It's Girl Power!!!

If there was ever a city that embraced the power of the individual, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion, it was San Francisco.  This city celebrates each person for who they are, and there might even be a festival, or parade in celebration of YOU!

This last weekend, San Francisco celebrated Gay Pride, in a big way. What felt like everyone in this fabulous city rushed to the Castro to get in on the fun. This weekend, I realized possibly for the one thousandth time, that this city, is the city of love! And I am in LOVE with this city!!

My best friends were here to celebrate it with me. It was Whitney's last weekend here in SF before she officially moved back to SoCal. Lauren and Jenny came up Friday morning, and I have missed them so much. The three of us somehow ended up in the Haight.   And then Taylor came up Saturday and the real Pride party began! Running through the streets of San Francisco with the girls I love the most, it was AMAZING!!! There is something to be said about having a girls night where you laugh until you cry. It is an entirly different thing to have a girls night with 30,000 other people around you! Either way it was FANTASTIC!!!!

Now, Lauren and Jenny and Taylor and Whitney are gone, but my love for San Francisco is still growing.  Me and Kate are going to make sure that we love this city enough for all of them while they are away!

The winds are a changin' in these here parts of the Sunset... I can feel something new brewing just out at the beach and it is coming my way, and I am so excited!!!  What ever San Francisco has to dish out, I am ready to take on!!

<3
The Brunette

My City by the Bay

No matter how many times I do it. No matter how long I live here. Every time I cross that beautiful Golden Gate Bridge and enter back into this beautiful city by the bay, I feel euphoric. Even if I was gone for less than 24 hours, I can't help but smile at the sight of the Sunset Fog.

I have fallen madly in love with this city. Just knowing that I am here makes me happy. I could spend the rest of my life with this city, and that is love.

I want to scream from the top of Twin Peaks "I LOVE SAN FRANCISCO!!!!"

There is a little something for everyone in San Francisco... Every district has its own flavor...

Every time I leave the city, my heart stays right here, the the beautiful, (but foggy) Sunset!

<3
The Brunette (at home in the bay)

Thanks a Latte!

Today, I am thankful for..

1. My family. They are amazing!!!
2. Wonder Bread 5. haha Always a good time.
3. My big, comfy bed in SF. (I am home in Santa Rosa, and sleeping on the couch!)
4. Tangerine Lime Hanson sodas. Yum
5. Erin Faix... Even when she makes me crazy, she keeps me sane!
6. My car. (Now that I have her back!!!)
7. Good friends.
8. Three days off work in a row!
9. The way my parent's house smells.
10. The 8 hours of sleep I am about to get! yay!!

And the beat goes on.

Twenty years ago today, two beautiful twin girls were born. A decade later, and a decade ago, on their 10th birthday, Teagan and Kira (the twins), myself and some of our other friends splashed in a pool and ate cake to celebrate their double digits.

Now, the year is 2010 and I turned twenty back in January, which was weird enough in itself, but now, these girls who I have known for A DECADE are turning twenty. I was at their 10th birthday party... how did this happen? I am sooo confused about where the time went.

Today is just one of those days that makes you realize that you can't hold on to the present. It becomes the past so quickly, you often don't even notice that it is gone until a decade has gone by. I am sitting here, thinking about all the memories that have been made in the last ten years. The twins and I have gone from being little girls, to being independent, strong, intelligent women.

On my 10th birthday, Teagan and Kira came with me to the city to celebrate, and today we are celebrating their twentieth in the same city. And a decade from now, who knows where we will be, but the memories of the last decade will stay with me FOREVER!!!

"And I ask myself about the present: how wide was it, how deep was it, and how much was mine to keep." -Kurt Vonnegut


And the beat goes on.


Happy Birthday Teagan and Kira! You ladies are amazing and I love you both!!! Looking forward to the next ten years!!!

<3
The Brunette

Late Night Gratitude.

So it is 1:02am and I just watched a ton of random episodes from various HBO series with Whitney... We are Rockstars... Anyways, now I am in bed and of course, not tired in the least bit, and looking for a distraction. Gratitude lists are great distractions.

I am thankful for...

1. My blog, it is one place I can keep all my silly thoughts and memories.
2. My job
3. Down Pillows
4. Bart Roberts, my dad!
5. Pesto
6. The roof
7. Not being in summer school
8. John Mayer, 4th row, August 20th, 2010
9. P-Money
10. my clean room!


Good Night!

<3

The Thankful Brunette

Hello Bloomingdale's...

So yesterday, I was early for work and I took a quick detour through the home decor department in the Westfield Bloomingdale's and the New York Housewife in me nearly died. The most beautiful china flatware and stunning crystal champagne flutes.  Colorful vases were lit from beneath, beckoning me to look at one of the price tags. It was an incredible, amber vase depicting the Bacchantes of Ancient Greece.

5,940 dollars. For a vase. My dreams of a 5th Ave, Pent House apartment went flying out the door.  I would never pay that much for a piece of glass that serves no purpose. Beautiful yes, but unnecessarily extravagant if you ask me.

Although it would make an excellent addition to glass collection. Kidding, obviously.


I continued through the department, still in shock over the price of the vase and I got to thinking. I could drop out of school right now and move to New York. I could find myself a nice, rich man who will take good care of me and let me open a tab at Bloomingdale's and Saks. I could live in Manhattan, and be Home-Maker for a fine New York Lawyer.

Again, Kidding.

I could never settle for that lifestyle.  Don't get me wrong I love to be pampered once in a while, but I would go crazy without my independence. I need to know that I worked hard to deserve the amber Bacchantes Vase, and once I have the money to afford it, I know that there will be something else that I would rather spend my money on.  Like a trip to Greece, maybe?

Anyways... I don't think I will be buying anything in the Bloomingdale's Home Decor department for atleast a few more years.

<3
The Brunette

Here's to you!

This blog entry is dedicated to the four beautiful women who have taught me so much about life, love, sex and the city.

Miranda Hobbes, Charlotte York, Samantha Jones, and of course, the expert herself, Carrie Bradshaw. Ladies, Here's to you!!!



Sure, they may just be TV show characters to some people, but for me and my friends, these women have been not only provided endless hours of laughter and tears, but they have been teachers in a sense.

The things that Carrie and her three best friends have taught me:

1. I have learned that it is never smart to move to Paris with one man when you are in love with another.

2. I have been exposed to the importance of Minolos.

3. Men who have two first names are HOT!!! Oh Smith Jared you are one sexy thing!!!

4. Mr. Right is out there... you just have to look for him... and look for him... and look for him... :)

5. Tuchus Lingus need not be reciprocated... haha

6. What ever the city, New York or San Francisco, home is home.

7. Two closets are better than one.

8. When in doubt, drink a Cosmo.

9. Most men will, inevitably, let you down.

10. And.. your best friends will, inevitably be there to pick you up.

And the list goes on... Maybe I am giving these characters too much credit... but I have become the strong, smart, outgoing, woman that I am with the help of these women...
So I must give credit where credit is due!! Lovely ladies of Sex and the City... Here's to you!!!!

Thankful for these lazy days.

So this is the 2nd of what will be a Blogging tradition for the Brunette. I like to take a few minuets to think about what I am thankful for.

1. Lazy days (No work, no school)
2. The sunshine!
3. Whitney Beatty
4. COOKIES!
5. Four Loko (always a great time)
6. Stern Grove
7. Sandalwood Incense
8. Cups of Tea
9. Sex and the City
10. Tortillas (College student's lifesaver! Low cost and fills you up)

So there it is.. the little things I am feeling thankful for...

<3
The Brunette

TrueBlood

So I have this new obsession.

Bill, Sookie, Jason, Tara, Sam, Eric... and all of the other crazy characters in True Blood. It is addicting, and thanks to OnDemand and hours of nothing to do on my days off this summer, I have been feeding my addiction.

And I never jumped on the Twilight train.

I am already almost done with the second season and every single episode has left me dying for more. I have laughed and I have cried, and I have completely fallen in love series.

Bill Compton, Vampire or not, is one sexy thing.

Anyways... I am obsessed.. Back to Bon Temp!!!

<3
The Brunette

The Musical Constant

I have taken for granted the musical influence that this man has had on my life... from the Slim Shady LP to his newest verses. Marshall Mathers, you have been my musical constant.


So I obviously have a huge respect for Eminem as a rapper. But this new track, (along with the beauty of all of his lyrics) has elevated him beyond a simple hip-hop artist. Eminem is a Poet. His music has always touched me. I have always felt a need to reach out to people like him, but I have learned that you cannot fix people... they have to do it for themselves.. and with Eminem.. I wanted to help him with his problems, but he was completely unattainable. And thank Gravity... I could have torn myself apart with all of his problems...

Anyways....

To my lyrical hero, Mr. Slim Shady, Marshall Mathers, Eminem... would a rose by any other name smell as sweet???

No... but it still sounds like music to my ears... thank you for writing what you feel even when it is terrifying. You never fail to blow my mind!!!

<3
The Brunette

Gratitude Lists

Something that I have always thought was an AMAZING idea was keeping gratitude lists. Just a little list for me to record the things I am thankful for everyday. I have been trying to keep up with it, but in the day to day, it is something that often gets lost. So this is the first official gratitude list being published by the Brunette.

I am going to try and do this at least once a week, so I can look back on the things that have made me happy.

So here goes...

I am thankful for...

1. My parents letting me have a car for the last month and a half. (Even if I no longer get to drive it)
2. The days of sunshine that we do get in this wonderful city.
3. What I think was a successful interview today with New York Collection.
4. John Mayer.
5. All my clean laundry.
6. Taylor Houston.
7. My warm bed, sooo cozy!!
8. Muni.
9. All my BRB Ladies
10. The cup of ice water I am about to drink.

And look how easy that was. I now know of 10 things that I am thankful for at this very moment. Feels good.

<3>

How I dress my Dreads

Since ancient times, women have obsessed over how to make their hair look beautiful, healthy and strong. The Ancient Egyptian women kept their hair long and natural, even when the hot desert sun was beating down on their scalps. The geisha women of Japan would wash their hair only once every two or three weeks. A slave to her beauty, a geisha woman would sleep on a wooden neck pedestal rather than a pillow, for fear that sleeping on a pillow ruin their intricate hair styles.

Even today, we are constantly blasted with images of Perfect Hair. But all the commercials and products are sending the wrong message to the young women of this world. When it comes to your dreads more is not necessarily good.

In the last few months, thanks to two of my favorite Blondies, (and you know who you are), and a bit of my own exploration, I have begun working on perfecting the beauty, health and strength of my brunette locks.

*The Secret*

The key to long, beautiful, healthy, strong hair is minimalism. In five simple steps...

Step One - Don't wash your hair everyday
When we wash our hair everyday, it drys our hair out. Dry hair is not shiny, and tends to break. Who wants that?

Step Two - When I do wash, don't wash I hair, I wash my scalp.
The thing with shampoo and conditioner is that one removes oils and the other moisturizes. Shampoo is good for your scalp, because it washes away the oil which weighs your hair down and makes it look flat. Your hair is what craves moisture. Keep the conditioner away from the roots of your hair, focusing on mainly the tips, and then split ends will be less common. Makes sense right? You can buy some dry shampoo for the days in between when your roots might get a little oily.

Step Three - Invest in Organic Product
Sure, Pantene Pro-V may make your hair shine like California sun, but that is because it contains wax and plastics. Who cares though if your hair looks good? Well, both plastic and wax contribute to breakage and split ends. So go to Trader Joes and buy one of their Organic shampoo/conditioner combos for $3.50 a bottle. More money to spend on shoes or shows or whatever your head of beautiful, healthy, strong, organic hair wants you to do!

Step Four - Stay Away From Heat and Styling Product
Put down the blow dryer! Unplug the curling iron! And don't even think about turning on that straightener! Honestly, letting your hair dry naturally will give it natural body, which is sexier than anything a blow dryer could give you! And styling product just makes your hair stiff, or oily, or sticky, etc. So unless I have a very specific style for a special occasion, I keep the hair electronics and products under the sink.

Step Five - Don't Brush your Hair
Unless you are working through real dreadlocks, keep the brush away from your beautiful tresses. Use your fingers to work through knots gently, but over brushing your hair with thin your hair out. Just don't do it. I don't think I have brushed through my hair with an actually brush in almost three weeks.


Obviously, I am not a hair stylist and I haven't been to beauty school, but I am just saying what has worked for me. My hair is looks so much healthier now that I don't blow dry it, or run the straightener through it daily.

Hope my hair quest can help someone on theirs!

<3
The Brunette

And it has only been two weeks...

Summer is in full swing. I have been loving every second of every day. Even if the weather wasn't nice, I was feeling great. I spent my first week of summer cruising around with some foxy friends and some BRBs. Then, Whitney, Kate and I packed up and drove 12 HOURS!!!!

We decided to go visit Kate's cousin Andy, who goes to Oregon State. And it took us 12 HOURS to get there. There is also an AGD house at OSU and so we got to hang out with some of the AlphaGams from Corvaliss. This tiny little college town was sooo funny. Adorable, and a complete shit show at the same time. Gotta love college town. It's party all the time. Did I mention it took us 12 HOURS to get there? Anyways I had the an amazing time in Oregon. Everything is sooo green and beautiful. WE spent a day in Portland and that is a fun city.

We left Oregon at 9:15am on Monday morning, and sure enough we did not arrive home in SF until around 9:20pm. 12 HOURS!!!! But the 12 hours there and the 12 hours back was 24 hours of laughter, and divas, and Sexy John Mayer, and endless inside jokes, and stopping a 1,000 times to pee. And all of it was sooo much fun!!! They say half the trip is getting there, but in our case it was only a third of the trip. haha

Anyways the last week has been soo relaxing. I have been missing Taylor like crazy because she is in Turkey and she gets back in like 3 days and I can't wait to see her!!!
I will post again soon!!!