Angels flexing their military muscle all over our supposed-to-be quiet day. Eventually, they landed and we were able to take a nap that left us hungry.
Hungry and near Clement Street


(which might as well be China Town West here in San Francisco) meant that we were on a hunt for noodles. Part of the hunt included trying to find noodles to cook at home.

And boy did we find them! The May Wah Supermarket made our night. We got oodles of noodles, veggies, soy milk, tea, a wok cleaning brush, some nice porcelain soup spoons, lots of different versions of bean paste filled cookies, a small bottle of sake and one small can of basil seed drink.

Below, you'll see two photos (I have SUCH a hard time deciding!!) of me and the latter two Asian market finds.

Ahh, basil seed drink. I was pretty nervous to try this stuff, hence the drink not quite hitting my mouth.¹



Mmm, nigori sake in a pretty pink bottle. It was a half bottle so my huge hand is actually not huge.




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¹Once he did it...


...I couldn't back down!


It's actually filled with these little gelatinously coated black seeds that taste vaguely of basil. The juice that they float inside tastes mildly of banana flavoring and the fun part was chomping down on the strange little seeds - it was easier to do so when only a small mouthful is ingested at a time.


The technique of filling the mouth with a big gulp and then trying to catch the seeds between the teeth...

...didn't work so well.

self portrait challenge - food.01

The challenge for SPC this month is food.

Yay!

I love food and I love photographing food and I love taking self portraits. I've just never focused on doing them together so this is super fun for me (rubs hands together with glee).

The hardest part of this challenge is choosing only one image to post here.
I've narrowed it down to just two¹ and if you feel so inclined, I'd love to hear which is your favorite and why.

These two are from my "candy obsession" session. Feel free to click to see the image larger.

I like this one best for the composition overall, but I don't like that the Cyprus Delight² I'm pulling from the shelf is cut off.


I like this one best for the look on my face, the fun, sharp perspective and the fact that the Cyprus Delight is shown off better, but I don't like the overhead light that's, well, directly over my head.


¹Actually, I wanted to share this one too because I felt like a 10 year old when I was shooting this part of the "candy obsession" series. I was giggling and trying to get the chocolate to show without it looking too gross. Then my man walked into the kitchen and said "are you taking pictures of yourself stuffing chocolate into your mouth?" and just kind of shook his head and laughed as I cracked up. I couldn't stop laughing. It was a super deep, belly laugh and it felt really good. Be forewarned, if you click thru to the larger image, it might gross you out like it did him. I think it's hilarious and it makes me giggle to look at it.

²similar to Turkish Delight, a la The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, only made in Cyprus instead. I got it at Bi Rite Creamery and it's got lots of yummy bergamot flavor - deelish.