And I'm Thankful...

Another gratitude list... Here are somethings I've been thankful for over the last week.

1. Paychecks
2. Good friends in SF
3. Dr. Ferraro
4. The BRBs
5. True Blood
6. Days with the girls
7. San Francisco Sun
8. MY CAR!!!
9. Watermelon Lolly Pops
10. 48 days til John Mayer


Just some thanks to these wonderful things in my life!

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

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

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!!!!

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>

Thinking about Blogging.

So I am sitting on my bed... listening to a bunch of random music that I downloaded, ad thoroughly enjoying the new sound. I was thinking about how I haven't blogged for a while and i realized I might as well UPDATE things. So plans are changing... yet again. I am gonna go to Spain in the Spring and spend a semester or two learning Spanish all over again. I can't wait..

I am also going to be staying in my apartment, which i am very excited about. I just decided that moving into a new lease when I am leaving in December doesn't make any sense. So I get to enjoy the rest of my city life before I leave for Spain.

Good ole Marty is back in SF to stay for atleast a while before he has to go back to Belfast. Unfortunately, the weather from rainy Ireland fallowed him here. He is always a good time, that boy!!

Well I am gonna go get some delicious Frozen Yogurt on this freezing rainy day.. lol

<3

Nothing but Sunshine

I'm sitting under the blue sky.

Yes blue, it happens sometimes in the wonderful city, and we have been blessed with three AMAZING days in a row. It seems so wrong to go to class on a day like this, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

I just want to take a nice nap on the green grass, but I fear that I would fail to wake up for Anthro. If I could just put my academic life on hold just while the weather is beautiful, I want nothing more than to be in Golden Gate Park right now with the people I love. I don't want the rain to come back, at least not until the winter returns.

The last few days have been some of my best in San Francisco. Saturday night Jessielyn and I celebrated St. Patty's day a little early at the Shannon. The St. Patty's Day Parade, which always occurs the closest Saturday to the 17th, is really just another excuse for the Irish to get wasted before the sun goes down... GOTTA LOVE THEM!!!

Emmett blamed my 7 Gin and Tonic's, and 3 beers, but I blame all the green for my blurred vision. Either way, blurred vision and all, I found a little pot of gold in the shape of Seniore's Hot wings!! YUM!!!!

Looking forward to St. Patty's day on Wednesday... Always a grand time...

<3
The Brunette

Making good on my goals.

So I swore at New Years that I was going to take full advantage of the city, and so far I have been making good on my promise to myself. Today, was yet another gorgeous day in San Francisco, YES TWO IN A ROW, and I went to the Golden Gate Bridge with some of the sisters.

It could not have been a more beautiful day. And yes yesterday was beautiful too.

I love this city.

Spice of Life

Everyone says that Variety is the spice of life, but when it comes to the weather, it is hard to appreciate it. When I left my apartment this morning, the sky was blue, and the sun was shining, but by the time I reached the bus stop, a dark cloud had rolled in and it had begun to pour.

It continued to rain until right after my Egyptian Culture class when, once again, the sun began to shine, teasing everyone outside. My entire Latin class I stared out the window, waiting for it to be 11 so i could go back out into the warmth of the sun, but sure enough, I opened the doors to leave the humanities building and the rain started up again.

Now I am sitting in a gloomy corner of the student center and through the skylights, I see nothing but blue sky. Typical...

<3
The Meteorologically Confused Brunette

Adventures on the 91

After almost 10 hours at the annex, a delirious brunette walked to the top of campus to catch the notoriously unreliable 91 Owl. I checked the schedule and it said the the 91 would be arriving in the next 5 minuets, but sure enough that didn't happen. So I waited. At 3:30 in the morning what else was I going to do?

In the next 40 minuets that I sat waiting for that damn bus, I was reacquainted with the interesting world that is pre-dawn San Francisco. In those last few hours before the sun rises, the crazies come out. And when I say crazies, I mean the clinically insane.

Two girls were sitting with two guys, talking about the millennial phenomenon, known as the Hyphy Movement. The girls were apparently from east LA and they didn't know how to "go dumb."

A man with an inverted mo-hock beard... yes, a beard shaved down the middle... tried to explain to me as to why the 91 was so unreliable. He smelled like toilet water.

Then, a prince charming showed up to rescue me from said Muni expert, and he just happened to have Tourettes and extremely dirty hands, but otherwise a good looking guy. He began talking to me about my boots, whispering inappropriate details under his breath. Maybe not so charming.

Yet another reminder not to judge a book by it's cover.

Finally, I made it to Taraval, and then was fallowed home by a man who coincidentally was also whispering dirty things under his breath. I panicked for just a few seconds, but then I realized he was drunk and I could easily our run him. Deep Breath.

At last, I slipped my key into the front door and then I was home. Finally.

There is nothing like the comfort of your bed to make you truly appreciate the beauty and wonder of the 91 at 4:30 am.

<3
The Brunette

Small World in This Big City..

So what was supposed to be mellow night with a few friends, turned in to an accidental night in the Shannon. Coincidentally, I ran into five guys that I went to high school with, and after catching up over Gin and Tonics... of course... I looked over my shoulder to see all the boys who always make my night at the Shannon.

Nothing is more fun than a bunch of drunk, rugby boys. In the piles of drunken boys, and pints of Guinness, I saw my friend Alli, which was obviously a shock, because she is even younger than me.

She happened to be dating one of the boys who I have met at the Shannon a dozen times!

Nights like these make you realize just how small this big city is!!!

New Laptop... New Outlook

So I FINALLY convinced my dad that it was time for me to upgrade to a Mac... THANK GOD!!! My PC was pretty much done for. But I LOVE LOVE LOVE my MacBook... It was my parents Valentines day gift to the person they love more than anything in this world, yours truly...

But I am back to conquering this city, one day at a time. I went up to Twin Peaks on sunday and it was beautiful!!! There was no fog over the city and you could see all the way to the bridge, it was amazing and kinda put me back in prospective. I just realized how lucky I am to live in this city. I decided that NOTHING is going to hold me back anymore, including childish boys who think about no one but themselves... Which brings me to the next thing I want to rant about.

I HATE more than anything, when people play games, simply because I don't play them. I am far to honest and complex to confuse myself further with games. So when someone pulls out all the stops and decides that it is necessary to give me the run around, I kinda lose my head. I refuse to let anyone affect me the way that a particular someone has in the last few weeks. Ever again! I received a "Happy Valentines day, I guess" text at 11:39pm, which screams... "I am trying to fuck with your head!" What the hell does "I guess" mean? So I called up said boy and basically told him to call me when he decided to act his age not his shoe size (which is a 10 by the way). So after an brief episode of angry tears, I put my chin up, smiled and reminded myself that it is his loss...

Anyways... Let's see if I can fallow my own rules...

Ciao for Now

<3

The Brunette

Rain can't stop me...

So my windows have been spattered with droplets of rain for two days, and it came down hard last night. The rain always makes me feel lazy and all I want to do is cuddle up and sleep. But I decided to not let the weather rain on my parade.

Kristen and I got out of the house, which was filled with the jaded emotions, and went to dinner. Dinner at a precious little Italian place in West Portal. OMG Gnocchi is the most delicious thing in the world. The little dumplings were cooked perfectly and the tomato sauce was so good. I could have eaten five plates of it, but of course I was so full by the end of the plate that I was completely uncomfortable.

But regardless of how full I was, dinner and the wonderful company made me forget about the lame rain outside. So I guess that it is important to be bold and get your self out of the house regardless of the weather.

Then the fire place at the Shannon Arms kept me warm as I sipped yet again on Gin and Tonics. Laughing about the loud Irish men and the bad music that the girls were playing.

So what could have been a night of sleeping around my house turned into a fun night out with my roommate and another drunk night at the Shannon...

I LOVE THIS CITY!!!

Back in the City by the Bay

Home was nice for a while, but my tiny hometown seems to have shrunk since I was there last. I have welcomed the sound of MUNI at all hours of the night, and the constant fog of my beautiful city. Thus far, 2010 has been great, I am have been running around SF for the past few days getting back in the swing of things and truly enjoying myself. One thing that I forgot about is the scumbags that live in good old San Francisco.Friday night, I was hit on by a 30 year old creepy lawyer in a hookah bar, and he refused to back off, and then a man in the Shannon Arms (which I missed dearly over the break) tried to get me to go home with him, and this guys had like 10 piercings... in his face. I get all the winners.

Gin and Tonics did me in last night. I stopped counting after 8 but I cant even check how many I had through my wallet because Mr. Bartender, Emmett, comped a few. And then, of course, it was on to Seniore's which has become it's own food group in my diet... I didn't even like pizza before that place, but no night at the Shannon Arms is complete without a trip to Seniore's.

I have been really good about making my bed everyday and keeping the apartment clean, but with one of the two other roommates being here, I know things will get messy. So tonight Kristen and I are gonna go to Union Street, which is my FAVORITE area in San Francisco and we are gonna go to my FAVORITE restaurant Betel Nut... sooo good... and then probably to the Shannon... every night.

I am gonna go get ready but I will post soon

<3

First Post : About the Brunette...

So I have been thinking about starting this blog for a LONG time. I feel like I have a pretty good grasp living an amazing life. I am a fun, fabulous, loud, obnoxious, Brunette woman, loving life and living large. I have seen some pretty low lows... but obviously I have made it through and the highs have made every rough patch worth while. So now I am here, typing away on my laptop, needing to share with the rest of the world of beautiful brunette ladies, how I manage to laugh everyday and live a fabulous life. But don't get me wrong, no matter the color of your luscious locks, you are welcome here... I don't discriminate.

Now this may sound like it is an up-lifting, positive, self-help blog, and it may be, but two things that I pride myself on, among my many talents, is my sarcasm and my ability to bullshit anything. I could convince the Surgeon General that swine flu was fake pandemic, and any college professor that I deserve an A on a paper. But don't get me wrong, I am a hard working, motivated girl, I just know how to use my head and bend the rules to make them fit in with my lifestyle. So I guess this blog is just a way for me to vent my frustrations with the world and to let everyone know how I deal with it.... Because if anyone knows me, they know that I KNOW EVERYTHING... and I mean this in the most humble way.

So details about me, I am almost twenty and completely shocked that I am almost two decades old. I am studying Classics at San Francisco State University, totally nerdy, I know. I have lived in Northern California my whole life, but I have done my fair share of traveling as well. I live in an apartment in San Francisco (with two other brunette's) pretty close to the beach and just a short muni ride away from all the amazing things that San Francisco has to offer. I have the most amazing parents in the world, and they raised my little brother and I right...

"Girl, If anyone ever tells you that you haven't lived, you can spit in their face." -- My roommate about me..

For being only twenty years old, I have experienced a lot. I have had my heart broken more than once, spent a month in Spain working on an Archaeological dig, dated the same guy for almost 4 years, swam competitively for 13 years, practiced Buddhism, and enoucuntered countless other random, yet completely important and relevant experiences the last two decades.

I always have something to say, and advice to give, whether or not someone wants to hear it, so look forward to guidelines... they will be coming soon!!!