Year: 2014

Meet Maria Elena, a woman scorned. Vicky Cristina Barcelona

The Death of the Ex

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On the surface I appeared calm, steady, normal.  Beneath that I was waiting for a tiny reason to tear him a new *ssh0le.  Late night make outs  began to sour rather than stimulate. Love Doesn’t Just Die.  We Kill It Most of the Time.  I am not a COMPLETE psycho, but love on life support can make a person feel like one. I was young and in love, but from where I stood he was less and less interested in me.  Disenchanted is the word I like to use.  He would look at me with contempt,  he seemed too jealous and suspicious of me.  Me?  Lil’ ol’ me with the bright smile and prudish upbringing.  Me – who believed God would strike her down for having premarital sex and instead developed mad skills at a few Lewinsky-style relations.  Me?  The gal who wanted nothing but to spend all of her time with him?   Me?  The gal who wanted to marry him.  Me?  Suspicious of ME?  Blind, loyal, devoted me?  You don’t want to talk to me …

Snippets of My Week #9

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The scene at The Mill SF A smattering of my top snippets from the week.  This time around, I am recapping by time of day versus day of the week.  Aren’t most things more memorable around when we eat anyway?   I invite you to follow me @blogger_bp on Instagram during the week if you aren’t already.    Midnight Snack   Or more accurately, 10:45 pm snack.  When you want something chocolatey on a week night and know there’s a bag of Bob’s Red Mill Brownie Mix in your cupboard, it’s easy to give in.  After trimming off the edges I saw this imperfectly perfect giant brownie square.  Why bother cutting some more? I’m just going to eat the whole  thing anyway…   A giant brownie is all I could need.   +++     Breakfast    Toasters lined up at The Mill on Divisadero … I can see why they need all of these. Pumpkin butter, almond butter, honey butter, sea salt and classic butter, etc etc atop thick slices of toast with a cuppa joe. …

Sh*t Sandwich

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It’s not so much what you dream about doing as it is what you are willing to endure to carry on with it.  Last week I read this post by Mark Manson discussing the seven questions to ask when contemplating one’s life’s purpose.  His first question,  WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE FLAVOR OF SHIT SANDWICH AND DOES IT COME WITH AN OLIVE? stuck with me like gum in my hair.  Impossible to shake off and always there, my fingers fiddling with it in the morning and at night while in bed.  I do not know what my favorite shit sandwich flavor of all time is, though I have had my fair share of them in different areas and at different times in my life.  I do not prepare my shit sandwiches with olives though.  I hate olives unless broken down into a tapenade. Mr. Manson perceives the olive as a garnish, saying that if you are going to eat a shit sandwich to get where you need to go or to get what it is you need, …

Lately … 10.07.14

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Lately I’ve been …        Having days like this {Treats}         … Followed by nights like that  {Gin}           Cozying up in these {Socks}           Ordering more books by him {Todd Parr}            Managing neck and shoulder pain with those {Patch; Roller}           Smelling fresh and clean with this {Baby Cologne}                All photos by bp.                        

Lately … 09.30.14

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  Lately I’ve been …         Loyally scrubbing (12 years running) with this {Daily Microfoliant} Newly devoted to that {Neck Cream} Freshening up with these {Face & Hand Cleansing Wipes} Comparing those {3LAB Cleansing Foam} { Fresh Face Cleanser}   Neglecting to easily line my eyes with this {Pencil} Itching to soothe with that {calming serum}               All photos by bp      

Snippets of My Week #8

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What sits behind me. In Hayes Valley Miette Bakery is consistently stunning with their fully stocked jars of old fashioned candy and towers of perfectly packaged baked goods.  I like that it is difficult to take a bad picture in here because of their beautiful merchandising and interior details.  Whether or not I eat anything in here is besides the point.  It’s just a complete dream. Miette Bakery A short walk around the area brought me to Papabubble.  Producing all of their tightly designed candy in house, it smelled like sweet berries and cotton candy, prompting me to sample their kiwi and watermelon flavors, though I was allowed to taste my way through the shop if I wanted to.  You must come yourself to see the detail in each piece of candy. In stark contrast to Miette’s feast for the eyes, Papabubble’s minimal interior aesthetic still made a strong impact.  My favorite display is their little case here. Papabubble +++ At home I was staring at this for a little longer than I would have liked. …

Lately … 09.23.14

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Lately I’ve been … Deciding which fall recipes to stew in this {Le Creuset Oval French Oven} Nesting these {matryoshka dolls}  Breaking it down with him {Cool Michael} Burning that {Jonathan Adler  Candle} Smiling at this {Nourishing Notes Capsule}   Preventing Husband from damaging his teeth on that {Jaw Breaker}  All photos taken by bp

Snippets of My Week #7

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 Perfect Girl Date card that I keep in my stash. Photo c/o The Social Type While doing my Snippets I realized they are all about time with girlfriends.  This is perfect since rumor has it that International Women’s Friendship Month is well under way.  These are some of the new adult friends I referred to in last week’s post.  In no particular order, this is how I’ve enjoyed the week with them. YESTERDAY This is my view looking up from the bench I sat at with Tête-à-Tête having the most honest three hour conversation about relationships (friendship, marriage, dating, courtship, mothers and daughters) in a long time.  To say that I may have gotten a bit of whip lash from knocking my head back so much from laughing is an understatement.  There was a steady rotation of familiar passers by sitting on the neighboring bench or hanging back under the tree near us.  I do not think this was incidental.  I do believe some of the men who returned while their families were eating, shopping, and strolling …

Birthday Babe

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Having a ‘milestone’ birthday was not what had been preoccupying my mind.  It was deciding how to celebrate that nagged at me.    For at least one year I had been listening to people ask, What’s your celebration going to be for the big four-oh?  Are you traveling?  Where will you go?    Are you having a party?  You must have a party!  Have a girls’ weekend!  Plan a group trip out of town!  Yes, let’s do that!   It’s one thing to embrace an idea and it is another to commit to an event. There are schedules, spouses, children, preferences, group dynamics, and budgets to consider.   In my mind, nobody but the celebrant is ever truly responsible for organizing her party and as enthusiastic as people were to get on board with anything I could have wanted:  Camping Extravaganza, Beach Retreat, Coastal Getaway, European Sojourn, Asian Adventure, Epic Picnic, Dive Bar Disco you name it –  I do not have the mental nor emotional bandwidth to execute an important plan like that the way …

Lately … 09.16.14

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    Lately I’ve been … Listening and talking through these {Happy Plugs} Writing with this {Pilot pen} Running low on that {Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment}     Sending out these {crafted letter pressed cards} Snacking on those {Lemongrass Toffee Almonds}  {Nestle Butterfinger}   Wanting to be twisted like this {hairstyle}   Hairstyle photo credit: whatthechung All other photos taken by bp