tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71419261928774669142024-02-15T01:45:07.981-08:00VirtueuxRachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540611013697177237noreply@blogger.comBlogger145125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141926192877466914.post-11805403801178257042014-12-16T12:20:00.000-08:002014-12-16T12:23:04.202-08:00A Gift Guide for that Coffee Snob in Your Life<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chemex-6-Cup-Classic-Series-Coffee/dp/B0000YWF5E" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chemex 8-Cup Classic Series Glass Coffee Maker</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> $48</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img height="431px;" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/LNxJK0WkP3JYz2AapVmyG77W-jaqQphXywpQQrdoaWZ1FAnbUk3VuF4gM0vqx8zE9y1__oN0CO7U8UrzMeMWBkYRC633Pdqpyhg5x4JbNKpTRjvvrkbTMdTFMsA_QUUjiw" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="431px;" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is my office’s go-to coffee maker. We use them for tastings, to rate new coffees, to hold flowers (I’m joking). Most importantly, it’s pretty. It’s beautiful design has earned it a cameo in a James Bond Novel - </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From Russia with Love </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- and a place in The Architecture and Design Collection of </span><a href="http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=1847" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the MOMA</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Bonus: if your snobby coffee friend is also a snobby wine friend, they can use their chemex as a decanter. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Aeropress-Coffee-and-Espresso-Maker/dp/B0047BIWSK" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> $26</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img height="302px;" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/0rmABIA1afOo9C6UgCst4VLtTdZKr1WSvfafHI5BPF3TDKxtQUzPlqhcdjzpT6RsI1Mgmx21hInfKI23O3uCnut6xj_qo6gLw4PoxqRao-SJS8N5yes5oxz11eRTMhpoQg" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="450px;" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So it took me some time to find a nice looking picture of an AeroPress, because it’s not the most attractive of coffee devices. Despite it’s ugly design (and even uglier packaging) the AeroPress is small, convenient, easy-to-clean and best of all makes a great cup of coffee. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Just as a warning though, despite it’s name, the AeroPress is NOT an espresso maker. It makes great coffee, but I definitely can’t say the same about espresso.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Porlex-Mini-Stainless-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B0044ZA066/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418415919&sr=8-1&keywords=porlex+mini+hand+grinder&pebp=1418415922415" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Porlex Mini Mill Manual Burr Grinder </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> $41</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Porlex-Mini-Stainless-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B0044ZA066/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418415919&sr=8-1&keywords=porlex+mini+hand+grinder&pebp=1418415922415" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img height="309px;" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/r07E7MceumJx17kcAfyRKBwLP4M0t4fc45FYcbZwMwzWctzbhG01emG399y8VY2fTGhWJjyt856Z6ficXn9PzmVfq5uBVXg6-dkvYgQMxjiElxMl3i0iGNOpZKEIK1wwAA" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="459px;" /></span></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Porlex Mini is a durable yet handsome grinder that provides an amazing grind consistency, which is vital to efficiently extract the coffee flavors. After all, what’s the point of fancy coffee if you don’t efficiently extract your coffee flavors?! But actually…</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As an extra bonus, the Porlex Mini fits perfectly inside an aeropress. This combo makes a great travel kit so that your coffee snob is never deprived of his snobby coffee - even on trips.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baratza-Virtuoso-Conical-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B00LW8I45C" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Baratza Virtuoso Conical Burr Coffee</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> $229</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img height="446px;" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/Jtn3OS4Nlm5lgHZ46H8StF_-360NmIYk-OLib5B04YNMU1ItvNpyjx157-TsJUXRiACGv_Kk7Kim0q_LzoW-MMbmEyDlfrSCvb1mg8kv2-7M5PPo4vIOouUumtoeoJaM5w" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="324px;" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Are you a little shocked by that price jump? Well, that’s the cost of premium and snobby laziness. If you’re put off by the manual labor required of hand grinders - and let’s face it, if you have to do this everyday, multiple times a day you’re not gonna want to do that - an automatic burr grinder like the Virtuoso is the way to go. This one is on the high end price wise, but any good grinder that provides a nice, consistent grind will be upwards of $100. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-Variable-Temperature-Electric-Gooseneck/dp/B005YR0F40/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418450706&sr=8-1&keywords=gooseneck+electric+kettle&pebp=1418450740093" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bonavita 1-Liter Variable Temperature Digital Electric Gooseneck Kettle</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> $80</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img height="497px;" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xDbuvB9mEXpzGniE6hHR63RzPssGibzH52pygClJ4nO7YFJy-v3Ig9OE9xtf4KpYqZIpy3m27Rxa8XZTN6sFH8-UXvFqyX3__5h6ZbrBW1LEUT6YQOU0_u8FoE4kem6ITA" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="497px;" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In ordering to appropriately brew your coffee in your brand new spiffy chemex, you’ll need a gooseneck kettle. And while there are less expensive versions than this one (such as the </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hario-Buono-Coffee-Drip-Kettle/dp/B000IGOXLS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418451642&sr=8-1&keywords=hario+kettle&pebp=1418451645174" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hario V60</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), I figure “go big or go home,” right? The gooseneck spout provides you with greater control as you pour, which is essential to do a pourover justice. This fancy gooseneck kettle also allows you to program a specific temperature for your water, so you can finally control that vital variable in coffee brewing. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/ball-wide-mouth-quart-canning-jars-pack-of-12/1012135459?mcid=PS_googlepla_nonbrand_kitchenaccessories_&adpos=1o4&creative=39230283469&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=CIOin5fWwcICFRJlfgodghgAPA" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ball Wide Mouth Quart Canning Jars (Pack of 12)</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> $14</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img height="332px;" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Q2g97Y3Qxycu0kEw_xEu4E-a7AKJBHxYpZ1D0nosKZcvVtZrXxQoQHuSvw5_EYKs_GaXW2B4KjefaPDaEFiBSPrtodxe85BeT_NDZ85_EHFnQBxveIrmxk_rpC_BAmA3yw" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="497px;" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is the perfect gift for your friend who is both obsessed with coffee and obsessed with Mason Jar wedding photos on Pinterest. While currently super trendy, mason jars are also a cost effective way to keep your beans nice and fresh. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.timbuk2.com/blue-bottle-coffee-travel-kit/201.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Blue Bottle Travel Coffee Kit </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">$179</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img height="420px;" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/bSPoVLnucsakSAERjbTtzvvsIN813xbvj8imZasN_kiTvkLcCnRiqRVzAhzT6IB0Z4vYHSG70OK6zxYJLohLdQQXsMfuIWJMBeka4JHe-MTUkURqFvcnpvGPOCpYlHjw0w" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="503px;" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To be honest, this gift is more for the Blue Bottle obsessed than the run-of-the-mill coffee snob. Blue Bottle has a pretty loyal and enthusiastic following, so your Blue Bottle obsessed friend will love her Timbuk2 x Blue Bottle travel kit. This kit comes complete with a Porlex Mini Hand Grinder, Blue Bottle Travel Dripper, 2 Porcelain Tumblers, 2 Timbuk2 ‘Zarfs’, filters, and some Three Africans coffee making it the ultimate gift for you Blue Bottle fanatic. And honestly, how awesome (and douchey) will he look chilling in Mint Plaza casually sipping on his Blue Bottle latte with his Blue Bottle bag in hand? According to Timbuk2 the bag works as a weekender, perfect for the “urban traveler, weary of stale hotel [coffee] selections.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-World-Atlas-Coffee-Explained/dp/1770854703" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The World Atlas of Coffee: From Beans to Brewing</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> by James Hoffmann $23.25</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img height="453px;" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/F2uCzQxLC_JxUJxalPPypSOtVcLBVqwGg5nQXq6IXKBspBMMa0rYcxaPAQZNla9lQLuADHCiQD-q8aZ4OAyrTQM6cwlsLbrwz6Fwg2CsG5wpcIptr0WJQwRRhsxjED6J9A" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="453px;" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is probably the most frequently read and appreciated book that we have in our office. It’s like an encyclopedia on coffee because it addresses practically </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">everything</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that has to do with coffee. I personally was a little disappointed about the limited amount of time spent on coffee and the economy, in particular the section explaining the different trade relationships in the coffee world - Commodity Pricing, Fair Trade, Direct Trade, etc. But despite my petty issues with the book, it’s a great resource for your coffee snob to actually gain some knowledge on this intricate and expansive industry. And how cool would it be to have a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Coffee </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">coffee table? Heh? Heh? </span></span></div>
<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540611013697177237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141926192877466914.post-52650150218645983172014-01-07T14:53:00.002-08:002014-09-23T18:59:30.681-07:00Juice Cleanse Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So I survived my juice cleanse, which I'm kind of surprised by. The beginning of the first day, I was so disgusted with the juices that I almost gave up. But by the time yesterday rolled by, I was able to pretty much breeze through the juices. The major problem I found was that I had horrible cravings the whole time, so instead of gradually beginning to incorporate solid foods into my diet like Urban Remedy recommends, the first thing I ate this morning was an egg and brie sandwich on a Hawaiian bun--fat, dairy, and gluten all at once. And I'll admit it, if I had found sausage in the fridge I would've cooked that up too--red meat, fat. </div>
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But I guess the juice cleanse me taught me how to handle my hunger. Whenever I'm bored or feel the slightest hungry, I stuff my mouth. But now, I know what hunger feels like and that I don't actually need to eat. I'm not positive this is a healthy approach, but is it that horrible feeling uncomfortable? Maybe I've just grown accustomed to being unnecessarily full? We'll see how resisting my hunger cravings serves me.</div>
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Back to the juice cleanse, I'm not sure if I'd do it again. Physically, I don't feel much different. Looking at myself in the mirror, I think I look thinner but that might be some placebo self-esteem thing. I don't think my stomach actually got small with those 3 days of starvation and a couple Soul Cycle classes. However, my skin didn't glow....I'm 95% positive of that. Also (and this is a tad TMI) besides having to pee all the time, I did NOT spend an abnormal amount of time on the toilet. Everyone warned me of that with a cleanse (I mean honestly Rachel, how else does it "cleanse" it from your body") but I guess I just peed it out or it was released through my pores or something. I felt fine. </div>
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All in all, it was an interesting experience, and I definitely got more work done during the past three days than the rest of break. Hopefully, this juice cleanse will really be the beginning of better habits. Here's to exercising more, eating better, and appreciating food more!<br />
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540611013697177237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141926192877466914.post-15016434139420539592014-01-06T12:01:00.001-08:002014-01-06T12:01:24.088-08:00Juice Cleanse: Why Do We Juice?<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="710" scrolling="no" src="//instagram.com/p/iwhCFcsiv3/embed/" width="612"></iframe><br />
I woke up this morning certain that my phone had died and I had missed my alarm. Instead, I had actually woken up <i>before</i> my perfectly timed chiming period (Sleep Cycle reference). I'm also super hungry but have run out of lemon for my tea in the morning. So here I am sitting in bed, with hunger in my throat, but unwilling to drink the Brainiac juice sitting on my bedside table.<br />
<i>Urban Remedy</i>'s email this morning told me that I'm supposed to <i>glow </i>today. As if my juice cleanse has the same magical powers as pregnancy. Looking at myself in the mirror, I don't feel like I'm going to be glowing. I look disgusting, this horrible pale color with a yellow undertone. I'm not blaming my juice cleanse for my unattractiveness. That I can only attribute to poor genetics and my lack of sun. Now I wish I had asked my parents to send me to LA for a "job fair" and gotten my winter tan on. But honestly, even if after this cleanse I feel all fresh and healthy, how could that be properly translated to the world without the appropriate sun kissed face??<br />
Today, I'm hoping to continue with my job app streak. But I'm not feeling as motivated as I did yesterday. Since I submitted my last app, I've started looking at positions I care more about and would be devastated if I didn't get a call back from. I've also stalked every person remotely related to these companies on LinkedIn to see how they got there. I've discovered that they got there by being better than me.<br />
All my life people have told me not to compare myself to others, but that just seems like the biggest load of crap. Grades, GPAs, resumes, not to mention the load of superficial insecurities that I have that do not relate to job searches are all a comparison game. Sadly, I think that I wanted to do this juice cleanse to make myself a better version of myself. I was hoping that I'd be thinner and prettier and more attractive. Maybe this juice cleanse could be the thing that jumpstarted the me that I always dreamed I'd be? That statement seems potentially harmless. Be your best self, right? But under that statement is the true unshakable insecurities that will undoubtedly haunt for the rest of my life. And unfortunately, there's no juice cleanse to detox me from that.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540611013697177237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141926192877466914.post-65650162744683146452014-01-05T12:58:00.000-08:002014-01-05T22:06:07.206-08:00Juice Cleanse: Day 2<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b>Wake Up </b>(10:20) I woke up on the second day of my cleanse feeling pretty good. However, I'm not sure I can attribute that to the juice cleanse or to the fact that I used Sleep Cycle for the first time since my semester abroad. Waking up to the sound of perfectly timed chimes just feels better than the usual <i>uhhhh fuckkkk what time is it???</i> hungover-like wake-up I experience during breaks.</div>
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What I found strange was what my Sleep Cycle told me: I didn't sleep well. It gave me a 51% sleep rating, telling me I almost never fell into a deep sleep all night. This was particularly surprising since I have a temperpedic bed, so I actually thought the phone would detect less movement than it did on my horrible bed abroad. What does it mean if I didn't sleep well on my juice cleanse?</div>
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So right now, I'm watching Keeping Up with the Kardashians. I'm hoping that watching a less serious, more background TV show will encourage me to actually write some job applications. Wish Me Luck!! I'm also waiting for my tea + lemon to cool down to the recommended "warm" temperature and starring apprehensively at my first juice of the day: Brainiac aka the bane of my existence. That's the juice that took me over 2 hours to drink yesterday and had me start the whole juice cleanse with a</div>
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<b>Lemon Water</b> (10:55) The tea was nice and soothing in my throat. Strangely enough, with every gulp, a little headache began to pang. According to the email I received this morning from <i>Urban Remedy, </i>I will be experiencing those all day. I wonder if they realize that I've actually been experiencing these headaches since my pre-cleanse days. This really does mean that I have a caffeine addiction, doesn't it?</div>
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<b>Brainiac </b>(11:15) I was really nervous to try this drink again, since I found it so disgusting yesterday. Today, I still don't like it. I don't even like it as much as I liked the "Flush" drink from yesterday, which I barely liked. The salty celery tasting water is apparently never going to grow on me, but I don't find it as horrible as yesterday. I'm able to gulp it down in under an hour.</div>
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<b>Time Machine (</b>1:30) The time machine is the drink that is supposed to help weight loss and kickstart your metabolism, so obviously it's one of my least favorite drinks. It was not as difficult to drink as yesterday, but I'm not downing it due to thirst like I did with Brainiac. I have decided to do <i>something </i>productive today, so I actually put in my retainer for the first time since I joked about wearing it to my sorority's crush party. I'm also beginning to work on my AT&T application and just started the cover letter section (it's my least favorite section!) Just kidding, they said it was optional so I'm skipping ahead and doing that shit later.</div>
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<b>Flush </b>(3:45) Drinking with a retainer is weird. Also, I submitted my first job application to AT&T. I'm sure it's horrible, but WISH ME LUCK! I really need to be employed in May. Unfortunately, I'm scrolling through more job applications and am losing any motivation. FYI I haven't showered or even changed out of my pajamas today. Sexy can I, right?</div>
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<b>After Party </b>(5:50) My stomach is started to rumble in this strange way. I'm not sure if I'm just hungry or have a stomach ache. I am now watching <i>He's Just Not That Into You </i>and finishing up another cover letter. Also, I would prefer a little less ginger in this drink . . .</div>
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<b>Warrior </b>(8:15) Oh how we've met again. Once again my favorite. Except this time I took my retainer out and the chia seeds are actually kind of tough on my newly sensitive teeth. Lesson? I need to wear my retainer more frequently. I'm also LinkedIn surfing now, looking at alums who are in positions I'm applying for. It's funny, I'm pretty sure I'm a good applicant but every time I stalk people, I feel so inadequate.</div>
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<b>Relax (</b>9:40) I still don't really care for it, but I'm surprised how well the whole day has gone. It's pretty much the end of the day, and I'm not rolling around in hunger pains or cravings. Even more surprisingly, I've applied to four jobs today. My mom asked me if "it's working" and if I'm feeling really good. I told her I'm not feeling bad? It's been kind of nice not having to think about what I'm eating and how to feed myself, but I don't feel incredible. Although, I haven't been able to convince myself to submit a single job app until this juice cleanse, so maybe that's enough to say it's worth it? How about this: If I get an interview from any of the job applications I submit during this cleanse, I'll say it was worth the $185. </div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540611013697177237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141926192877466914.post-51838297208350262082014-01-05T12:37:00.001-08:002014-01-05T22:09:08.001-08:00Juice Cleanse: Day 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZMyySGj6po8-tTwHgvgO0qWyMD3cxzFbWTBbpq5Z5ekNhJhDKGLgHyCzVFBKIc94jfn1KeWadc3rHH5gT0c6i0mCdC7OBhZH1A3xMZcHqTneoHD4kYZaYv3nL2buSrikkErH8Z6lvBM/s1600/2014-01-04+11.18.26-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZMyySGj6po8-tTwHgvgO0qWyMD3cxzFbWTBbpq5Z5ekNhJhDKGLgHyCzVFBKIc94jfn1KeWadc3rHH5gT0c6i0mCdC7OBhZH1A3xMZcHqTneoHD4kYZaYv3nL2buSrikkErH8Z6lvBM/s640/2014-01-04+11.18.26-1.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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My first day on my juice cleanse was really difficult. I started the day wondering why in the world I thought this was going to be a good idea. I found the first couple drinks absolutely disgusting and preferred starving myself to forcing more of it down my throat. Honestly, I felt like giving up after the very first drink, already regretting completely wasting $185. <i>Urban Remedy </i>said to take it easy fitness wise during my juice cleanse, so I took that as permission to become a couch potato. My intention was to do some job applications, but of course I just watched TV. Specifically, I bought the first season of <i>Girls </i>and watched that for the first time while grimacing through my juice cleanse. If you want more insight into my thoughts during the first day, here's some tweets:</div>
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I 100% wish I had spent this money on soul cycle classes instead of this cleanse. This sucks. Ugh.<br />
— Rachel (@rachietalksalot) <a href="https://twitter.com/rachietalksalot/statuses/419602324835684353">January 4, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Suffering through my juice cleanse by watching girls. Like seriously, could I be more of a bougie cliche right now? <a href="http://t.co/rJbhEWyutC">pic.twitter.com/rJbhEWyutC</a><br />
— Rachel (@rachietalksalot) <a href="https://twitter.com/rachietalksalot/statuses/419613524545921024">January 4, 2014</a></blockquote>
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You know what would be fucking amazing right now? A giant cheeseburger...I'm salivating.<br />
— Rachel (@rachietalksalot) <a href="https://twitter.com/rachietalksalot/statuses/419619916082208768">January 5, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Like its kind of disgusting how it's 5:30 and I've consumed less calories than a bottle of naked or odwalla juice.<br />
— Rachel (@rachietalksalot) <a href="https://twitter.com/rachietalksalot/statuses/419640348718010368">January 5, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Here's my review of the drinks on the first day:</div>
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Juice #1: Brainiac is made of Cucumber, Celery, Spinach, Parsley, and Lemon. What it tasted like? <i>Watery, salty celery</i>. Gross. It took me 2.5 hours to gulp that shit down. I seriously hated it, especially how salty it was. I understand that they needed to put my sodium levels somewhere in this juice cleanse, but it tasted like they put all of my daily sodium in my first drink. They didn't, but they did put 10% of my daily sodium intake.</div>
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Juice #2: I found this one (Time Machine) slightly easier to gulp down. I wouldn't say I liked it, but I didn't grimace quite as much with every sip.</div>
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Juice #3: The Flush. I was super worried for this juice. It sounded pretty similar to the other green juice I had had that morning and almost puked up (Brainiac) but its name was even worse. The name 'Flush' made me think that the moment it touched my lips I'd have to run for the toilet. Surprisingly that didn't happen. And the ginger in Flush made the rest of the drink much more tolerable for my taste buds.</div>
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Juice #4: It was carrot, beet, apple and ginger juice. I wasn't in love, but it seems like the juices are getting better as the day goes on. I could see myself buying this drink when I'm in a healthy Marina, yuppie mood. Apparently beet juice is amazing for detoxing your liver, so they named this juice "After Party."</div>
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Juice #5: A-MAZ-ING. It was a raspberry shake and it made me feel so much better about the whole cleanse. It's odd, but I think the JUICE element of this has been weirding me out. In reality, juices from Naked and Odwalla are pretty thick, so having all the juices so far be so thin and watery kind of disgusted me. But this juice/shake was so thick with the yumminess of raspberries. It was definitely my favorite drink of the day. I think this juice helped me regain my strength...and the drink was aptly named "Warrior."</div>
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Juice #6: Relax. I was really expecting to like this drink more. The reviews I read from bloggers said it was amazing, so when I finally got to #6 I thought the day's struggles were already over. But after the thick quality of Warrior, I was disappointed by the thinness of the Cashew milk. I vaguely could taste an horchata-like quality to this drink. I'll probably like it a lot more tomorrow....and now I want a real horchata.</div>
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Well, the whole day is done and I'm not feeling as hungry as I thought I would. I think this might be because I went to bed feeling more hungry the night before. That's the final part I feel like I should mention. I just downloaded the app FitBit, which has been giving me a calorie target for each day based on my activity and the amount of weight I want to lose. After all the calories I burned from Soul Cycle, I actually ended up having LESS calories with my real food (and froyo) than on my juice cleanse........Maybe it would've been better to just eat normal food and have a tough workout?</div>
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540611013697177237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141926192877466914.post-82732427096117206862014-01-03T18:08:00.000-08:002014-01-06T13:30:53.826-08:00Urban Remedy: Pre-Juice Cleanse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I was in Geneva, I was feeling pretty lethargic and gross. I got it in my head to do a juice cleanse and be more healthy. Unfortunately, during the summer I didn't have enough time to both enjoy the yummy food in San Francisco and do my juice cleanse. But here I am again in San Francisco for four weeks with plenty of time to do the juice cleanse, so I have no excuse. Well, I guess I did have an excuse. Juice cleanses are pretty freaking expensive. Ranging from around $150-$250 for 3 days.</div>
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I looked around at a bunch of local juice-cleanse spots and settled on Urban Remedy because the juices sounded pretty yummy (well for primarily vegetable juices....) When I signed up for the cleanse, I assumed it would just be those three days. But in reality, it's a 9 day ordeal. In order to prep your body for a juice-only diet, Urban Remedy recommends that you cut out pretty much everything that's good in the world.</div>
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So basically, I've already been deprived of chocolate and steak and milk and alcohol and everything yummy since January 1st. Unfortunately, I still have 6 more days of cravings and they will only get worse.</div>
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However, I think I did a pretty good job with all my diet restrictions. For breakfast, I would have a breakfast scramble full of veggies. I made my parents buy me chicken which I ate at every occasion. I had my fill of pistachios (like honestly it was disgusting). And I watched my friends with envy as they downed chocolate chip cookie after chocolate chip cookie. Oh and I forgot to mention I also peed all the time. <i>Urban Remedy</i> told me to make sure I actually get my 8 glasses of water a day, which made me realize that I NEVER get my full 8 glasses. Even though it seems like 4 water bottles isn't a lot....it's so much water I have to pee every fifteen minutes!!</div>
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I must admit, I cheated. I wasn't supposed to eat sugar or soy, but I met up with my friends at<i> Fraîche</i> after I went to a Soul Cycle class and I just couldn't resist the cool, refreshing froyo. But I got it in soy instead of original because I felt like that would be healthier. Unfortunately, I ended my 3-day pre-cleanse period with horrible cravings which were not helped by my brother who dragged me to Krispey Kreme and In-N-Out as I ate my berries....god I want a fucking cheeseburger, with a milkshake, and more cheese on the side...maybe some poutine on the side. FUCK. I have to start a juice cleanse like this.</div>
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540611013697177237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141926192877466914.post-14418097938674733262013-09-21T07:41:00.000-07:002013-09-21T07:42:05.880-07:00What We're Listening To: Livvy & Anna<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><i>Livvy & Anna are a recently formed high school duo from New Zealand. I found them this summer when I became obsessed with <a href="http://virtueux.blogspot.com/2013/08/what-were-listening-to-lorde.html" target="_blank">Lorde</a>. I listened to her song so much, YouTube started recommending covers for me and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTxcRgkQdlA" target="_blank">one</a> such cover was this school group from New Zealand. The lead singer was Anna, and I was impressed by her skill as were all the commenters. Digging a little into Anna, I found her <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/LivvyandAnna?feature=watch" target="_blank">YouTube</a> account with Livvy which had the videos they had made for a music competition in New Zealand. I started listening to the songs and got a tad bit obsessed. I loved the harmonies and how Livvy's light soprano voice intertwined with Anna's fuller alto voice. I contacted them about doing a little interview and here's the not so little interview that came out of it. </i></span><br />
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<b style="text-align: justify;">How would you describe your musical style?</b><br />
<span style="text-align: justify;">We would describe our music gendre as folk-indie. We really use our harmonies to build the dynamics in our songs and create a unique sound which adds to the melodic feel to each song.</span><br />
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<b>How long have you been interested in music? How much have your families influenced you?</b></div>
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We both come from musical backgrounds so music is something we have been brought up with.</div>
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<b>Anna</b>: For me, music has been something I have been passionate about from a young age. I think I might of been 3 or 4 when some opera came on the radio, mum and I were playing with some magnets on the fridge and I suddenly stopped what I was doing and became very interested in the music. Mum did hope I’d become an opera singer after that incident. Unfortunately for her, that didn’t happen haha my grandmother was very musical so I think the musical ability has come from her and also my mother who learnt up to grade 8 on the piano. My mother has also been very influential in my music as she got me into playing the piano for a year when I was in year 8, I stopped having lessons but continued to play by ear and also from youtube tutorials. I then went into year 9 and had 3 or 4 lessons of the guitar and then left it for 3 years and started playing again by ear and also through youtube tutorials which I found very helpful! My biggest influence would definitely be my family. My mum and my sister have really supported my music and done a lot for me. My dad, who died when I was 11 years old, was and still is a massive part of my music as he gave me a lot of confidence, love and support before he passed. He taught me to just go for it and never give up so I think thats where alot of my motivation behind my music comes from. He really gave me a lot of confidence to do things that I thought I couldn’t and he is still very present in my music.<br />
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<b>Livvy</b>: I have always been interested in music ever since I was a young girl. My family has been brought up with music for many generations and continues to be passed down to further generations. My grandad David is a very musical man and inspired all of his children to get into the musical side of things. My dad Garry (one of his sons) played in the ‘Family band’ along with his other brothers, and his sisters all sang. My mum Paulette is also a very good singer and is very musically talented. My family is very close and i think music has made us this way. We all feed off each others feedback which helps us all to grow. Given that everyone is so supportive it is very easy to express yourself in my family which is a gift some don’t have. I myself have found that my older brother Caleb and older sister Georgia have been my biggest inspiration for they have shown me how to really express myself when it comes to music and how to write from the heart. They have influenced me the most and have helped make me so passionate about music. They are very successful themselves with having won rockquest nationals in 2011 as The Peasants and coming second the year before as The Peasants of eden. I am inspired by their success and I am motivated to be as successful and talented as the both of them one day.
I read that you only started collaborating two weeks prior to entering the Smokefreerockquest.<br />
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<b>Was it difficult entering as such a newly formed duo? Did you know each other well before your teacher recommended you collaborated?</b>
We did start singing together only 2 weeks prior to the Smokefree Rockquest Heats. Our music teacher, Kyle Proffit encouraged us to get together and just give it a go and so we did just that. For us, we didn’t have that much experience with performing live and so we just went with it knowing that the other acts in our category had been performing together for longer than us. We didn’t find it a difficult process being so newly formed as our friendship through college of 4 years prior to rockquest helped us bond musically.</div>
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<b>From what I've gathered, you write your own music and Anna even won an award for her lyrics in Intertwined. Lyrically, where do you find most of your inspiration?
</b>2013 has really been the year for both us when it comes to songwriting. We’ve found ourselves becoming more comfortable with writing our own music and creating our own sounds and its also something we really enjoy doing. The majority of our music is influenced by relationships and how we view and have experienced them as we are only young teenage girls ourselves, though we try to be as relatable as possible so our music can be enjoyed by a wider audience.</div>
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<b>Do you have any more songs written that you plan on sharing as Livvy & Anna? </b></div>
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We will definitely be writing more music and uploading originals and covers to our youtube and facebook page though school has been really hectic lately so it is something we will be getting onto very soon!</div>
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<b>Do you plan on continuing on together as a duo after the competition?</b></div>
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The competition has now ended for the both of us as we made the top 10 but didn’t make the top 2 (nationals) though we did get highly commended. We will be doing it next year though which is something we really look forward to as this year we have gained a lot of confidence and experience so we now have gained more skill in that area to put it towards doing better next year hopefully</div>
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<b>Do you both plan on pursuing music professionally? If you couldn't pursue music, what would you do? </b></div>
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<b>A:</b> Music is definitely something I hope to pursue as it is something I am extremely passionate about. I can’t actually imagine wanting to do anything else as no other profession compares to my love for music though in the realistic case that I didn’t make it into the music world, I’d have to start thinking about something else to pursue though music will always be something I do in my own time if not as a profession as I love everything about music; the performing, others hearing your work and appreciating what you do and just being able to be myself</div>
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<b> L:</b> I would love to be able to have a career based around music which really pushes me to be the best and to express myself to the wider world. It has been my dream for a long time to get my music out there and share it with others, show them what I can do. To perform for people and have them appreciate what you do is such a great feeling and I can't imagine just stopping what I love. If musically it didn’t work out I would like to become a teacher because it is another area where you can inspire people and help them grow.<br />
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<b>Who are some of your biggest musical influences? </b></div>
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<b>A:</b> My biggest musical influence would be passionate musicians in general. Just seeing them getting up on stage, enjoying what they’re doing and being able to see that passion. Seeing that really inspires me to do well in my music so I can get that experience. Some artists that inspire me would be lyrics wise; Kodaline and The Neighbourhood. They are both amazing artists who put a lot of thought into their music especially their lyrics. You can really feel the story behind each song which leaves the listener amazed and that is a skill I would really love to acquire with time. A performer I look up to is Beyonce as she is not only an incredible singer but has a lot of stage presence and puts a lot of emotion into her singing. You can see that passion in her eyes and you can feel it in her voice. That alone is an amazing skill and is something I would love to be able to do with time.</div>
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<b>L:</b> Some of my biggest influences are the artist who started from the bottom but have reached their goals in time because of their passion and will to succeed. Musically my influence is my sister for she is constantly writing music which not only expresses her feelings but also the emotions of others, something I hope to do one day. She has shown me that even though things don't go your way you keep going and keep creating, for the ultimate goal is not to be famous or be rich because of your talents, but to share yourself with others and create a life which you love and appreciate every day.<br />
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<b>How would you describe your clothing style? </b></div>
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<b>A:</b> Describing my clothing style is pretty difficult as it depends on the occasion but I’d describe it as vintage.. I also like bright/pretty colours especially during the summer. I LOVE cute, girly & vintage dresses... dressing up is just so much fun! I like having an original dressing style thats different to other people though I do get inspired from different celebrities such as Selena Gomez, Troian Bellisario (from pretty little liars) - I love her dressing style, so vintage and chic!</div>
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<b>L:</b> Depends where I am going/what I am doing but I enjoy the vintage feel and also just the relaxed plain colour blocking style. If the shirt or dress has a cool and unusual pattern on it then I love it. Different is kinda what I look for, op-shopping is always fun and when money is tight it's the perfect option. I also enjoy the preppy kind of look... This is so hard because I love clothes!!!</div>
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<b>Who are you some of your favorite designers? </b></div>
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<b>A</b>: I like a lot of different designers. Some of my favourites would be ‘bluejuice’ from a little shop in Nelson called ‘The Rock Box.’ The have some really girly, cute dresses there.. I also like ‘Dotti’ which is a clothing store full of really gorgeous and affordable clothes. They often have some really gorgeous stuff!</div>
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<b>L:</b> I like the New Zealand stylists for they are different and funky. I like the designer Melissa (shoes). I have some heels from her and they smell like lollies! I also like Evil twin and anything my brother likes (he is very fashionable and knows what's good and not good). The designers that I mostly like are all in the little boutique in town called ‘Trouble & Fox’.</div>
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<b>What are your top played songs of this month? </b><br />
<i>Anna’s September playlist: </i></div>
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1. Foals - My Number</div>
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2. Jason Derulo - Talk Dirty</div>
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3. Frank Ocean-Lost</div>
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<i>Livvy’s September playlist: </i></div>
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1. Frank Ocean-anything from him (favourites are lost and thinking bout ya)</div>
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2. Lana Del Ray-National Anthem</div>
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3. Jason Derulo-Talk Dirty (weird but so catchy!)<br />
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540611013697177237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141926192877466914.post-26656394012350750592013-09-05T20:34:00.001-07:002013-09-05T20:36:16.945-07:00#RichKids: Take 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So one of my apartment mates, Frannie is on the board of Colgate's radio station, WRCU. During pre-orientation, I randomly crashed one of their morning meetings because I was super hungover and wanted the free food. While hanging out with the radio crew, I was like <i>hey I totally want to becoming involved with radio! </i>So now, I am doing a radio show with Frannie <i>every week! </i></div>
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It's pretty exciting and really throwing me back into my interest in music. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this here before, but I used to be really into music and would look on blogs and stuff for new bands. But since college, I've gotten pretty lazy and mainly just listen to top 20 or whatever frats are playing these days. </div>
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Probably the hardest part about our show was choosing a title. I originally proposed the title "Battle of the Sexes" because Frannie almost exclusively listens to male vocals while I really like female vocalists. However when we started to make a slide for our show to put on the screens around our student center, we realized it was a pretty dumb title. The only images we could come up with were really tacky Boy vs Girls things.<br />
Procrastinating, Frannie showed me the "Rich Kids of Instagram" tumblr page. I had never seen it before and we thought it was absolutely insane. Jokingly, I proposed we change our radio show to #RichKids and it actually stuck. For our slide, we found these absurd picture of this guy with a leopard and put our faces on it. Also to remind everyone to listen to our show every week, I'm going to post an amazing and absolutely absurd picture from "Rich Kids of Instagram" with the link to the WRCU web player. This was the picture I chose for this week:</div>
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We had our first radio show today and it was really fun just chatting with Frannie and whoever else was in the radio station at the time and playing some music. The two hours went by really quickly and we talked so much that we didn't even get to finish our playlist. AKA we didn't get to play the last song I chose, sooooo it'll just have to be put in next week's playlist. In case you missed the show, we put this week's playlist on spotify! Follow me and Frannie as well!!</div>
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540611013697177237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141926192877466914.post-6194447199853472732013-08-14T07:44:00.002-07:002013-08-15T15:27:46.264-07:00One Easter Sunday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I found this really old pictures when I looked on facebook and asked the creepy all knowing search bar "Photos of me I would like." I was scrolling down all the photos, and these little gems came up and reminded me of a funny little story. </div>
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Easter 2008 my friend came over to my house and we decided to escape instead of stay at my lame family get-together. We decided to stop by Walgreens and wander around the deserted downtown San Francisco and take pictures. I think I might try to do something like this again sometime soon. Jesus, 2008 feels like/ is a lifetime ago isn't it?</div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540611013697177237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141926192877466914.post-69086174848811772002013-08-12T15:53:00.001-07:002013-08-12T15:54:21.344-07:00Miley for Harpers Bazaar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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How about we don't pretend like these photos aren't beautiful and she doesn't look stunning. I think I might have become a Miley fan recently. When exactly did that happen?</div>
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540611013697177237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141926192877466914.post-87676260574124261652013-08-09T18:09:00.003-07:002013-08-09T18:09:52.372-07:00It's Just One Thing<div style="text-align: center;">
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I found this band a couple months ago when they came to Geneva as the opening band to Lucy Rose. I really wanted to go, but I couldn't find anyone who wanted to go with me. I thought this was a cool cover of Amerie's "One Thing" that epitomizes how covers can make something completely new out of a song. They take this hip-hop song that is pretty old and not even in a cool throwback way, and makes it this cool indie song. I love it. They also have an interesting electronic vibe. Check them out. </div>
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I would have written more about this, but I'm kind of just using my blog as a way of saving songs and bands I like. So yea. </div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540611013697177237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141926192877466914.post-53216207591144512632013-08-06T11:51:00.004-07:002013-08-06T13:27:00.080-07:00Amanda Please!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lrf4wlv69g1qatmg8o1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="http://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lrf4wlv69g1qatmg8o1_500.jpg" width="400" /></a>Today, I wanted to talk about something that I've inexplicably had strong emotional reactions to this past week: Child Star Downfalls. While normally I am not one to follow tabloids and celebrity gossip (I always rolled my eyes at my friends in high school that read Perez religiously), recently I can't help but follow the downward spiral (and potential comebacks) of my favorite actresses of my youth that seemed to have jumped off a cliff into crazy land since middle school. While this obviously includes our favorite tabloid starlette Lindsay Lohan (LiLo is apparently what we're calling her these days), I'm going to save her for another day after I've fully meditated on her appearances of Chelsea Lately (I heard it worthy of a sigh of relief and maybe even hope?) and Oprah (Oh dayum girl, the O pulls out some big questions in that preview!)</div>
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But recently Lindsay hasn't been the only child star getting all the attention for her downward spiral, which is probably a welcome change for LiLo. In fact, Lindsay looks pretty stable in comparison to a recent downfall: Amanda Bynes. Obviously, there has been no escape for the jokes about Amanda Bynes recently. When I first saw posts about how absurd and crazy Amanda Bynes tweets were, I was convinced they were some horrible parody account. After all, Amanda Bynes at the time was no where close to the limelight and her twitter account wasn't even blue check verified--definitely a parody account.</div>
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But alas, I was wrong. Since then, not only has her accounted been verified but her tweets have gotten more outrageous and her crazy escapades have catapulted from random social media outbursts to real life crazy (and concerning) drama. Yet, even for this past summer, I was kind of sad for Amanda but still like whatever sucks for her, who cares. But my emotions started really coming out when I played the mustache game to Easy A. Now maybe it was the fast rate I was going through my Saranac Beers (check 'em out, Upstate New York classic) or maybe I was indeed more attached to Amanda Bynes than I had ever realized, but I was getting pretty emotional. I had completely forgotten about her role (and a pretty funny and convincing one at that) of the leader of the Christian group at Emma Stone's high school, which doubled as the leader of the mob against Emma Stone's character. In it, she was perfectly funny--so funny in fact that she was not entirely overshadowed by the rising star and incredibly quirky Emma Stone.<br />
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Up until that night, I had only remember Amanda's role in <i>She's the Man</i> as her last performance, so her recent demise was sad but who knows what she's been up to since then? But there she was, perfectly healthy, still acting, still funny in a movie that came out my freshman year of <i>college. </i>And now where was she? Front center of tabloids, dunking her dog in gasoline and completely off her rocker. Recognizing just how quick this descent must have been was the most shocking and saddening discovery. Now don't get me wrong, you're not about to find a crazy, highly emotional video of me screaming to the general public to leave Amanda Bynes alone (remember those crazy Britney days with even crazier Britney fans?). However, Amanda Bynes' downfall and tabloid attention has left me with more of an emotional reaction than any other starlettes crazy downward spiral.<br />
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So here's to the Old Amanda that I grew up watching. From your funny (but often incomprehensible) sketches on the <i>Amanda Show</i>. Here's to all the hot guys you had as co-stars in <i>What I Like About You. </i>Here's to the time you made me cry in your performance in <i>What A Girl Wants</i>, even though it was a comedy. Here's to helping me prepare for moving to France in high school when I watched <i>She's the Man</i> in French 100x because I knew every line by heart in English. Here's to you knowing how to act like a crazy christian so well some people probably didn't even realize you were making fun of them. But most importantly, here's to you getting over what ever the hell you are going through right now. You should get help. Maybe turn to your recent bud Emma Stone, who alongside Jennifer Lawrence is the poster child for 'down to earth and quirky hollywood starlette.' JUST DO SOMETHING. Because I don't want to start tearing up about your fall from grace when I watch She's the Man. Not only would that be pathetic and would all my friends make fun of me, but that would just ruin one of my favorite movies and no one wants that.<br />
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Now, if you hated this post. Don't worry, I'm not planning on becoming a huge celebrity gossip blog just yet. However, like I mentioned before I'm probs going to do some commentary on the LiLo Chelsea Lately appearance. Come on! Apparently, she was funny and I just smell a comeback for her on the horizon. After all, Amanda has already stolen her biggest child actress fail position she can only go up from here!</div>
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540611013697177237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141926192877466914.post-45243022525090682642013-08-05T11:50:00.003-07:002013-08-05T11:50:29.919-07:00College Fashionsta: The Chiffon Blouse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>I decided to be a little lazy today and post an article I wrote a while back for College Fashionista. I thought it was still applicable for our summer weather this year, and I thought this girl looked super cute on the beach. Oh and did I mention, I'm rejoining the College Fashionista team this semester after my hiatus abroad. Look forward to some more witty comments and stories about how much my mom hates my clothes in Facebook posts and tweets in the near future. </i></div>
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When I was younger, I always thought that the best way to dress for the hot weather was with shorts and a tight tank top. In my mind, just having a minimal amount of fabric on would automatically make me feel cooler in the heat. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Instead of feeling a breeze, I would cook in my little outfit.</div>
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What I didn’t realize at the time was the key to keeping cool was not about the amount of material but the weight of the material. After having gained this invaluable knowledge, I have changed my summer staple from a tight cotton tank to a chiffon blouse. But beyond the convenience for weather, a chiffon blouse can add an element of elegance to any outfit. And when I say any outfit, I mean any outfit.</div>
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For instance, you can take a casual approach such as this Fashionista. She used her chiffon blouse as the perfect item for a day at the beach — creating a polished look while serving as a cover-up. There are many options for the casual chiffon top. Some, such as the one worn by this Fashionista, are <a href="http://store.americanapparel.net/rsacf308.html?cid=201-289&c=Lagoon" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(71, 143, 178); color: #4aa6bd; text-decoration: none;">tank tops</a>, while others come with <a href="http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=24137622&navAction=jump&isProduct=true&parentid=MORE%20IDEAS&isProduct=true&cross-sell=true&guide-bn=true" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(71, 143, 178); color: #4aa6bd; text-decoration: none;">interesting backs</a> and most come in a huge array of colors. These types of choices are sure to please every type of personal style for your weekend look. But you can also use the chiffon blouse to create a more professional yet youthful look at your summer internship. Just take your favorite chiffon top and pair it with a high-waist skirt and some pumps.</div>
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One of the challenges of this season’s chiffon blouses is that they tend to be sheer. But this see-through quality should not deter you from picking up this trend. Instead, there are many ways to approach this challenge. For a more modest approach, I suggest investing in a nude cami. This level of modesty will be crucial to transform your chiffon blouses into work apparel or for your family get-togethers this summer. But when you’re ready to be a bit more risqué with your outfit, you might consider just a lace bra underneath. When starting off, you will probably prefer using a <a href="http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=21393947" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(71, 143, 178); color: #4aa6bd; text-decoration: none;">pale color lace</a>. This chiffon and light lace combination will create a dreamy affect. But with more courage, use <a href="http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=22234314" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(71, 143, 178); color: #4aa6bd; text-decoration: none;">bright colors</a> for a fun pop under your blouse. </div>
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However or wherever you choose to wear your chiffon blouse, it is sure to add a level of elegance and creativity to your outfit. Although some of its characteristics are a little daunting, I assure you that once you find your solution, the chiffon blouse will be your summer go-to.</div>
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<b>This <a href="http://www.collegefashionista.com/style_advice_of_the_week_the_chiffon_blouse1/" target="_blank">post </a>was originally published on College Fashionista June 25, 2012. </b></div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540611013697177237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141926192877466914.post-48959523782370384682013-08-01T09:05:00.002-07:002013-08-06T04:31:18.254-07:00What We're Listening to: Lorde<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/295636_567001359984255_607046497_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/295636_567001359984255_607046497_n.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<i>But everybody's like Cristal, mayback, diamonds on your time piece.</i></div>
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<i>Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash.</i></div>
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<i>We don't care, we aren't caught up in your love affair.</i></div>
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<i>And we'll never be royals, </i></div>
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<i>It don't run in our blood</i></div>
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<i>That kind of lux just ain't for us. </i></div>
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<i>We crave a different kind of buzz. </i></div>
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So probably the main thing I do at work all day is go on <a href="https://play.spotify.com/user/1217584842" target="_blank">spotify</a>. I really never used it before but since I work from 8:30-4:30 in a basement of an old funeral home, me and the zombies have plenty of time to listen to some jams. Originally, I was listening to Pandora, but I was getting pretty sick of listening to the exact same 7 songs over and over again. I was hearing NOTHING new. So switched over to spotify so I could at least have some control over my playlist. To my surprise, spotify was also great at finding me new music. One of the artists I've become obsessed with is <a href="https://play.spotify.com/artist/163tK9Wjr9P9DmM0AVK7lm" target="_blank">Lorde</a>.<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">When Lorde originally came up on my spotify radio, I assumed it was so crazy indie weirdo chick based on her super strange indie illustrated EP cover. I assumed she went to some sort of liberal arts school and lived in Brooklyn or maybe someplace even more obscure. But despite her strange cover, her music was really catchy. I loved the use of background vocals that reminded me of my chorus days. I often feel like musicians rely far too heavily on pure electronic sounds these days in their production, but Lorde uses both these new methods with vocal embellishments that make the sound more unique and spooky.</span></div>
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Lorde was first discovered by Universal at a talent show when she was thirteen, now she's sixteen and just came out with her first singles this past year. The single that really got her some buzz online and made her a huge sensation in her native New Zealand was Royals. This song, besides being super catchy, is really relatable. She talks about how she and her friends listen to artists like A$AP Rocky or Lana del Ray who just talk about drinking Cristal or walking a tiger on a leash. Basically, they talk about lifestyles that are completely unrelatable to her broke sixteen year old friends who are trying to scrape up enough cash to buy some booze for a party. The music video perfectly illustrates the mundane character of teenagers real life. It's nothing like these music videos or Skins, but just kids watching tv and driving around the suburbs.<br />
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How she manages to stay so relatable is because she writes her own lyrics and music. And an even bigger plus, she writes her own stuff <i>without </i>talking exclusively about her ex-boyfriend or some boy she has a crush on (cough cough Taylor Swift). Lorde's ability to write lyrics with meaning and a continuous theme while incorporating catchy hooks and nice beats is why she's going to be a mainstream success that will not end up in my <a href="https://play.spotify.com/user/1217584842/playlist/2WyX0EG6KBMKKo8I6djQ21" target="_blank">"guilty pleasures" </a>playlist. I think Lorde is a kiwi to watch this year as she works on her first album. I also think she's an artist to watch out for in the next five years or more. After all, she's only sixteen and both her vocals, lyrics, and composition capabilities can only mature from here.</div>
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F68269185" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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this is the song that really uses the vocal backgrounds</div>
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Catch Lorde in <a href="http://www.songkick.com/artists/6715369-lorde" target="_blank">concert </a>this week August 6 at le Poisson Rouge in NYC and then in LA on August 8th.</div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540611013697177237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141926192877466914.post-52969206110753677892013-06-14T17:00:00.004-07:002013-06-14T17:01:10.387-07:00Ladurée<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMhUQiq5bR1-BYphM4dzNj4QhY_45D_zPkvLhys4ig1o-PnQVY9kw9vCsKjKlYy7cVXcqLuRae4mmwbqucujX27uGOQMNVBEADfPKpnXA09yDylyj-vEyJtOrPdJSML6KaQOd7RLGP-E/s1600/IMG_2224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMhUQiq5bR1-BYphM4dzNj4QhY_45D_zPkvLhys4ig1o-PnQVY9kw9vCsKjKlYy7cVXcqLuRae4mmwbqucujX27uGOQMNVBEADfPKpnXA09yDylyj-vEyJtOrPdJSML6KaQOd7RLGP-E/s640/IMG_2224.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I enjoyed some amazing macarons that I smuggled across the Atlantic. They are actually from the famous Ladurée in Paris. <i>yum! </i></div>
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540611013697177237noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141926192877466914.post-26076371723427109152013-06-11T01:08:00.002-07:002013-08-06T04:30:06.492-07:00Please, I Should Be 'The Mayor'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzJvRQk91ZR0A-zRxhTVjdR046l37j2vZLlb9bHB7zxXHuVFZIlHRrUvd9hHQCfxUpVWPExCAQEfYVDBW9RKu_uoZBZNjbmV3KcQotjNYchqcUumWVAwPdDUlDMupWD9zeaFP5JonMvc8/s1600/IMG_2206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzJvRQk91ZR0A-zRxhTVjdR046l37j2vZLlb9bHB7zxXHuVFZIlHRrUvd9hHQCfxUpVWPExCAQEfYVDBW9RKu_uoZBZNjbmV3KcQotjNYchqcUumWVAwPdDUlDMupWD9zeaFP5JonMvc8/s640/IMG_2206.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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As I mentioned a couple posts ago, I just joined foursquare last week. I'm not quite sure why I hadn't joined before, since it basically is advanced instagram that comes with tips. Since I've been obsessed with making sure I post my location on all my instagrams <i>and </i>my instagram is almost entirely food, foursquare makes perfect sense for me. </div>
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Since I'm such a late and recent addition, this week I've been trying to check in as much as possible. (However, I only check into restaurants and always forget that locations, neighborhoods, and stores are also something you can check into at foursquare). So far, it's been pretty fun but there's been one thing that I've found annoying about being a 'Newbie' foursquare. Every time I check-in to a new restaurant (or really anyplace), it tells me <i>CONGRATS! This is your first time at this restaurant or CONGRATS! This is your first ___ type of restaurant. </i></div>
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This has been particularly annoying this week, since I've mainly been going to all of my favorite restaurants that I'm pretty much a regular at. This was particularly true at Sushi Raw in the Lower Haight. I first went to Sushi Raw with my family because my grandma lives around the corner, but I kept going because my friend Camille lives right next to it too. They also have pretty reasonable prices, so everyone time I come home, I go there for some sushi or soup. </div>
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Despite going to school on the East Coast, I manage to go to Sushi Raw so often that they greet me with a friendly welcome (even more than their normal welcome) and I frequent it more than my parents do.</div>
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In my opinion, there should be some sort of test or way to get the 'Local' badge or 'Mayor' position on foursquare even if you just joined. Honestly, them knowing where I go to college, where my grandma lives, general knowledge about my parents and friends should mean more than how many times I remembered to press the little 'check-in' button. Right?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xBAaXm01b-z_TraI4jZSdvXKx0_oDkhtn1RfhavoygY9ukHsoQjtueqbBMqtFR6viC6PHI8hgkFaGRHLSST-7Pq2mUVYW_Bffs372J1DLYt6fPpKhfydxIFeyJh9Hax_-0gkZP2uFrc/s1600/IMG_2199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xBAaXm01b-z_TraI4jZSdvXKx0_oDkhtn1RfhavoygY9ukHsoQjtueqbBMqtFR6viC6PHI8hgkFaGRHLSST-7Pq2mUVYW_Bffs372J1DLYt6fPpKhfydxIFeyJh9Hax_-0gkZP2uFrc/s640/IMG_2199.jpg" width="640" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; clear: left; color: black; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Udon after a long day is always such a great choice. It's nice and warm, which is always perfect in foggy San francisco. But it's also the cheapest thing you can get at a sushi restaurant at about $8 while being extremely filling (way more filling than sushi). Not to mention, that it is really healthy. Look at all those yummy veggies! (But don't worry, if you want a less healthy option, <i>tempura </i>udon is always a great choice!)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; clear: left; color: black; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL-sV-SKKpkRwwSko1BzcavxalWG6VImw5Pj1COJKJVDLoMokQG5OhQvvZI32Ji1oJ729ZbA4ypeSfBdXX0TPIea6rT_WOH0_cxa0Qsv8tHkAnBfukh3d9PAHSfd2juefiZoy1O9s1vww/s1600/IMG_2202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL-sV-SKKpkRwwSko1BzcavxalWG6VImw5Pj1COJKJVDLoMokQG5OhQvvZI32Ji1oJ729ZbA4ypeSfBdXX0TPIea6rT_WOH0_cxa0Qsv8tHkAnBfukh3d9PAHSfd2juefiZoy1O9s1vww/s640/IMG_2202.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZlZ3fvzfsX4mL9QIkurY55F4Q7m9HmFsuWmeccxbz5mTG7PAouWmcImRf-Bq8zO0Cd0xsmsaXZTHDdKysq_gp4BATUMknEF8GvEfiWKxiOYNV1_kRnDacNkQKtVv4v9nSskia-AL3K8/s1600/IMG_2203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZlZ3fvzfsX4mL9QIkurY55F4Q7m9HmFsuWmeccxbz5mTG7PAouWmcImRf-Bq8zO0Cd0xsmsaXZTHDdKysq_gp4BATUMknEF8GvEfiWKxiOYNV1_kRnDacNkQKtVv4v9nSskia-AL3K8/s640/IMG_2203.JPG" width="640" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgolyOVQ7JqxIVqvl5axPnCVd3arJhf6UVWnappRb3I8CcZKahhQfTJ7mLVpVLR4gNu5jjeXXOkXb4eZG82POdLVuvyEnOzGsRAMmdkLWuaBu66CG09XsRKcDozuXup7YhndeFe7yJ42Pg/s1600/IMG_2203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK801Y3DuyhxDQ9b_fxoBjq9TVOb_aiX5ndJHF9dwmGuhce0fqv-UqPgW_Y_pKTwDnUYTfC2H5MGJudDZ9d0y4TVAaeS51vtwqpzp6Lb8igk9rzuN5pIsaFb6q1Y9o-O5LdxAe68E8YPA/s1600/IMG_2208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK801Y3DuyhxDQ9b_fxoBjq9TVOb_aiX5ndJHF9dwmGuhce0fqv-UqPgW_Y_pKTwDnUYTfC2H5MGJudDZ9d0y4TVAaeS51vtwqpzp6Lb8igk9rzuN5pIsaFb6q1Y9o-O5LdxAe68E8YPA/s640/IMG_2208.jpg" width="480" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQXkL9cqzsyJ9HleA9MwdUyf1QkCjgWBM7gpk5Lr2yKsRUfbWflih2Kc8aQ62PpwCd302ZCfT0C-Ktm-gVYaL1vzB8rGEoyrWSYD-Gh6gdufkGq63ecMDJuHixFbEaEp0tMjCgWhBcZPQ/s1600/IMG_2209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQXkL9cqzsyJ9HleA9MwdUyf1QkCjgWBM7gpk5Lr2yKsRUfbWflih2Kc8aQ62PpwCd302ZCfT0C-Ktm-gVYaL1vzB8rGEoyrWSYD-Gh6gdufkGq63ecMDJuHixFbEaEp0tMjCgWhBcZPQ/s640/IMG_2209.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></span></span></div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540611013697177237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141926192877466914.post-91900169716292721372013-06-10T22:07:00.001-07:002013-08-07T10:44:58.772-07:00Let's Go to the Beach, Each!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One thing I didn't take enough advantage of growing up in California was the beach. Actually back in high school, I <i>hated </i>the beach. I found the sand annoying and my grumpy self proclaimed them stupid and unappealing. This was actually part of my reasoning for choosing Colgate over UCSD, a choice my parents didn't understand since UCSD is located a short walk from the beautiful La Jolla beaches. </div>
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Since going to college in the rural farm lands of Upstate New York, my opinion of the beach has definitely changed. Now, I just dream of going to the beach, feeling the sun on my skin, and of course getting a little color. For my spring break freshman year, I went on that stereotypical Spring Break trip to Miami. And that summer I went on a whole beach hopping adventure from the beaches in Tel Aviv, to Santa Barbara and then finishing off the summer on the Cape. </div>
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My semester abroad was rather dreary with a long cold and grey winter. So the whole semester, I tried to come up with some way to the beach. Ultimately, I never made it. My dreams of going to Greece were shattered and even my plans to go to southern France just didn't work out. So this week, I decided I just had to go to the beach before I headed back east for my internship. </div>
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So this past Saturday, I headed over to Stinson Beach in Marin with my friends Mattie and Camille as well as my friend Albert from Colgate who is interning at WeHeartIt in San Francisco this summer. </div>
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Beyond being just a trip to the beach, this trip was also a great lesson in Bay Area microclimates. Microclimates are when the weather can change from this phenomenon that apparently only occurs in the Bay Area. I think it happens because we have the ocean, bay, and so many hills all smushed together.</div>
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As we headed over the bridge, we were completely engulfed in fog. But Camille, our new marinite, assured us that it would clear. And did it clear, as we reached the final tower of the bridge, suddenly the fog lifted and we saw the sun shining on the beautiful hills and water of Marin. </div>
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Unfortunately, as we continued on the windy road to Stinson beach, the fog reappeared with a fury. In fact, the entire coast was just covered with fog that just got thicker and thicker. At this point, I was pretty nervous. We almost turned back to the city to just hang out in the dolores park, but decided we should make the whole trek since we had already spent an hour to get there. </div>
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When we finally reached the beach, the fog was thin enough to have some sun shine through. Despite the layer of fog, the beach was pretty crowded. Throughout our time there, the fog fluctuated, coming and going. In fact, I got a slight sun burn--my first burn since third grade. Honestly, fog might be more dangerous than pure sun.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTPydmUhE5v_MSV0GEleRc06SSPsBBelxK3RCHTs4iLQ_HMC5Y8f6MOwaIdZOoCmDE2zfEQQ1jVRfiDI6x6H-ZxciH-Iuc4PIS842cZWjHaPyzvbBwKMXA_aEBJ9fpBzTkBspSTEUgQE/s1600/IMG_2181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTPydmUhE5v_MSV0GEleRc06SSPsBBelxK3RCHTs4iLQ_HMC5Y8f6MOwaIdZOoCmDE2zfEQQ1jVRfiDI6x6H-ZxciH-Iuc4PIS842cZWjHaPyzvbBwKMXA_aEBJ9fpBzTkBspSTEUgQE/s640/IMG_2181.JPG" width="640" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF8e4Ej92GcSZ17lwvZLIfF7z6LRaTer0X9XW-gNMjhYiLKxWKi7JQXIdvqteICy9644OTBxom9NFXzinpgDYqUlM7RLyP5eMn33QhP-AcXUTDsmDqrgucu-Y8D2T6w5PIuPWeiM9oKXY/s1600/IMG_2192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF8e4Ej92GcSZ17lwvZLIfF7z6LRaTer0X9XW-gNMjhYiLKxWKi7JQXIdvqteICy9644OTBxom9NFXzinpgDYqUlM7RLyP5eMn33QhP-AcXUTDsmDqrgucu-Y8D2T6w5PIuPWeiM9oKXY/s640/IMG_2192.JPG" width="640" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDsymFi-VHaJN_obi7UNYzPihY9-IQ7KzRY6znS3LUvCo5-zllxEx210RViOhlJJrR0My24oYbJi6cv9DnHYvBP0yVt9xs7W2uZBzzqe9un6rLYUALctJadQvBT9GQsT7SL1rKyUgUoE/s1600/IMG_2191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDsymFi-VHaJN_obi7UNYzPihY9-IQ7KzRY6znS3LUvCo5-zllxEx210RViOhlJJrR0My24oYbJi6cv9DnHYvBP0yVt9xs7W2uZBzzqe9un6rLYUALctJadQvBT9GQsT7SL1rKyUgUoE/s640/IMG_2191.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv89jcxew4cQjSmPu1dORXCsjXKBGy9eZCO0IyMNMujOE_r-3nTu9vUBkr616q7fqy3aG-bZ08mCA0yVjaDMUTxrsuf1TtfLb7kuFuKnxZLOQc6HuUD0wJXhNXUJi-1pSX6htN9NoMLJw/s1600/IMG_2180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv89jcxew4cQjSmPu1dORXCsjXKBGy9eZCO0IyMNMujOE_r-3nTu9vUBkr616q7fqy3aG-bZ08mCA0yVjaDMUTxrsuf1TtfLb7kuFuKnxZLOQc6HuUD0wJXhNXUJi-1pSX6htN9NoMLJw/s640/IMG_2180.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 16px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: inherit;">Let's go to the beach</span>, each </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 16px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Let's go get away </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 16px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">They say, what they gonna say? </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 16px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Have a drink, clink, found the bud light </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 16px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bad b-tches like me, is hard to come by</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>-</i>Nicki Minaj<i>, Starships</i></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://brucefong.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/stinson-beach-014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://brucefong.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/stinson-beach-014.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540611013697177237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141926192877466914.post-21527886483584839242013-06-09T23:18:00.003-07:002013-06-09T23:18:51.631-07:00PakwanWhen I'm away at school, the main thing I miss is ethnic food. Growing up in San Francisco, I was used to have authentic and absolutely amazing anything-you-can-imagine food. When I was little, my favorite restaurants were thai, chinese, and mexican. As I got older, I ventured into puerto rican, burmese and nepalese food as well. So when I come home for breaks, there are a couple stops I just have to take. One of these is Indian food.<br />
I met up with my friends Camille and Mattie one night after they both got off of work and headed over to the Mission to get dinner. While the Mission District is best known for mexican food (big surprise there), I had already had mexican food three times at that point so we opted for Indian at Pakwan instead. Pakwan was the perfect choice since it was pretty fast and cheap (like Mexican), but wasn't yet another burrito. Here's some pics!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2JZFTpSpFU6l0CWiV_jAkSd9jzeWw14oMh_7oATm9ZNaU8xAX2hT2uNW7CqdeyZFX6aVFFEnd1TacaLgiODCnGb3tE-h48K4nDaxgm_k5ktpXVZ4bnSfvQAvOqOY6bmGbZMJe-5_mno/s1600/IMG_2133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2JZFTpSpFU6l0CWiV_jAkSd9jzeWw14oMh_7oATm9ZNaU8xAX2hT2uNW7CqdeyZFX6aVFFEnd1TacaLgiODCnGb3tE-h48K4nDaxgm_k5ktpXVZ4bnSfvQAvOqOY6bmGbZMJe-5_mno/s640/IMG_2133.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLfV-tIs5O_blCk342039Q49VqWE9pZTOLNlSPj335fxfDbFbgz_lCf15vtlyFsqpP9mtl-CaA9Oap1YJIvQv_GeiNBXEbKiFFQOYIBTtxUBmHBUIEh7ymeGoecibRRCy_bz2PHDZlUJQ/s1600/IMG_2134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLfV-tIs5O_blCk342039Q49VqWE9pZTOLNlSPj335fxfDbFbgz_lCf15vtlyFsqpP9mtl-CaA9Oap1YJIvQv_GeiNBXEbKiFFQOYIBTtxUBmHBUIEh7ymeGoecibRRCy_bz2PHDZlUJQ/s640/IMG_2134.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZ2PUXTmC-s5r-0cBkKAdM0xikHCfSPpPGZpfued1NMGIjUlh_iX6KJnpxjwuZJ1yscHStpCAlnQsIYUMfP3stJ6AGwzverY0mAc0bav04aCE7N5xJVAEhJXmssPC1WoAHTaVqcO4Pi0/s1600/IMG_2136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZ2PUXTmC-s5r-0cBkKAdM0xikHCfSPpPGZpfued1NMGIjUlh_iX6KJnpxjwuZJ1yscHStpCAlnQsIYUMfP3stJ6AGwzverY0mAc0bav04aCE7N5xJVAEhJXmssPC1WoAHTaVqcO4Pi0/s640/IMG_2136.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil3olZa42FPryJseGwQpvPI_GPq-fqvuRHxCkn4jiqE7MT7SgVPAC0pghYUij0iM4HlDHR2bY-X5DXNp92fCQjWqFB30tYLzReaK7kplj4orYQy2kGegt3s5S00jDS4WdS_f3u7G9qZtA/s1600/IMG_2137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil3olZa42FPryJseGwQpvPI_GPq-fqvuRHxCkn4jiqE7MT7SgVPAC0pghYUij0iM4HlDHR2bY-X5DXNp92fCQjWqFB30tYLzReaK7kplj4orYQy2kGegt3s5S00jDS4WdS_f3u7G9qZtA/s640/IMG_2137.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWGRg9Gl2Mk3dUy02EQJevqhRQW5PkjBB_7Wo0y4FLYlW__vOEpqatsNUlABpf1qbLY7wRYc1lzrsp8YxAATkfrCIw7a7rbLUPh2eRnlzKWHuDFWyqWd6DHnJDbIRANh9rHJNh7mCuBko/s1600/IMG_2139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWGRg9Gl2Mk3dUy02EQJevqhRQW5PkjBB_7Wo0y4FLYlW__vOEpqatsNUlABpf1qbLY7wRYc1lzrsp8YxAATkfrCIw7a7rbLUPh2eRnlzKWHuDFWyqWd6DHnJDbIRANh9rHJNh7mCuBko/s640/IMG_2139.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgokK59e7tV6JRAQoPM-jkthBBt7UA7T3Zjaqgr8hV-J6R0hYinhKqL45dmv5W5SWCeHOtX5KGFvLTc6HdF9471tflbFLH9VnGUdS1cWvgS5II0Zj00kZbijTrggUEjkJdDoWrJH24X0Mo/s1600/IMG_2132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgokK59e7tV6JRAQoPM-jkthBBt7UA7T3Zjaqgr8hV-J6R0hYinhKqL45dmv5W5SWCeHOtX5KGFvLTc6HdF9471tflbFLH9VnGUdS1cWvgS5II0Zj00kZbijTrggUEjkJdDoWrJH24X0Mo/s640/IMG_2132.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
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Mattie is certainly happy with the food!</div>
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Also, I just joined <b><a href="https://foursquare.com/user/57760501" target="_blank">foursquare</a>. </b>Add me!</div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540611013697177237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141926192877466914.post-19887840268002000032013-06-09T11:04:00.000-07:002013-08-14T07:48:38.808-07:00That One Time in China<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/217675_1003327797797_2286_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="432" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/217675_1003327797797_2286_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Found these pictures from 2007 looking through the mess of my Facebook albums. I had completely forgotten about these pictures, and it's funny seeing them all now. The group of us, awkward teenagers running around Beijing and Seoul in bright red polos. That's one of the thing I actually love about social media. Yes, it's kind of creepy that all these kids from high school you barely knew get to stalk you, but in five or so years, you can stalk that strange person you were all those years ago.</div>
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Wow, I was so cool taking these disposable hipster photos back in 2007. Or maybe my parents just didn't trust me with a digital photo when traveling...</div>
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<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/207140_1003327997802_8628_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/207140_1003327997802_8628_n.jpg" width="432" /></a></div>
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Look it's yours truly, looking a horribly disgusting freshman in high school. </div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540611013697177237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141926192877466914.post-17176740742347682502013-06-07T22:18:00.000-07:002013-06-09T15:06:20.921-07:0022-Hr-Layover<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrOA4R50mhXHWT7shxO07uMaCPGNFB9fYGwgGfzbcFxmFmiqF62nO6f1nTeAh2Cak7R0n5HJj6AdrZ_CBMxbgqGW7lVmey2awcFdu2JURBPyr1bxzclV19CmjnyZpdYpiU5uckUyipNEc/s1600/rachel5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrOA4R50mhXHWT7shxO07uMaCPGNFB9fYGwgGfzbcFxmFmiqF62nO6f1nTeAh2Cak7R0n5HJj6AdrZ_CBMxbgqGW7lVmey2awcFdu2JURBPyr1bxzclV19CmjnyZpdYpiU5uckUyipNEc/s640/rachel5.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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After my amazing five months in Europe, it was finally time to go home. However, I had to get through a 38 hour journey before I arrived in my hometown of San Francisco. Now in case you didn't figure this out yourself, that is <i>not </i>a normal amount of time for a flight. That is because this journey wasn't a simple GVA-->SFO non-stop flight, but instead a Geneva-->Amsterdam-->Boston-->Minneapolis-->San Francisco adventure. Oh and did I mention that I had a <i>22 hour layover in Boston</i>!?</div>
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Luckily, I have friends in Boston, including one of my best friends Rui who I hadn't seen for a year since we went abroad different semesters. So this ridiculously long flight home wasn't a complete pain in my butt, but was also a great opportunity for me to catch up with some friends. </div>
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But it wasn't only a good opportunity to catch up with friends, but also a nice little opportunity to celebrate being 21 in America. I had turned 21 in April and had a little weekend trip to London. However, turning 21 in Europe is kind of a underwhelming experience. To start off my legal American drinking career, we met up with our friend Nicole, who had also just come back from abroad, and headed over to Boston (Rui was staying in a MIT frat house in Cambridge). </div>
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After wandering around, we stumbled on this pretty nice bar with the prices to match the fancy ambiance. Unfortunately, Rui got this great idea to start chatting with these guys so they would buy us drinks. Even more unfortunately, these guys were <i>not </i>cute but rather old, creepy Arab men. So creepy in fact, that one of them asked me if I had ever been with an Arab man and if I would like to....Not particularly enjoying our conversation, I beelined for the bathroom and chatted with some girls as I pretended to fix my makeup. </div>
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After Nicole had come to the bathroom for similar escaping tactics, we decided to leave and took a cab back to Cambridge. There, we met up with some friends Nicole had made in Costa Rica. Quickly, we realized that we had actually crashed a birthday party of some 27-year-old chick....we were most definitely the youngest people there. Somehow, we made friends with some of the guests and we headed over to an 'after-party' at an apartment close by. Mind you, I had just come back from Europe that very day so it was 2am and I woke up at 7am <i>Switzerland time</i>--that was almost 24 hours earlier. And where was I? I was in an apartment in Cambridge with a group of 26-28 year old grad students as I sipped on a cocktail. </div>
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These are some pictures we took after we woke up at 7am (note the 5 hours of sleep) and got breakfast with our friend Suzie. Harvard and MIT have the best campus housing, right by the river with amazing views. I can only imagine how much these buildings would go for if they weren't disgusting and covered with beer. </div>
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So that's what I did during my layover in Boston. I guess you could say those 22 hours were pretty eventful. </div>
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humid + airplane hair = not cute</div>
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Outfit--Shirt dress: Topshop, Flats: Banana Republic, Sunglasses: Banana Republic</div>
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540611013697177237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141926192877466914.post-62827602834950323382013-06-04T20:13:00.000-07:002013-08-09T18:18:24.507-07:00Daydreaming About: Prints on Prints on Prints<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Lately I've been just obsessed with patterns. Obviously, I turned to my favorite american stores to find the cutest patterned items, Madewell and J.Crew. Honestly, I've just been dreaming about buying some of their perfectly clean and chic clothing since I went abroad five months ago. Here's some things that caught my eye as I perused their websites this morning. Maybe I'll stop by after my haircut tomorrow?</div>
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<a href="http://s7.madewell.com/is/image/madewell/44086_WE3111_m?$pdp_fs418$" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://s7.madewell.com/is/image/madewell/44086_WE3111_m?$pdp_fs418$" width="400" /></a></div>
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540611013697177237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141926192877466914.post-51999444985840409622013-06-03T15:46:00.003-07:002013-06-03T17:19:47.840-07:00A Day Trip to Napa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Apparently all I do these days is go wine tasting. For a person that admittedly doesn't have the most refined palette for wine, I find this slightly amusing. But as you know, during my last weekend in Geneva I went wine tasting and during my 22 hour layover in Boston I also had a quick wine tasting moment. So here I am my second full day back home and I'm in the Napa Valley wine tasting.<br />
I went with my brother, my niece Malayah, and her mom MJ (who I've known since I was eight years old) to this winery in St Helena called <i>V Sattui</i>. The place was really nice and the lady who did our wine tasting was really nice and super funny. I was a little congested from allergies, which I think is why I liked the super fruity and girly wines more than usual that day. After tasting about 15 wines, my brother and MJ both bought a case of wine each.<br />
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I was pretty hungary after consuming all that wine, since unlike my pretentious brother I did actually swallow all my wine. Luckily, the place that MJ chose had a picnic bbq area. MJ and my brother ordered quite a spread with oysters, bruschetta, shrimp, and pork ribs. We paired that with some white wine, a baguette of Acme bread, and a couple of cheeses we had tried at the cheese tasting. It all hit the spot as we sit in the warm Napa sun. </div>
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It's been rather exciting being able to finally drink legally in America. Although I've been drinking in America for awhile now (I know, big shocker) and I've been drinking legally in Europe all semester, it still wasn't quite as exciting as my new power as a 21-year-old. So my first drink on the plane was a white wine, I went to a wine tasting and went out in my 22 hours in Boston, I had a mimosa after breakfast my first day in San Francisco, and then I went wine tasting yesterday. You know what that means? I just <i>have </i>to go out today or else I'll break my LEGAL streak! Tell you about it later. </div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540611013697177237noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141926192877466914.post-35681894675308525372013-06-02T23:01:00.002-07:002013-06-02T23:09:25.432-07:00Higher Grounds<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span id="goog_1431440149"></span><span id="goog_1431440150"></span>I spent my first night and day in my old neighborhood of Glen Park, where I grew up in San Francisco. After awakening at 5am and just lounging in bed for the next five hours, the crew (my brother, my niece and me) all headed down the hill to the 'village' to get breakfast. We went to my favorite breakfast spot when I was little, Higher Ground. Back in the day, I would just get a basic cheese omelette with a Mexican hot chocolate (you just add cinnamon), but these days I'm older and have a much more mature palette. So this time, I decided to actually try what Higher Grounds is known for: their savory crepes. I think the crepe I got was Alla Toscana? It has a large variety of cheeses, egg, and spinach. I rather enjoyed it. I also got a large fresh-squeezed orange juice that was only like $3, which I'm pretty sure is a good deal (or I'm still confused by Geneva prices)<br />
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I completely recommend Higher Grounds. Recently, Glen Park has been on the rise and the 'village' has gotten a bunch of snooty new restaurants and markets. But Higher Grounds has been around since I was little and Glen Park was still an area of the city people didn't know how to get to (no seriously, the amount of friends' parents that got lost dropping me off). So this isn't like those yuppie brunch spots that are littered around San Francisco (although don't get me wrong, I do love those). Instead, Higher Grounds is an authentic unpretentious family owned breakfast spot that will probably be around longer than all the new computer geeks who just moved into the neighborhood. What I should mention though is that because it's so authentic and unpretentious, They don't take credit cards and there's no wifi. So bring your cash and bring a book if you're planning on sticking around to enjoy the rustic ambiance.<br />
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After breakfast, we headed down a couple doors to pop into Chenery Park and say hi to the owner Joe. My brother automatically went to the bar and made us all some mimosas and we all chatted as they prepared for the graduation party that they were having that afternoon. Back in the day, Chenery Park used to be <i>the </i>fancy restaurant in the neighborhood. These days, it's pretty much at the same fancy level as every other restaurant in town besides the old chinese restaurant, mexican taqueria, and the diner. If I go back before I head back to the east coast, I'll snap some pics and tell you <i>allll</i> about it.<br />
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540611013697177237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141926192877466914.post-6807142410920158882013-06-01T21:26:00.000-07:002013-06-01T21:26:51.658-07:00Istanbul (Not Constantinople)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My last weekend trip of my semester abroad was to Istanbul, Turkey. Although I don't think it's the traditional European destination, it was one of the main places I wanted to visit during my semester abroad. Apparently, the rest of the Geneva crew wanted to see it too because I went with a group of five other GSGers and two other groups had already gone for spring break. By the end of the semester, all of but one of us made a little trip to good ol' Constantinople.<br />
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Istanbul was so different from all the places I had been during the rest of the semester. The first two days reminded me of my summer in Jerusalem actually. It was pretty reminiscent of that summer when I went to the Grand Bazaar, the merchants were extremely aggressive, just like they were in the Old City of Jerusalem. Although, I didn't feel quite as unsafe as I occasionally did in the Old City. But I just think that's because it was constantly jam-packed, while the Old City had some empty corridors. Also, we had a guy this time. Sadly, that does make a difference sometimes.<br />
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Generally, my time in Istanbul was very enjoyable. I finally got to see the Hagia Sofia, which I had heard about since Western Civ at UHS.<br />
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We saw the beautiful mosaics of the Blue Mosque and got some pretty cute photos with our headscarves.<br />
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Ventured over to the largest mosque in Istanbul....<br />
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Wandered through the Grand Bazaar and bought plenty of presents for the family back home....<br />
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Ventured over to Asia for a quick stroll...<br />
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Watched some dervishes whirl...<br />
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Ate some kebabs...and then some more kebabs<br />
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Out of everything, I think one of the coolest experiences from our time in Istanbul was sleeping on the roof of our hostel. Our hostel was located in the old area of Istanbul, right by the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque. So close in fact, that you could see the Hagia Sofia from the roof. It was so cool to wake up to the 5am call to prayer and then later watch the sunrise behind the Hagia Sofia.<br />
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540611013697177237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141926192877466914.post-23639371356913234032013-06-01T19:08:00.000-07:002013-08-12T15:48:47.152-07:00Honey, I'm HOMEEE<a href="http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/3353/26586132513724382010925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/3353/26586132513724382010925.jpg" /></a><br />
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I just got back to San Francisco last night. Although it's a beautiful 70 degrees outside, I'm mainly stuck inside because I came down with a cold during my 32 hour journey home from Geneva. I'll tell you about my last weeks in Geneva, my journey, and my quick stay at home later (maybe even today). </div>
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I did have a little drive around the city, along the beach, through the presidio, etc to get back in the swing of driving. I really do love this city, and can't wait to recover and have some little San Francisco adventures.</div>
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This picture is from Tank Hill, which is down the block from my house. It's actually from a <a href="http://virtueux.blogspot.com/2010/04/tank-hill.html" target="_blank">post</a> I did way back in 2010! </div>
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540611013697177237noreply@blogger.com1