House Hunting: Peninsula Style

Just got back early yesterday morning from a weekend of house hunting in the Bay Area! Brentan and I put an offer on two very different places. We're hoping to get the best bang for our buck. We saw about 15 properties, condos and single family homes, in various states of disrepair, all short sales (which is the step before foreclosure, the bank sells the home for less than what the owner owes). So here are the two we bid on:
"Dollhouse" on Northumberland Ave.




Condo in Shelter Creek


You can probably tell which one I am leaning towards.

Hello Mr. Olympus E-510

I want you all to say hello to my new digital SLR Olympus E-510, who will now be the main photographer for this blog.
He is very happy to be a part of this project, and I am very happy to have him as my early anniversary/birthday gift from Brentan. Though he is not brand new, he has some experience from a craigslister who has upgraded. It is safe to say, he is in good hands now...

Whiptails Weekend + Bro-In-Law

Last weekend was a Whiptails filled weekend. It was Millyfest + Alum Game, and I'm pretty sure the alum, ahem *vintage*, whiptail team dominated. I didn't take any pictures, because I was too busy having fun. And it was great seeing people who I hadn't seen in a year or so. Although I missed the far away people (JessKwan, Tori, Rachel, I'm calling you out)! It was great playing frisbee again, which I also haven't done in a year. I used muscles I forgot that I have.

Also, my brother in law, Bryce, came into town from CO on Saturday, and I'm playing tourist with him, especially when Brentan is at work. Sunday we went to see Spring Awakening, which, although the music and singing was outstanding, was a little disappointing. There was very little plot, and the acting was sub-par. I felt like there was so much emotion and very little expression of it on the actors' part. I wanted to cry, to laugh, but it wasn't there.
Also, Bryce and I went to the Museum of Science yesterday and hung out with the schoolchildren. I'm also always underwhelmed by that museum. But then we went to see the Pawtucket Sox game last night after Brentan was done with work, and that was fun. And cheap! Including the food and beer!

So now, Bryce is still sleeping and I should come up with something to do this afternoon....

Camping on Cape Cod

I already posted my photos to Facebook, but I thought I would add some description to my Cape Cod adventure from this weekend.

Brentan and Sarah B. and I decided around midnight on Friday that we would go camping at the Cape Cod National Seashore for the weekend. Brentan and I had been thinking of it for some time, and now that Sarah doesn't have a job (sad) we had a little room for spontaneity!

It rained until 2pm on Saturday, which was ok, because we left late on Sat. morning (per usual, I'm turning into a not so prompt person). But then we were on the Cape, and I had never really spend any time there, and it was so beachy, more than I would expect. We went for a little walk on the beach by our campsite in Nickerson State Park. We saw lots of sea creatures, including a crab metropolis. I couldn't count how many tiny crabs lived in the sand!
Then we went and looked at some lighthouses. There was a bride and groom there taking pictures. A Cape wedding would be so beautiful. And later we set up camp and made some delicous dinner of brats and corn.Sunday morning we got up really early to see the sun rise over the Atlantic. It was the first time I had seen the sun rise over the ocean, and probably the last in a long time. However, I am more looking forward to some sunsets! After snapping some quick pictures, we went back to camp and slept for 3 more hours.
The rest of Sunday was spent hiking and exploring Provincetown. We took a 4 mile hike out onto this peninsula which used to be an island. It used to be a hot whaling location. We did see a dead blackfish, which is a type of whale, on the beach. We had lunch in P-Town at a restaurant with a nice patio overlooking the marina.
Then it was a drive back to Boston! Great weekend!

Taza Chocolate and Albertine Press

Yesterday was a quite lovely afternoon. I went with my friend Lydia and Brentan to the open house at the Taza chocolate factory in Somerville and went on a tour of their factory. It was very cool, and although I've been to a brewery, a winery, and a tea factory, making organic chocolate is a bit different. And it was a smaller place, where they still do a lot of the work by hand--including wrapping all of the chocolate. The chocolate is all made in a traditional way, stone ground, and it is all dark chocolate, they don't use any milk! And quite delicious. Our tour guide explained that they don't conch the cocoa beans which makes their chocolate have a nice, authentic texture. Oh yum, I'm just remembering it so well, I want to eat some of the chocolate I bought! They sell their chocolate all over the Boston area, and I would recommend trying it if you never have. It's all made locally at thier cool factory!

After the tour, and tasting more chocolate, we went upstairs to visit Albertine Press, a cute little letterpress printing shop, which is in the same building. They had about 7-8 letterpress machines, and did a little demo on how they work. Very cool. I love the aestheic of letterpress, and it was so cool seeing it in action. It makes me want to become a printer. So how much do you think a letterpress machine costs? I bought a cute card that I can use soon!

Little Neglected Blog

Oh little neglected blog, I miss you. I ended up going out and taking some beautiful pictures of the streets of Back Bay a whole week ago, with the intention of putting them up here. And now it is a week later, and I am just finally putting them up.

Coco Avant Chanel

I can't wait for this movie to come out in the US! I love Audrey Tautou, and this just looks beautiful. I'm a little sorry I don't understand any French, because I would like to know what they are saying in the trailer.

I Heart Flowers!

I just can't get enough of this GLORIOUS spring!

Monday was the Boston Marathon, and I basically spent all day outside watching the runners, and picnicking with friends. All of the flowers are blooming along Commonwealth Ave., tulips, magnolias, pansies, cherry trees, all beautiful and colorful. I seem to forget how cheerful the world gets in the spring, how more fragrant the trees are than I remember.
I just want to go out and take more pictures of flowers!

Guest Post and Mass Innovation Night

Two big events in less than 24 hours, both personally and professionally.

First, Tina at the Carrots N Cake blog was generous enough to let me write a guest post about finding the right restaurant for you. I talk about traditional ways, like talking to friends, as well as exploring new media, like my site xelago.com.

Second, last night was Mass Innovation Night! xelago and nine other companies showcased new products to an audience of several hundred people. It was very helpful and productive for xelago, and for me personally. Brentan and I met all sorts of people, and even got interviewed by a Boston Globe reporter. All the interesting people and new ideas were incredible. I only wish I had been able to check out some of the other products that were there; I was too busy telling people about xelago. Also, I don't think I realized how huge Twitter is until last night. omg so many people on Twitter!

Anyway, thanks to the new people I met, new people I will meet, and to Carrots N Cake!

Back on the Job Search Horse

I'm back looking for jobs in San Francisco, and working on xelago after a few weeks hiatus doing a bit of contract work for a consulting company. (Ask me in person how much I liked this).

Its hard to get myself motivated to do stuff. Stuff I don't necessarily want to do. I want to search for things online, and make crafts, and just be passive, and I have to be a little more aggressive and motivated. Well, I am motivated, just not motivated enough to do anything about it.

Any tips for actually getting your butt in gear? Also any tips on how I can make xelago super successful? Or tips on fantastic jobs that I would love and am completely qualified for in San Francisco starting around August?