Sooooo, I've been a little remiss with my dear ol' blog. No posts since May! But as usual I have excellent excuses.

End of May I got really sick. Really really sick. And I NEVER get sick. And if I do get sick, I get better in 24 hours. No joke. But this time, I got so sick that after two days my family and friends were like, WTF? No worries though, I've recovered from most of it, and I've been getting better and better the farther from May I get!

In June, Trevor and I went to Japan for the first two weeks. We had a great time seeing friends, ate lots of yummy food, I bought a shit-ton of records, and Trevor got a bunch of training in.












Yep, that pretty much sums it up!

Then in the last two weeks of June, Trevor and I moved from our beloved studio in our beloved Oakland Temescal to a sweet two bedroom place with room to BBQ and garden in Albany. And so July, besides being about celebrating my birthday and picking mad blackberries and BBQ-ing and gardening and biking and baking pie and generally enjoying summer, has been filled with getting settled in our new home.

But be forewarned: I'm back baby!

Pomo Canyon, end of August 2009

Campsite:















Hiking through lush ferns and new growth redwoods...



















...and over the mountain along a ridge with gorgeous views...




























...and down to Shell Beach:















We also stopped for beer on the way home (of course) at the new Lagunitas Brewery beer garden in beautiful Petaluma -- home of the most gorgeous, ramshackle, late 19th to early 20th century farmhouses around.















Lovely, lovely weekend. If this ends up being my last camping trip of the year, I think I'll be satisfied. But we'll see -- Big Sur is calling!

Simple (and not so simple) pleasures...

Brunch at Horseshoe:

Buttermilk Pancakes with Pecan Butter















Eggs Florentine















Alien invasion at the Red Vic:















In 3-D!















Caramel pudding with sea salt (to die for), artisanal cheese plate, angel food cake and strawberries, and some outstanding cocktails at Flora:















And how can one forget seeing the pink Studebaker?

Nothing finer than game night, friends, BBQ, fresh cut grass...


















...and my man in a hammock in the setting sun.

One of the best things about two weeks of days off paid at the end of the year?

I can hit happy hour.

Nothing finer on this cold grey afternoon than booze, fries, and a book in a warm nook in the corner window at Ben and Nick's. Not a soul in there at 3 pm. Beer (even Stella -- hey, there was a free giveaway glass!) in the afternoon is just so nice.

Being off also means a school night trip to The Mallard this evening with my friend Chris when he bails from his bartending gig at 9 pm.

I love being on vacation!