time to get cozy

Being cozy is pretty much my favorite thing in the world. With showers finally in the forecast, it's time to get good and cozy. Is there anything better than drinking tea and reading a book or grabbing a cocktail with a friend, all while enjoying a good thunderstorm? Here are a few cozy rainy day options. 

Grab a book at Browser Books on Fillmore then head to The Grove for a chai by the fire and some serious reading time. 

Books and drinks at Borderlands on Valencia. 

Samovar Tea Lounge has three locations and all have yummy bone-warming tea and a cozy atmosphere.

Warm yourself with a cocktail by the fire at the Rickhouse in the Financial District. 

Manhattans combined with the dimly lit ambiance of Two Sisters Bar and Books will surely warm you to the core.

It's hard to get to, but Liverpool Lil's near Lombard Gates has lots of nooks and crannies to cozy away in with a book or a friend. 

Bloodhound in SOMA has mason jars, plank walls, arty lightbulbs, and allows dogs. Doesn't get much cozier than that.

If you fancy a drink and a movie while being super cozy, hit up the Sundance Kabuki Theatre in Japan Town. 

And, if you need to be literal, get a drink at the Kozy Kar on Polk. It's a kitchy bar with a 70s motif complete with waterbed van and vintage commercials playing on a loop. 

my new green thumb

This weekend I headed to the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show down in San Mateo. I really didn't know what to expect, but what I found were lots of hurried suburbanites planning out their dream gardens. Since I have no outdoor space, I decided to bring a little green into our home.

Normally I have a black thumb when it comes to house plants. I can see them wilting as they cross the threshold of our home.  But, I figured I should be able to manage a few succulents, the easiest of all plants. 

I picked up five new plants, then swung by Cliff's and grabbed a cute wooden bowl as their new home. Here's hoping I can keep these little guys alive.

Succulents: $16.75

Dark Wooden Bowl: $10.00

Light Wooden Bowl: Handmade by my dad

Mason Jar: Free
Rocks: Left over from my fish owning days

Total: $26.75

library love

I've been doing  a lot of reading on my iPad lately, and at $10 a pop, book cost can really add up. Ryan had a great idea to see what the library offered in terms of electronic books.

In order to get everything set up, you have to make a trip to your local branch. I gathered up my iPad and walked the six blocks down to the Eureka Valley/Harvey Milk Branch. The librarians were very helpful. It turns out that renting books on the iPad is not as simple as it should be. I had to download five different apps in order to get started. Once everything is downloaded, information logged in, it is a breeze. Just search and click check out, then the book is yours for the next 21 days. Three days before the due date, the app will theoretically give you a warning, at which point it is possible to renew. Although, I never got this notice, and my book was deleted. Nuts. 

To get started, you need the following apps, in addition to a library card:

OverDrive

axisReader

Adobe Reader

Blio

Kindle

Yes, you really do need all of these. OverDrive is the library's search engine. The other apps are needed for the actual reading.

Ryan and I also used the library to check out The Sopranos.

Clearly the library is amazing.

(Photo via sfpl.org)

end table revamp

I've been feeling antsy for change lately. Since we aren't moving anytime soon and our apartment doesn't really lend itself to furniture rearrangement, I had to look for a simple fix. I decided to give the end table in our living room a bit of a makeover. The end table was originally purchased for $5 at a garage sale seven years ago. I had all of the painting materials leftover from previous projects, so no additional money was spent.  

Our end table before it's white highlights:

Getting ready for the big change:

The finished product:

And now for a tough question, should I continue on and paint the edge of the table white as well?  What to do?

Every good end table needs a good set of coasters. Our coasters came from Neighborwood, a company that makes wooden products for various neighborhoods around the world. Ours were gifted to us by my dear friend, Elizabeth. 

sunday streets: open for business

This weekend was the first Sunday Streets of 2014. Sunday Streets is an event that launched in Bogota, Colombia as Ciclovia. Essentially, pedestrians and cyclists reclaim the streets for a greener, more family friendly, purpose. With no cars on the road, you are free to meander where you choose. Plus, there are several booths with activities, swag, and food.

Since I started training for a half marathon, I decided to run the 5.5 miles to the beginning of Sunday Streets. We arrived pretty late into the day, which meant that much of the crowd had already cleared out. I don't love huge crowds, so this suited me just fine.

Bob Ross and Jerry Garcia had a love child, and he was making bubbles.

The Exploratorium had a variety of free activities to baffle and teach.

The Exploratorium's live pinhole camera.

For entertainment, there were awesome bike tricks. This was the best part.

And, of course Master Blaster, my favorite street performer, made an appearance. He's just so charming. Normally simultaneously tap dancing and playing the trumpet, Master Blaster has added singing to his repertoire. 

After investigating all the booths, and scoping out the Ferry Building, we hopped on the F Train and headed home.

If you missed this one, never fear, it's the beginning of the season. Here are the dates and locations for this year's Sunday Streets.

April 13: Tenderloin

May 4: Bayview/Dogpatch

June 8: Great Highway

July 13: Richmond

August 24: Mission

September 14: Western Addition

September 28: Excelsior

October 26: Mission