12 Things: Results

It's been a few months since my 12 Things deadlines came and went. Here's a quick overview of how I did.

Done

1. Perfect the tiramisu cupcake

7. Bake a cake/cupcakes from scratch - I made an apple crumb cake for Thanksgiving (along with my cappuccino cookies). I completely spaced and didn't take a photo, but according to my sister it was pretty delicious. I (of course) didn't have a bite because I was too nervous it would be disgusting.

9. Complete 5 of my pins on my Learn/Make/Do board on Pinterest. 1 2 3 4 5

Half Done

2. Read 6 books - Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me, Mindy Kaling and Divergent, Victoria Roth are as far as I got before my birthday. BUT! Since then, I started and finished A Year of Biblical Womanhood by Rachel Held Evans and I've moved on to Gone Girl. Also, The Shining is still sitting on my side table, half read, but I feel like it's so dark it might be better to store it in the freezer (newbie Friends reference, anyone?) for a while.

3. Explore a part of San Francisco I've spent little time in. - This did not happen to the extent I wanted it to, but I did get to spend a surprise afternoon in the city to get my passport. I was totally unprepared for it clothing-wise. I realized this once I was at the BART station. All I had to keep my lizard self warm was a light blazer. But I made the best of my procrastination by finding a hidden Blue Bottle Coffee near the processing office. I sat there and enjoyed my pretty latte, wrote in my journal, then moseyed on outside to sit in the sun. Not a bad way to kill time!

6. Make coffee art - Honestly, I've just uploaded lots of photos of coffee art. Maybe we can make that count. At the very least I should get credit for rediscovering my french press. Kona coffee made in a french press...now that's a work of art!

Attempted

4. Finish organizing/uploading my Project 365 - It turns out working on a project you know you never finished is too much of a hassle for not enough pay off.

5. Practice French everyday for a month. - I know I said April, but it turns out April had other ideas.

8. Watch 10 classic movies I've never seen before. - I added nothing to the list of movies I've seen after the two from last update. I've realized that movies are not my thing. I like to think they're my thing, but when push comes to shove, I'm gonna sit at home and watch HIMYM or New Girl or Gilmore or Friends before I pop in a movie.

10. Hand letter something. Turn that something into art. - I'd like to actually know what I'm doing before I commit to the creation of art. But this is definitely on my radar.

Completely Missed

11. Volunteer at Coastal Cleanup Day - It's hard to be in two places at once, and I ended up volunteering my time at a debate tournament that weekend.
12. Decorate the apartment - Curtains. I need to buy some darn curtains.

Ok, so I didn't do as well as I'd planned. But I'm not stressing about it. I mean, I definitely was stressed about completing my things on time. Then one day, I realized that I created the list because I needed a push. I didn't want to lose the motivation that kept me growing and learning. And you know something? The list did exactly that. I might not have been able to cross everything off the list, but I did do some other cool things like:

learned to make a soup other than chicken noodle (no shade)

styled a bookshelf

started learning to play ukulele

traveled abroad

practiced yoga

experimented with makeup and hairstyles

went back to San Diego

enjoyed living in Davis

hung out with Brandon

turned 25

I think that's a fine list.

♥ A

Miserable, Magical Monday

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I've been MIA for about a week and I feel kind of awful about it. Not because the content on this blog is anything life changing, but because I'd been on such a good writing rhythm (guess how many times I had to re-spell that word) and now I've lost it. But my resolve to bring you semi-consistent updates about the goings-on in my life won't quit, so I'm back this week to remind you I'm alive and well. Just tired.

P.S. I get slightly judge-y when I read bloggers post about needing a break from blogging to enjoy the real world. Obviously, I'm in no position to pass such judgement, but does that ever stop any of us from doing it? Oh yeah, my point. This isn't one of those posts. I've just legitimately had the busiest week of July. I've started looking back at my Costa Rica trip as chill, even though we had a pretty packed schedule despite it being a "vacation."

1. One of my friends got married this weekend! Brandon and I carpooled out to Salinas with some friends and enjoyed a good old country wedding complete with a stunning barn. Seriously, this venue was awesome. I wanted to be sure I got photos of this wedding since I missed out on documenting the other wedding I went to a few weeks ago. Boy, did I deliver. I posted almost all of these on instagram but here they are once more (with feeling).

I kept my place card. Because nostalgia, that's why.

Bouquet toss.

Garter getting.

Blurry dance floor duck face selfies.

#blurry

The most boring photo we've ever taken. Seriously, I almost don't like it because of how
normal we look.

I had such a good time at this lovefest of a wedding. Seriously, the love was palpable and it made everything that much more beautiful. Also, I just love love so I was bound to enjoy this wedding.

2. So this summer I've finally come to terms with the fact that I'm approaching my mid-twenties. Everywhere I look my friends are going through major moments in life; making a big move, getting engaged, getting married, buying houses, planning for a family, kicking off their careers. Seriously, just this weekend I had a cousin make the move from home to the OC, I witnessed a friend move into married life and another open her own business. It's kind of weird to finally find myself at this age. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I'd accomplish by 25 as a kid...I wasn't completely wrong about myself. I for sure thought I'd be married (check) and have my BA (check) but I also planned on being done having children by this age. And that's totally not in the cards right now. I guess the funny thing about being in my twenties is as much as I'm still a kid, I'm also starting to get the hang of this "real" life. I kind of like it.

3. Having finished New Girl, Brandon and I had been searching for something to watch during our veg sessions. I've written about us trying to watch The Office and Parks and Rec, but neither one of them really hooked us the way New Girl did. I wish Modern Family was on Netflix because I think that would help me transition into the mockumentary style of the other shows. Anyway, we finally decided to restart How I Met Your mother (HIMYM from now on). I've only ever seen it once through, so I'm rediscovering the hilarity and brilliant writing this show has. Also, knowing the end makes it more fun for me to put clues together that I missed during the first run-through. I firmly believe we as the audience judged the show by it's cover name and that's why we never saw the end coming. But that's an argument for another time (aka never).

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4. Almost all of you who read this blog already know this, but I have to share out of sheer excitement: I've secured a new job! It all happened very quickly. I sent in my resume and cover letter after some epic (and requested) scrutiny editing from my best friend, got an interview, wore the hottest office-appropriate LBD of my life (also courtesy of my best friend), rocked said interview, and then a job offer a few days later. I'll be working out in Napa starting next week. Although my commute is growing again, I'm still really excited about the opportunity. The position seems to be a really great jumping off point. I met at least five people who all started off in the position I'll be in before moving into management positions in other departments, which is super reassuring. Also the grounds are gorgeous and everyone seems a thousand times friendlier. I can't wait to start. But really quick, back to the LBD from heaven. I looked like freaking Clair Underwood in that dress. Plus I got so many compliments on it. As a person who almost always looks pulled together, if someone says you look nice, then you probably look really nice. Was that conceited? Oh gosh, probably.

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5. I'm reading Divergent right now in my effort to actually finish I book I pick up to read. I've literally started four other books and haven't finished them. I don't know why. I always say I don't have time, but if I have time to watch hours and hours of HIMYM then maybe I can spare one a night reading. Anyway, I'm enjoying the book so far. It reads in first person the way Hunger Games does, but this hits me as less choppy than Suzanne Collins' writing. I'm in chapter 11 or something and I still have no idea what Divergent means in the series. I think I found out more in the trailer for the movie. Still, I'm keeping in mind that it's a three part (?) series so I'm guessing I'll find out what the big deal is about the Divergent label in the book's unvierse closer to the end. I'll keep you posted.

6. The start of a new job will mean a new dress code. From what I saw it's a pretty casual office (jeans are allowed on all days of the week) but based on my one day of training, I can tell my idea of casual is sub par. I'm going to have to step it up on the cute clothes thing, which is the perfect justification for spending some money on clothing. I've been stuck in a style rut, anyway.

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Almost every day, I wake up and look at my clothes and hate them all. I hate that the only color I own tops in is blush. My one pair of gray pants are so old they're low rise jeans. I haven't purchased low rise jeans since 2009. If I'm honest my style rut feels more like a style crisis. But I haven't just been wallowing in my "ugly" clothes, I've been working on defining the look I'm going for. I've made lists, I've made secret Pinterest boards, I've online window shopped. I've even made excuses to go to the mall over my lunch break (side bar: going to the mall alone is the worst idea ever). My biggest obstacle is not being able to find the pieces I'm looking for. No joke, I've been searching for a freaking white t-shirt with small black stripes for ages and can't find one anywhere. I'm tempted to take BART into San Francisco just to shop at the two H&Ms by Union Square. Yes, there are two. It's almost heaven. 

7. My best friend Barbara lives in Northern California now which means I get to see her all the time. We got together to celebrate her birthday with pizza at Woodstock's then moved across the street to Wunderbar for some drinks and two very terrible games of pool. Then Friday, we reinstated our Friday Night Family Dinner tradition. She and I made orange chicken with rice and stir fry veggies. It was a simple meal but by far the most elaborate one I've co-prepped in a while. Usually I bake chicken or make pasta. I've gotta step my dinner game up. Anyway, we ate, watched HIMYM as well as the trailer for the new Assassin's Creed game. Not only is the theme music the song Lorde wrote/performed for the Catching Fire soundtrack, but the game's story line is based on the French Revolution. We all agreed that it would make a killer movie. Once Derek showed up we popped in Shaun of the Dead. It was the first time I'd seen it, I'm told it totally counts as a classic, so maybe I'll finally get to knock another thing off the 12 Things list.


I promise I'll keep telling you about Costa Rica one day soon.
Later, friends.
♥ A

Six Months Out: 12 Things Update

It's officially past the halfway point to my 25th birthday (no lie I forgot how old I was for three whole seconds). Here's how I'm doing on my 12 Things

1. Perfect the tiramisu cupcake

Done.

2. Read 6 5 books

I finished Mindy Kaling's book last week and am working my way through Nora Ephron's I Fell Bad About My Neck as well as Antoine Saint-Exupery's Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince). So we're making some progress!

3. Explore a part of SF I've spent little time in

I can't remember the last time I was in the city.

4. Finish organizing and uploading my Project 365

Seriously slacking here.

5. Practice French everyday for one month

June. I will come back to this in June.

6. Make coffee art

Oh gosh. I don't even know why I added this to the list. I was hugely unaware of the equipment necessary to make coffee art. Plus, I need to find a proper method of brewing a shot (or two) of espresso at home. My keurig isn't the same as Starbucks' at home system. I'll still attempt this, but I'm telling you it won't be pretty.

7. Bake a cake/cupcakes from scratch.

Nothing yet. Brandon and I are doing everything we can to not buy groceries until after the move. I think we can make it.

8. Watch 10 8 classic movies I've never seen before

I've watched Some Like It Hot, The Usual Suspects (an excellent movie)...and...that's it. Annie Hall is for sure on my list of movies I need to watch. I think Brandon tried to get me to watch it years ago but I fell asleep. And if anyone has Casablanca, you should let me borrow it.

9. Complete 5 1 of my pins from Learn/Make/Do

I can't believe I've made the most progress with this one! Only one more pin to complete. It's the magnets. I'm decisively saying it'll be the magnets.

At-home make up brush cleaning.

Natural oven deep cleaner.

Sugar Lip Scrub.

Woven Map Journal

10. Hand letter something. Turn that something into art.

It's just written in chalk pen right now but I hope to still print out my other design and frame it in this frame.

It's not Pinterest or Etsy-worthy, but it's home.

The words are lyrics from me and Brandon's first dance. Technically, the song is from our first kiss. Anyway, I wrote the lyric on this frame very soon after getting married and moving in, the only main difference being the frame's orientation. I was feeling semi-inspired on Sunday morning and decided to flip it and change things up a bit, including adding our anniversary date. The bottles with greenery are usually empty, but I had a bunch of bouquet fillers left over from the Mother's day arrangements I made the day before, so I thought I'd try that hipster look of branches in vases. I kind of really like it. And that flask looking bottle filled with layers of semi-combined sand is perhaps my favorite souvenir from studying abroad. It's sand from all but one beach I visited in my three months over there.

11. Volunteer at Coastal Cleanup Day

It shall be done in September.

12. Decorate our apartment

We move in three weeks!! Oh gosh, we move in three weeks! As you can imagine, I'm nowhere on schedule for a move. It'll get done. Brandon and I consistently talk about this apartment being a fresh start for us. It's not that we need a fresh start from anything, but more that we're looking forward to a new city with new opportunities. In a way, to get out of the suburb rut. I have so many ideas for the apartment, but I also know that you're supposed to slowly curate your aesthetic. I'm sort of looking forward to having to slow myself down back to reality.


There we have it. Only one Thing is fully completed but I'm on my way to another two! I have confidence I'll see this through.

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You didn't think I'd leave you without a single gif, did you?

♥ A

Miserable, Magical Monday

Alright, alright. I know. I missed a Monday already! But to be fair, I had really bad writer's block last Monday (#blamethesadness).

The that the writer's block is gone and I'm excited to bring you all another Miserable, Magical Monday!

1. I have found the most delicious yogurt in all of California. And it's made in Antioch. I bought it at Safeway last week because I wanted yogurt and it was on sale and OH MY GOSH it's delectable. I ate it with some Kashi granola (we all know Kashi stuff is good for us but really bland) and some frozen blueberries and I have not stopped trying to get Brandon to try it since. I don't even know if he likes yogurt all that much. I just know it's SO GOOD.

2. Brandon and I have switched out The Office for House of Cards with some Parks and Rec splashed in. House of Cards is insane. It's nuts. When I watch it, I feel sort of how I felt when I watched that one season of 24 in college. I tense up, I'm trying to figure out the next step before it happens, even though I know the writers are setting us up for a huge twist. If you enjoy political dramas, I recommend it. And even if you don't (like Brandon, who couldn't care less about politics), I still recommend it because the story is woven really well. Plus there are fantastic moments where Spacey breaks the fourth wall.

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3. I finished another craft off of my Learn/Make/Do list for 12 Things! It's based off of this pin. I didn't have any maps to work with and the girl I was making the notebook for wouldn't have appreciated the hipster-ness of a woven map notebook, so I bought two pieces of card stock from Michael's in her favorite colors: line green and teal. I'm not crafty. I can envision what I want something to look like, but executing it? It takes me for-freaking-ever. Anyway, I hope my friend liked it.

4. I'm not sure if I'm off-base with this idea, but I feel like people who work with children experience a minuscule amount of fame. I know I do. All the kids rush in to talk to you and everyone wants to know how old you are and they all measure themselves against me (quite literally, they all can't wait to proclaim that they're taller than me). And they give you stuff! I get drawings, tiny foam fish, post it notes left on my desk at work (by my boss' daughter who is a treasure), cookies for Valentine's day. There's one boy that copied my every move during a lesson. As in he changed the way he was sitting when I shifted my position. I know he was copying me for a fact because I moved on purpose to see if he'd copy me and he did.

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5. What's the deal with coconut oil? Is it worth buying? Literally everywhere I look in the blogging world someone is talking about coconut oil. Where are we getting all the coconuts from? Are they harvested in a safe, ecological sound manner? (Probably not.) Why aren't the clean living people asking these questions? I'm a dirty eater and all of my make up probably has chemicals in it. I can't be the only one wondering this.

6. I've been looking into detoxes recently because I have too much free time and decided that since I'm putting off buying groceries for the month of May (a sense a habit forming), a juice or smoothie cleanse is not possible right now. Besides, if I'm honest with myself I probably don't have the wherewithal to complete a smoothie cleanse. Anyway, I opted for a half hour hot bath instead. I did some research to see what non-essential oil stuff I should mix into my bath. Each website had a different list, so I chose to mix 'em all up and see what happened. I dumped a hefty amount of baking soda, a splash of apple cider vinegar, a teensy bit of EVOO and an assortment of green and mint tea bags and filled my tub up. Then I turned on my Sightseeing in Paris playlist on Spotify and tried to relax. I have to tell you, it was not relaxing. It was hot, my heart was beating faster than normal and I couldn't relax my leg muscles because they just float to the top. Anyway, about 20 minutes into this bath, I decide that there's no way in heck I'm gonna make it a full 40 minutes. I made a deal with myself where I could get out of the tub after four songs played.

"I'm on a cleanse."

Now, I'd read that I might feel lightheaded after the soak and that I should move very slowly. Homegirls were not joking around! I felt way more than lightheaded. I inched out of the tub, felt a little woozy, but decided to press on to get myself some water. It's not a far walk from my tub to my fridge, but halfway through my journey my ears started ringing and my vision was blurry and I felt sick. My body was shutting down on me. It's not the first time it's tried to do this, but I have a weird talent for not giving in to the faint. It was miracle that there was a glass of water from the night before chilling in the fridge because at that point there was no way I could have poured. I literally grabbed the top of the butter dish in my blurry blindness thinking it was one of my stackable mugs. I also dropped it quite dramatically when I couldn't stand anymore. After the water I stumbled to the couch like a drunkie and lay down.

Like this.

I also gobbled up a couple pieces of Dove dark chocolate because of chocolate's healing properties as presented in Harry Potter. After downing water and cooling off, I crawled over to the sliding door and opened it. I then set out to crawl to the kitchen where I slowly stood up and started to make mac and cheese. Which I added too much milk to. But I dumped the extra liquid and ate it anyway. I called it "retoxing."

7. I listened to Lorde's album again this week and was reminded of just how excellent it is. I've been gong through my Spotify's starred playlist since the update to sift through the music I want to like so I can end up with just music I like. Anyway, it's meant that I've listened to some good artists and songs, but also that I haven't had a chance to let the bass and vocal layers from Lorde's album wash over my ears. I don't know why I find that album so cathartic. And to think she's 17. Unfair.

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I hope you're enjoying the new look of the blog as much as I am. I'm trying to dust off my old Myspace layout HTML editing skillz. They've been in storage for a while.

♥ A

The Frosting Didn't Turn Out: The Alex Hood Story

My BFF awesome friend Barbara (we'd judge me if I called her a BFF) likes to make up memoir titles for all of our friends. Mine is Classy With a Touch of Skank: The Alex Pineda Story. I can see why you might be shocked by the use of "skanky" in my title, but it's really harmless. And it's an inside joke that would just sound stupid if I explained it.

Anyway, my memoir title inspired the title for this post. Lately (as in every time except one), my buttercream frosting results have been less than acceptable. As in I almost always have to scrap the thing and start over and still don't get the consistency I need. This time was no different.

Like I've said before, my mom has loved the tiramisu cupcakes I make since the beginning. So naturally she asked if I would make some for my bro's family birthday get-together. Of course, I said yes. I've made 48 cupcakes before no problem. But then the guest list expanded and so did the required minimum number of cupcakes.

I knew I wouldn't have time to prep the cupcakes during the week and they're always better when baked fresh, so I planned to spend the morning of the party baking everything. The marscapone filling is easy peasy, so I wasn't worried. Naively enough, I wasn't worried about the frosting either. I have childbirth memory with homemade frosting. It's always so stressful and difficult and yet every single time I use the same recipe and do the same thing...which I guess is to inevitably add too much liquid because it always ends up runny.

The baking went alright. I should have remembered that I like to make big cupcakes, though. Tripling the recipe only gave me enough to make like 54 cupcakes. So Brandon quickly scurried across the street to Walmart and picked up enough ingredients to functionally quadruple the original recipe. I ended up having some left over batter, but was so over the initial baking phase that I stopped when I hit 72.

Stop! It's batter time! (even though this is the filling)

Hashtag food photography. Hashtag baking.

Hashtag cupcakes. Hashtag oven.

I was trying to juggle my time (unsuccessfully, I might add) and started on the cream cheese whipped topping. In my perfect hindsight, I think I shouldn't have aimed to make three times the original recipe all at once. I definitely should have held back from going big or going home. After half an hour of attempting to whip cream cheese and whipping cream into stiff peaked frosting, I freaked. It wasn't happening. I needed to get dressed. I needed to get ready. The horrible reminder of my failure was all over my shirt and pj pants. And I'd just washed them. I threw the stuff in the freezer to see if getting it cold would help. I didn't have the time to actually let it cool through. It didn't work, obvi. 2:20 crept up on me and I still had nothing to top my cupcakes with. My 72 ugly cupcakes. Brandon even tried his hand at whipping. He wasn't successful either.

My stubbornness had given out to my hatred of being late. I looked up a simple royal icing recipe because I just needed something and within minutes had a sugary icing for my cupcakes. Brandon lovingly made the executive decision that he would frost the things while I got dressed. We transported the cupcakes in what felt like a million containers and showed up half an hour after the party had already started. I'm the eldest sister and I was late. It still doesn't sit well with me.

Luckily, I have a very understanding and gracious family. My parents were both thrilled with the cupcakes and my aunts and uncles all told me they tasted delicious. I guess the taste really is what matters.

Happy birthday, brother!

It was a great party. There was lots of laughter and absolutely scrumptious chicken and so much food. I still can't believe my little brother is 13. Good grief, man.

♥ A

12 Things Update, or How I'm Horrible at Keeping Up

It's been over two months since I decided to accomplish 12 Things before turning 25.

Can you guess how much progress I've made?

Yeah...like none.

1. Perfect the tiramisu cupcake
I mentioned in a post that my mom asked me to make 72 of these for my brother's 13 birthday. So I crossed this off last Saturday. Blog story to come.

2. Read 6 books
I just picked up Stephen King's The Shining courtesy of my father-in-law. But I haven't actually finished a book I've started in the last two months. I did, however, make a list! Because I'm really good at those.

3. Explore a part of SF I've spent little time in
Brandon and I headed out to SF earlier this month for a Los Lonely Boys concert. I grabbed one of the most delicious lattes I've ever tasted from this super hipster, pretentious (read: lovely) shop called The Mill, which is down the street from The Independent (where the Boys were playing). Seriously, the latte is divine. No sugar or syrups necessary. Still, I'd been there once before and we didn't explore anything. I really want to go to Chinatown because I've literally never been, which is so dumb. It's right there. I've also heard rumors about a French cultural hotspot in the city but I need to locate it and find out where to go aka where to drink coffee and eat all the bread while there.

4. Finish organizing and uploading my Project 365
Siiiggghhh. Rest in peace my dear 365. I think I killed you after getting back from Hawaii. If not then, then when I broke my phone. Or when I erased all of the photos off my iPhone because I didn't know what I was doing. I will still upload what's left of you, because you deserve that.

5. Practice French everyday for one month
I started this in February because I don't trust myself to maintain motivation for 30 or 31 days. I thought the shortest month of the year would be a breeze! I was wrong. April seems to look pretty open as of now. I'll do this then.

6. Make coffee art
I'm making baby progress with this! I frothed some milk a few weeks ago and poured it into my weekend morning coffee. Then proceeded to sip it/watch Arrested Development for at least an hour before getting off the couch. I've also looked up some neat tutorial vids on YouTube (which I've fallen back in love with recently). I do need to get some real espresso, though. Maybe I can use my Keurig to brew it for me? I also need to find a good milk steaming/frothing/pouring vessel. Mugs are not cutting it.

7. Bake a cake/cupcakes from scratch.
Nothing yet. Maybe next time when I don't have to make 72 cupcakes (can you tell that number is a tad overwhelming for me? Gah!)

8. Watch 10 classic movies I've never seen before
I made a pretty solid list  of the movies I want to watch for this. I incorporated some old school classics, like Casablanca, some cult favorites, like Fight Club and some genre classics, like Alien.

9. Complete 5 of my pins from Learn/Make/Do
Remember when I declared that I would go to Michael's and buy crafting supplies? Well I picked up the mod podge and some other random stuff. But all of the crafts I picked were my most interesting (and difficult) ones. I did clean my makeup brushes! so one down. Four to go.

10. Hand letter something. Turn that something into art.
I've actually been the most consistent with this one. I've picked out my quotation and have been practicing. And I think I've finally nailed what I want it to look like. Just gotta finish it, scan it, and blow that sucka up. I'm sure that will make an interesting post.

11. Volunteer at Coastal Cleanup Day
This happens in September. Can't do much about that.

12. Decorate our apartment
This is another that will have to wait. The lease on our apartment is up in April or May and B and I have decided not to extend it. The complex is undergoing a management shift (we think so at least...they're trying to keep it under wraps) and so far we're not amused/impressed/happy with it. So apartment hunting we will go this weekend! I'll probably also blog about that.


♥ A

12 Things

This post is 100% inspired by my cousin Rachel's blog. She does this thing she calls her 22/23/24 Things. Essentially, she picks a number of things (equal to the age she's turning) that she wants to accomplish by her next birthday. I think it's pretty cool and given that I find myself lacking direction without assigned reading or papers or studying to do once I get home from work, I think now is the best time to accomplish things I didn't have time to accomplish during my undergrad career. However, I can't think of 24 things I'd like to do, so I'm starting small. 12 things. I per month until I turn 25. Ack. That number seems so weird. I'm still 22 in my brain.

1. Perfect the tiramisu cupcake.
I've made them three times, but each time was in a different state of mind with time constraints. My goal is to perfect the recipe and the whipped topping and my whole process for making each cupcake the perfect cupcake.
2. Read 6 books.
I started JK's Casual Vacancy and found it too thick to read when already sleepy, so I'm shelfing it for now. I'm reading Perks of Being a Wallflower and it's perfect for my mindset right now. I just need to get back into reading thicker material. Tina Fey's Bossypants and Nora Ephron's I Remember Nothing, while new favorites, are extremely easy reads and feel more like reading a blog than a book.
3. Explore a part of San Francisco I've spent little time in.
I have my favorite spots in one of my favorite cities ever, but I'd like to go past my childhood experiences and make some cool new memories. This is also an excellent excuse to go to SF. I feel like it's been ages since I've set foot in the city.
4. Finish organizing/uploading my Project 365
I quit uploading in August. I had about two months of the project left to upload but I got busy? I have no idea where my motivation went. Also, I know the 365 days have passed and that I took a photo everyday until about November, but I also erased a bunch of photos from when I first plugged my iphone into my computer. I'm not Apple literate. It happens.
5. Practice French everyday for a month.
I've got this excellent app on my phone called Duolingo. It's basically a free mini Rosetta Stone. I was really consistent about practicing when I first downloaded it but I've fallen off my wagon a bit. Time to get back on. The lessons take like five minutes so there's no excuse for not practicing.
6. Make coffee art.
Coffee was a way of life for me and my buds in San Diego. And finding a cafe that had latte art was such a treat for us, I figure I should make like Annie from the Parent Trap and take a whack at it. Was that reference too obscure? My bad.
7. Bake a cake/cupcakes from scratch.
I'm really into cake. And by that I mean boxed cake. I think it's delicious. But since I'm semi-honing in on my baking skills, this should probably happen sooner than later. Also, I'm pretty intrigued by the pre-boxed cake process of cake making. It strikes me as nostalgic and authentic, but that might just be my hipster showing.
8. Watch 10 classic movies I've never seen before.
These are my confessions, just when I thought I said all I could say, I sit back and realize that it isn't okay that I've never seen Fight Club or Casanova or Sleepless in Seattle or Superstar or Scarface or Schindler's List. I'll stop there. Just know you were supposed to be singing that to the tune of Usher's Confessions Part II the whole time.
9. Complete 5 of my pins on my Learn/Make/Do board on Pinterest.
I refuse to continue to sit around pinning crafts and never completing them. So I'll go to Michael's, get some frickin' modge podge or whatever it's called and start crafting all the things! I'm picking five because I'm being realistic. Let's face it, I barely make time to put my clothes away after doing laundry (when I finally wait long enough that I have no choice but to do laundry).
10. Hand letter something. Turn that something into art.
I believe I've mentioned that I liked changing my handwriting as a kid. I thought it was fun. I dabbled in what I'm loosely calling graphic design as a teenager. Anyway, hand lettering is totally in right now, but anyone who's seen how I write names on envelopes or lyrics/quotes on the backs of paper as a time killer knows that I've got my own set of decorative letters. I want to expand on this, practice my calligraphy-looking letters, learn serif letters...I'm getting font nerdy. Sorry. Anyway, I love word art so why not make something Brandon and I can lug around and display in our home forever and ever?
11. Volunteer at Coastal Cleanup Day
I heard about CCD in my Marine Bio class back at Solano. I had a debate tournament the same weekend as the cleanup so I never made it. I've just seemed to miss it every year. Having interned at the wonderful I Love A Clean San Diego, I think cleanups are super fun and important. I'm also kind of obsessive about proper recycling because of it. Like I won't hesitate to reach for a plastic bottle that's been tossed into the garbage instead of the recycle bin RIGHT NEXT TO IT. C'mon people...
12. Decorate me and Brandon's apartment.
Okay. Another confession. Don't worry, you don't need to sing this one. I have done close to nothing to decorate my apartment. We have all of our essentials and even picked up a few pillows with gift cards, but it all still feels a little thrown together. I mean, my dorms felt more decorated than what my apartment feels like now. I've been here three months and have yet to hang a photo. I feel vaguely guilty/like a failure for not having my apartment all cute the way I want it to be. Other people waste no time making their homes look like they've lived there forever. Who knows how long we'll stay in the apartment we're currently in, but I can at least start thrifting and collecting things to make our apartment more of a home.

Alright, there they are. My twelve things to accomplish while I'm 24. I've gotta say this feels rather ambitious. At the very least it will give me something to blog about.

Oh, and if any of you are particularly interested in joining me in completing any of these things, let me know. We can make a day of it, listen to Lorde's album (one of my new favorite things) on repeat and take lots of photos. Yes? Okay.

♥ A