![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
A few months ago I started getting into my reader, adding a ton of subscriptions and making plans for less TV. Not too surprisingly I've almost entirely been ignoring the tech feeds (not great for work) and have been engrossed in many design, fashion, photography and art blogs. Apparently I've rediscovered my inner design goddess. In my next life I want to make something with my hands as my career. Until then I'll just blog about it: On Maiden Lane. The site is still work in progress as I figure out the colors and stuff.
Originally posted on kimmie.vox.com
Originally posted on kimmie.vox.com
It's been quite the week of celebrations. Initially I was kind of sad to be celebrating this birthday on the single wagon but so many friends came to the rescue that I didn't even reflect much on it. I really am so very lucky to have such wonderful people in my life. Growing up I didn't have a ton of friends so it's really surprising to see how many close relationships I've been able to hold onto through the years. It makes getting older much easier.
Wednesday started off with early morning birthday wishes, gifts from Sippey and Sarah, then lunch with my 6a peeps and finally a late night dinner with girlfriends at House of Prime Rib. I love this restaurant and frequent it often for holidays and birthdays. There was an old man at the bar celebrating his 105th birthday that evening. He's been a regular there for years now. Very sweet. We closed down the restaurant with two bottles of champagne, a bottle of wine and shots of tequila. Not sure how but I didn't even have a hangover the next day!
I took Friday off to get some pampering done and then had quite an epic birthday party at District. I was there from 5pm to well after midnight because people just kept on coming. I don't think I was ever empty handed either as the champagne was definitely flowing. Sadly because of all the people I couldn't make it over to Chris' celebration in the Mission. :( I might have overdone it on the invite list but it did make me feel very loved that so many old friends showed up.
The next morning despite my aching feet and a banging headache, I managed to get up and go at it again. The afternoon was spent with Sarah on Joann's sunny deck celebrating Nico's birthday. We did shots of mocha infused vodka, ate coconut and pineapple cake, and took sneak peeks at her hot neighbor over in the other building. After that I drove to the other side of the city for Suzanne's bridal shower in South Park. She held a cocktail event with champagne and hors d'oeuvres rather than the traditional house party. Loved it.
So you're probably thinking that this has to be the end of the night because I've been drinking for way too many hours. Right? Um, not quite. We went from the bridal shower to Suzanne's bachelorette party at Circolo. Crazy. I changed from flats to heels in the car and was ready to go though. After buying Suzanne a few rounds of shots, Patty and I headed to the Elbo Room in the Mission. WeFunk Radio djs were spinning and we caught the last hour of an awesome set. I found Randy, Krissy and Garth but couldn't find Steve in the crowd of sweaty people (thanks Steve for the invite, I wish I could have come earlier because the music was off the hook).
Now I'm back at home and finally getting the chance to relax. Looking forward to the upcoming week where I actually don't have anything planned ...at least not until the weekend. ;)
Originally posted on kimmie.vox.com
The first year I celebrated my birthday without my mother, I turned seventeen and went out with my best friend and her family to dinner. My mother didn't want to plan anything and C's family had offered to take me to the Spagetti Factory (which I totally loved at the time). I figured I'd do something with my mom that weekend. Not a big deal right? Um, wrong. A very big deal. When I came home, she flipped out about how ungrateful I was and that she brought me into the world not to celebrate my day with another family. That wasn't the worst of it as she continued to remind me of this incident for many birthdays to come, including her own.
Fast forward ten years and my mother unbelievable starts forgetting my birthday. She was usually just off by a day or two but then one year she totally forgot to call for two weeks. When she finally did, I was beyond being bummed and kind of just in shock.
"HOOooooney, it your mommmy. How is baby?" she said brightly.
"I'm okay, busy with work. And you?"
She laughed nervously, "Okay mommy...mommy know is so, SO bad. But I remember before, just forgot on the day and mommy busy with temple. You know temple. Okay?? HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! You want some money?"
I stared at the phone in disbelief, "OMG mom, I do not want money!!!"
I called her last night because it's been a good month since I've seen my parents. And I wanted to remind her that today was the day, just in case. She called this morning to sing me happy birthday. Except she only knows the first line of the melody and proceeded to repeat that over and over. Thanks mom. :)
Originally posted on kimmie.vox.com
Last Wednesday Stef called with an offer that I couldn't refuse, purchase a ticket to Vegas and everything else would be covered for the 4th of July weekend. Her manager was flying there with a high roller friend and apparently two hotels were covering all of their expenses. Crazy! They put the two of us in a suite one floor below the penthouse at the Palazzo, the new Venetian towers, with a fantastic view of the strip. We treated ourselves to lots of pool time, the spa and several decadent meals. It was fabulous.
I've known Stef for a few years now but this was the first time that we've done a solo thing together. I feel kind of special that she thought of me for the trip. It was a great time and we got along so well. We're more alike than we first realized and I know this is the beginning of a close friendship. Here are highs and lows from the weekend:
- Our suite came with three flat screen TVs including one in the bathroom, remote controlled curtains and a walk-in closet
- The lounge chairs directly in the pool were awesome. Who needs a cabana when you can sit in the water all day?
- Ran into a friend's bachelor party and got to hang out with friends that I haven't seen in years
- A very drunk girl fell into a friend’s birthday cake and then wiped her hands on my dress
- Went to Jet at Treasure Island as a favor to Stef's manager and discovered it was the "5’4 and under" club
- Pulled an all-nighter on Saturday to fly out at
7:30am on Sunday. I felt a little crazy
at the airport but well that's how Vegas is done I suppose
- My feet still hurt from dancing in heels all
weekend. Heh.
Originally posted on kimmie.vox.com
Sometimes it takes a few plays before I really connect with bands and their music. I have a tendency to fall in love with albums long after others have started playing them at housewarming parties and they're on request in jukeboxes around the city. When it finally happens I'll listen to a particular album on repeat until I can't bear to hear another single note from them.
There's been many albums where I've done this going back as far as Disintegration, a time where I was going through the early years of "How the hell did I end up with this family?", to more recent memories of drinking wine and dancing to Hot Fuss with my girlfriends. Each of these albums takes me back to a place and time, and reminds me of how far I've come and how much further the road is ahead. This month I'm stuck on Crystal Castles:
Originally posted on kimmie.vox.com
After years of going to Vegas for birthdays, getaways, bachelorette parties and one very cold New Year's Eve, I know better than to come into work the very next day. It takes a full day to recover from the excessive drinking and lack of sleep. Almost all of yesterday was spent either in bed or on my couch, minus the hour I spent unpacking and cooking dinner. Today my legs are still sore from all the dancing that I did on Saturday night. It was a fun time despite initial my concern that I was too old to be partying like that. ;)
The roundup from the weekend (includes only details that I could talk about in a public blog like this):
- Stayed in two awesome suites at The Hotel at Mandalay Bay. Very swanky but it was about a mile of walking to get to the pools in Mandalay Bay. But we were hooked up with a discount so the rooms ended up being cheaper than Mandalay Bay.
- Average temperature in Vegas was 105 degrees. Such a shame that I only spent a total of four hours in the wave pool.
- My longest stretch of dancing in one night without sitting down? 5 hours.
- Celebrity takeover: Kardashians at Pure nightclub caused the lines to shutdown at midnight. We thought there was going to be a riot since they had a zillion people waiting.
- Bill for bottle service and table at Prive: two bottles of Grey Goose vodka at $450 per bottle.
- Stef's friend hooked us up with a "party bus" that came equipped with a dancer's pole. I would like to note that I did not partake in the pole dancing.
- Met Steve Kim from the Chippendale's at Seamless, the after hours club.
- Missed breakfast every day. But we did dine at Bradley Ogden and Social House.
The latter's tasting menu of sashimi was amazing and worth every
penny. Bradley Ogden is owned by the same restauranteur as Lark Creek
here in San Francisco but it definitely wasn't as good.
- I slept a total of four hours in two days. Woo.
Originally posted on kimmie.vox.com
Sarah wasn't feeling well this afternoon so I drove her St. Mary's hospital over by Golden Gate park. I dropped her off at the entrance and then parked the car in the garage. When I walked through the entrance I expected to find a directory but all I got was some girl on her cell phone giving me the dirty eye. It's rather baffling that hospitals floor plans aren't made more intuitive. People come here in times of pain and stress and are left staring at the five million signs wondering which way is the right way to go. They need medical help not GPS.
I was kind of expecting the emergency room to open up in front of me when I exited the elevator. Kind of like in the movies where there's this huge room with patients shuffling back and forth. After turning two corners and ending up in the radiology section, I asked a nurse where the emergency room was.
"Um, it's behind you over there." He said with a tired look.
Oh, I completely missed the white double doors that said "Emergency Room" on them. Heh. I tried the doors but they were locked. An old man walking down the hall kindly yelled out, "Dear, you have to hit the intercom before they let you in..there, hit that button." An intercom? What if I was having a heart attack?
After they buzzed me in I figured this was where I would see the big waiting room. I ran down the hall past curtained rooms, empty gurneys and medical equipment and somehow ending up in another lab section. WTF? Since the emergency room was on the bottom floor, there were really low ceilings and no
cell phone reception, so I couldn't even call Sarah.
I turned down two more hallways and then circled back around to the nurse's station out of breath, "Have you seen my friend? She just came in..she's about this tall, um.." The nurse looked at me like I was crazy. ".. Um, do you have a waiting room or something??"
She pointed me to a set of white sliding doors that I just ran past. OMG. I finally find Sarah and we spend the next fifteen minutes sitting in a tiny waiting room flipping through brochures about medical alarms and hospital billing options. There's an 80s cop movie playing on the crappy TV and the guy beside me was picking at the wound in his knee. Lovely.
Finally Sarah got checked out and I went back to the waiting room which was now filled with too many people. After five minutes or so, the guy behind me decided to rest his feet on the seat next to my head. Um, so gross. I sat perched in my seat watching the knee guy fidget back and forth. After ten minutes of this I couldn't take it anymore and bolted for the sliding doors. Except um, they didn't slide this time. Push. Nothing. I turned to see one of the ladies in the room staring at me stupidly. I looked at the doors again and saw the fine print, "Doors do not open on their own." Why? Why? Why? I turned back to the check-in desk, "Um, the door doesn't open on it's own???"
The nurse rolled her eyes, "No they don't." She hit a button and the doors opened up.
ARGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
Sarah was treated with medication through an interesting plastic breathing contraption. I almost took a photo but it looked kind of phallic and I was sure she'd kill me for posting it. She's doing better now and despite the craziness of that hospital, we did get a good laugh about all the things we saw but couldn't txt anyone about.
Originally posted on kimmie.vox.com
I've been working on a new painting. It's been awhile since I've been inspired to do something but I saw a Monet in the window of a bookstore and decided I wanted to do flowers. Cherry blossoms rather than his lilies and in a brighter turquoise than the painting's pale blues. The thing with oil painting though is that it's a process. A process of layering on several shades of gray, then complimentary colors, and then redrawing the objects in charcoal. With each layer, you add more and more paint until you're at 90/10 ratio of paint to mineral spirits.
Initially you'll have a lot of "runs" in the paint which is good because it allows the varying levels of color to mix. You can see a lot of them to on the right side of my painting. While I'm not close to being done (there's a lot of highlighting to do and it's not turquoise :P), I kind of like where it's at. Maybe I should start on another until I'm inspired to change this one? That's the brilliance of oil. Retouch it with paint in a few weeks and it'll come back to life.
Originally posted on kimmie.vox.com
Summer has made it's way to the bay and with it comes the onslaught of weddings and festivities. On my coffee table are the first set of invitations with another two still on their way. One invitation sadly went from having Nick's name to just a singular "1". People sure like to punish the single folks. Ha. I really thought everyone was done getting married years ago but they just keep coming. I'm looking forward to each of these especially the ones out of the city. The first couple will be married at Wente Vineyards in Livermore, the second at a private estate in Palo Alto and the third at one of my favorite restaurants, Yank Sing.
This weekend I'm headed to Vegas for Mel's bachelorette party. I've been to Vegas more times than I can remember so to be honest I'm only looking forward to being with girlfriends by the pool. In July it'll be Suzanne's cocktail bridal party at a french bistro in South Park (btw, I love this idea since it's neither a shower nor a bachelorette) and then in August I'll be taking a Napa wine tasting and spa trip for Sarah's shower. It's going to be a busy but fun summer. I'm looking forward to the time spent with friends.
Originally posted on kimmie.vox.com
Thievery Corporation put on an amazing show last night. But I expected nothing less since the Greek Theater rarely disappoints especially on beautiful warm nights. It was still well into the 80s for the earlier part of the evening. Beau, Chris and Alex came over to my pad before the show where I fed them shots and made them listen to songs on repeat. They were good sports about it. ;) And Patty made it just in time despite the horrendous bridge traffic. Yay, to a fun night with friends and good music.
Originally posted on kimmie.vox.com
Apparently there are eight not four stages to healing after a break up: shock, denial, numbness, fear, anger, depression, understanding and then acceptance. I had no idea there were so many but maybe that's because I lumped most of it together during this whole process. And when you're the one doing the breaking up, some stages hit closer to home than others.
I woke up Monday morning after another night of heavy drinking (don't worry, I'm not an alcoholic), frantic journal writing, and restless sleeping to the sudden realization that this was the week. The week where I didn't need a drink to make things fun, a week where I didn't need to be busy every moment of the every day, a week where I didn't need to feel sad. I was done being depressed, angry and numb. We're both in better places or at least we will be. I'll always love him and he'll continue to be one my greatest friends. And well, that's that.
In diferent news,
tomorrow night I'll be at the Greek Theater with Patty to see Thievery
Corporation. I am sure it'll be an awesome show. I
leave you with a music video, which is most appropriate for rooftop
dancing on this hot, hot day in San Francisco.
Originally posted on kimmie.vox.com
I discovered the loveliest photos by Michael Eastman on Young Gallery today. He's been producing fine-art photography for over 30 years with work that covers European and American architecture. Not sure where I've been but I love his style. It's a look at the old through new eyes. This is a photo from his "Cuba" collection. The photo makes me ache just a bit for a time that once was..
The other set of photos from "Vanishing America" are just as dark and endearing. He documents the decaying and abandoned towns across the heartland of America. The "Vanishing America" collection was also just released in a book, which I'm going to have to purchase since I really can't afford any of his prints.
Originally posted on kimmie.vox.com
Tiff left a gift on my desk this morning: felt happy tears crafted after her own work along with mini-stickers and a Hello Kitty paper kimono. I about died with glee over the kimono. Ayako (she's in the SF offices this entire week) came by shortly after that to hand me a bunny. "I was born in the year of the bunny!" I exclaimed. She nodded eagerly as if she knew all along. Two gifts in one day. I am a lucky, lucky girl.
Originally posted on kimmie.vox.com
There were letters lined along the top of the mailbox when I came home. Has it been that long since I last checked the mail? Apparently so as I yanked open the bulging door and a pile of magazines fell out. For a moment I felt like one of those old spinsters, the ones still living in the same apartment after thirty years and spends days eagerly awaiting the next subscription Mary Kay and Penneys. How did I get here again?
Oh right. Welcome to the new single life. Where friends pack you with condoms, dare you to get "that" guy's number, and graciously pimp you out to their best friend's roommate's cousin, who's really awesome but really not your type. Granted I do appreciate that friends are trying to keep me busy. So busy in fact that much of the last month has been one fuzzy dream. I'm not sure I was ever really in the moment. I'd go out, smile, talk, nod, shake hands and make witty remarks at the appropriate times. Yet through all of it, I just felt kind of numb. Sometimes I'd remember where I was and what I was supposed to be feeling. And then I'd just want to go home and eat Oreo cookies.
It's part of the process everyone says. Those blues came yesterday in the late afternoon, making the task at hand suddenly unbearable. Thank goodness for Sarah's idea of hitting the Ferry Building after work. I needed the company. But the dinner high lasted only until I was on the bridge, at which point I proceeded to call everyone on my speed dial list. My dear friends are good cheerleaders and never fail to offer the kind of advice that keeps on giving. "Keep these things in mind and you'll be fine. Don't die. Don't get an STD. Don't get fired. That's in no particular order btw." said Tyee before wishing me a good night.
Right. Okay, will do.
Originally posted on kimmie.vox.com
Meh, not quite. I enjoyed the first few chapters where she reflected on Japan's various tranditions and her own internal struggles being the all-American girl. All of the meaty hostessing chapters with its wide cast of characters never really developed far enough. I kept forgetting who was who and why were they doing the things that they needed to do. She wasn't great at describing her own addictions and their precursors so you don't really feel any empathy for her.
All in all, kind of bleh. Think it's time I pick up the book that Sarah lent: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay.
Originally posted on kimmie.vox.com
My mom's boyfriend has been away on a trip to Vietnam. She hates sleeping alone and I knew she'd want me to come home often. In fact, she called right before he left and asked if I could work from home 2-3 days a week from San Jose. An extra weekend this month sure okay, but several days a week? Mind you some visits I can barely get through brunch without wanting to bolt for the door. So um, no. And my weekends this month were entirely booked so instead I asked her to come stay with me for a few days. Yes, kind of crazy.
Well mom came up today with the kitchen sink in tow. Literally. She doesn't understand how I could possibly feel aggravated when she does things like this. It's as though she doesn't believe I can take care of myself, despite the fact that I've been living on my own since college. She brought her own bedding and pillows, towels, toiletries, a bag of cooking supplies such as fish sauce, soy sauce and a colander, three bags of groceries including canned goods and a 25 pd bag of rice, AND extra cleaning supplies.
In the first hour, she picked apart what I had in the refrigerator and proclaimed my floors were too disgusting. She then proceeded to wipe the floors down as I chased her around the kitchen saying, "It's fine mom. Leave it alone. No really, I'll take care of it later.." To put my mother in perspective, here are some counts from just this evening alone. The number of times that she's asked me to drink milk: 3; number of times she's asked to me to eat something: 5; number of times she's complained about me being single: 4; number of times she's complained about my hair/skin/clothes: 3; number of times she's mentioned that drinking ice is bad for my teeth: 2.
She's staying until Wednesday, you do the math on those numbers. Though it's not all bad because my mom does have her funny moments. And these are the things that get me through the days:
Earlier when we parked her car in the garage, she seemed very put off by how dark and deserted it was.
"Well, it's a garage mom. There's not going to be a lot of people down here."
She frowned, "Is safe though, honey?"
"As safe as can be with a gate. Let's grab the bags and I promise you don't have to come down here at night."
I went around the side of the car and saw that she had taken out the package of Arrowhead water. "Mom, we have too much stuff here, leave the bottles of water until tomorrow."
"You sure? So dark here. What if someone take? It good water."
"The water mom? Someone is not going to steal the freakin' water. They'll want your stereo over the water!"
She laughed nervously and put the water back into the car. But I'm not sure she really believed me.
Originally posted on kimmie.vox.com
Faucets by Joakim Lloyd Raboff found on Wired
Originally posted on kimmie.vox.com
Chandeliers especially have been something that I've been drawn to in recent years. In the past they may have been considered a decadent piece saved for people of certain tastes, but in modern design they are much more whimsical and add a flair to sterile, urban spaces. Though I don't have that tri-level industrial loft space with dark teal walls and brown leather chairs, I have imagined a chandelier such as this in that space.
These Brooklyn-made chandeliers from Michael Mchale marry together the unlikely components of new and old. Distressed brass pipes and fittings, many of which were re-claimed from various building sites in Louisiana and New York, make up the bones of the chandelier.
They are then draped with Swarovski's crystal (though you can get a cheaper crystal for about $1000 less) and common light sources such as low-wattage refrigerator bulbs are used in the center and main axis which generates that warm glow that you see.
Every piece is handmade and never mass produced. Therefore no two are alike. I adore this 13-watt Mini Billiards Chandelier. It's going for the low, low price of $4700. :D
Originally posted on kimmie.vox.com
