i heart you too, california.

As seen on the drive home from our Half Moon Bay excursion...

I think it sums our new little life in California quite nicely.

at last, tacos!

Perhaps we were a bit spoiled after living in Chicago for seven years, but finding delicious, authentic Mexican food in San Francisco has been quite the challenge. It seems backwards, doesn't it? You'd assume California - even Northern California - would trump the Midwest in terms of rocking Mexican cuisine. But Chicago has Pilsen (a neighborhood with a rich Mexican history and subsequently, great food) and, of course, Rick Bayless. From XOCO to Frontera to Topolo, Rick Bayless is the master of Mexican and we were so lucky to have him right in Chicago.

San Francisco, on the other hand, does great Chinese, Thai, and sushi. And California Cuisine, obviously. But tacos? Meh. So far our quest for awesome tacos has been disappointing.

Until now.

Last week we tried Tacolicious. Game changer. The tacos (and margaritas!) here are out of this world good. I suspect we'll be going back here again and again...

And I urge you to do the same.

{I apologize for the lack of quality photographic evidence. What can I say? I was impatient and hungry :) }

Hey Bay Area readers, know of any other great Mexican spots we should try?

half moon bay

Over the weekend, Dave and I rented a Zipcar and, for the first time as California residents, went to the beach! Sure, we didn't travel very far -- it's only an hour drive from the city to the sleepy beaches of the coastline -- but it was just enough to feel like a mini California vacation.

Ok, we didn't get a convertible and it wasn't exactly warm or sunny (in fact, it was cloudy, windy and freezing cold), but we blasted "The Only Place" by Best Coast in the car and had tons of fun anyway.

Some highlights? Watching the windsurfers repeatedly fall as we enjoyed our picnic of California cheese, strawberries, and of course, pinot noir. Binging on fresh oysters while lounging on the heated porch at Sam's Chowder House. Catching the sunset in Pacifica. And no sunburn! It was a fabulous day.

this is the true story

well, there goes any chance of being productive this weekend.

ah! i am so excited!!!

wherever you are, there it is

You know what I love? Line. Architecture. Sky. Negative space. Light. Shadow. Reflection.

City.

I finally made my way to the Financial District of San Francisco, where I was inundated by all of the above. And thank goodness. Though I adore San Francisco's Victorian and residential charm, sometimes you just need the city. Wide sidewalks, speeding taxis, crowded crosswalks, pedestrians with purpose (none of those lollygagging tourists), honking, rushing, hustle and bustle. And of course, skyscrapers.

While I am staunchly opposed to the Transamerica Pyramid on aesthetic grounds, I admit that it is indeed the centerpiece of the San Francisco skyline. Wherever you are, whenever you look up, there it is.

see the window creeper? ^^

In my next life, I have every intention of being an architect. And the one after that, I shall be a pilot. Just in case you were wondering about my reincarnation plans...

kishi bashi (and our very bad dog)

A few days ago, Dave and I finally got to see Kishi Bashi at the Great American Music Hall. I say 'finally' because the last time we bought tickets to see him back in Chicago, we had to miss the show due to the timing of our move. Unfortunate and disappointing as it was, I guess can't complain too much. There are worse things in life than moving to California, that's for certain.

Still, Kishi Bashi's debut album 151a was by far my favorite album of 2012. And let me tell you, I was absolutely devastated when we couldn't see him last September. As such, my level of excitement for this show was out. of. control. Guys, I have been referring to February as 'Kishi Bashi Month' since we got the tickets back in December.

But guess what? We *almost* missed this show too.

While we were out enjoying a pre-show dinner date, our management company called to inform us that our dog was howling -- very, very loudly -- and the neighbors were not happy about it. Worst. Timing. Ever.

Now, most greyhounds are the chillest little babies around, but not our Margot. No. Our poor girl is about as high-strung as can be and she hates to be away from her people, even for a second. We had a pretty solid routine going in Chicago, which kept her separation anxiety under control, but all progress was lost when we picked up and moved. The whole ordeal was pretty confusing to our little pea-brained pup and sadly, her anxiety worsened. So last month we finally caved and started her on anti-depressants (please don't judge). Except, they haven't quite kicked in yet ...

We hurriedly paid our bill, rushed out of the restaurant, and hopped on the bus towards home. Sure enough, we could hear her crying as soon as we stepped off the elevator. Very bad dog.

With less than an hour before show time, we decided to take extreme measures. First we took her for a long run to wear her out, then slipped her some Benadryl to make her drowsy (a tip we learned from the vet for occasions such as these), then sat and ignored her for an hour until she dosed off (another tip from the vet), and finally snuck back out.

Worked like a charm.

And thank goodness! We arrived just as Kishi Bashi took the stage to put on one of the best live performances I have ever seen. This guy is crazy brilliant, creative, talented, and cute as a button. I adore him.

If you are not listening to Kishi Bashi yet, you really are missing out on some incredible music. See?

(this is not from the show we attended, it's just a beautiful performance of one of my favorite songs)



And, if you're interested, here's an extended explanation of how he builds the layers of sound:


Kishi Bashi Explains his Delay/Loop Pedals live in the Studio at KBV Records from KBV Records on Vimeo.

So. Good.