got back from atlanta and north carolina on monday. the trip flew right by. i can’t believe it’s been more than 10 days since i’ve put up a miserable post here. i can barely keep my eyes open right now.

how do i define a good work week?

:

* miraculously mustering up the discipline to get to the gym on mondays and tuesdays, and riding the bike to/from work the remaining three days. most people can pull it off. not me. the sloth is my spirit animal, and it shows!

* using up most of my groceries. it’s harder than you’d think. even if i plan to cook every night, it doesn’t mean it will happen, so when i can utilize most of my perishable materials, it feels (sadly) like an accomplishment. i HATE throwing out stuff i never got to use.

* pleasant weather. can’t believe i was one of those mopey goth girls who abided by shirley manson’s “only happen when it rains” rhetoric. PFFFFT, whatevs! it’s all about a climate in which i don’t have to fret about wearing my thickest, warmest $hit for fear of being cold. leaving the house with just a hoodie — now that’s comfort.

* treating myself to a fiiiiine, delicious, skilled meal prepared by someone else (thank you melissa claire’s kitchen!). this is why i’ll end up destitute at retirement age, but i can’t help myself.

* putting together an unprecedented combo culled from my crap wardrobe, and being somewhat surprised that i don’t look like a walking havel.

* some sort of socializing with a favorite person/peoples. if it’s not physical contact, then even an insightful or meaningful conversation can be nourishing.

* being able to ride the bike home on a friday after work, when the sun’s still shining

:

yeah, i’d say it was a pretty good week. the only thing that would’ve made it better if i was more efficient at work. i hate being a slacker.

how do you define a good week?

of all the crazy kooks in masters of the universe, merman was always my fave. will you just look at that mug? what a goof. in my bedroom sits an action figure version of him, and it always gives me a smile.

i saw this book at kinokuniya weeks ago. i was really taken with the simple but darling cover. from lazy gleaning it seems to be a cooking / food / home / lifestyle magazine series. the kind of thing that made me wish i could afford to buy beautiful things i can’t even read. ryan? rui? care to translate the text on the cover?

this wknd was a flurry of activity. friday night i had the nervous pleasure of shooting sutro (cliff house) right at sunset — now with celebrity four star chef george morrone at the helm. i was agitated and stressed, but everything thankfully turned out okay. george, like any passionate, hardworking chef, is intense and intimidating. i am terrified yet deeply respectful of these guys (chefs), and have learned that as long as you’re aware of their space and tread lightly, letting them approach you, then it usually works out. he was gracious and playful, all the while acting as master of his domain.

(to see the final product click here)

on saturday i pulled a SFIAA film festival hat trick in san jose. it was exhausting and whirlwind but lots of fun, watching movies with my mom, sis, peg, her mom, and her brother. regina even popped in for the first film. even though it was nice to hang out with such fine folks, i was too busy running around taking photos for the fest, so i couldn’t really take advantage of the time together. bummer. in between screenings, i finally ended the dry spell with one of my favorite SJ restaurants, habana cuba. got back into the city around 1am.

on sunday, i shot giovanni at gitane for eater sf. pretty challenging given the bordello-esque lighting of the dining room. i’m lucky i brought along my light scoop, even though it barely sufficed. it’s time to think about investing in a speed light. anyway, i initially felt guilty that he had to come out at a random time on sunday, but things quickly warmed up and we had a good time.

afterwards i indulged in a three hour nap, which helped in coping with the paralyzing sunday blues. then finally FINALLY watched in the name of the father. DDL is a magnificent specimen.

i’m already looking forward to this coming weekend.

i love pizzeria delfina’s fun, subversive, and clever semi-rebellion against yelp. they found the choicest quotes from yelpers’ one star reviews of their establishment and printed them on t-shirts for waitstaff to wear.

back when yelp debuted, i was an avid participant, but now i can’t help but feel loathing and disrespect for it.

good idea, pizzeria delfina!

via sf eater via 7×7

even though this NYT article is like 50 pages long and tragically mis-titled (splashed with ryan mcginley photos to boot = my ambivalence) , i do think it’s something everyone should take the time to read. there’s nothing novel here, except maybe increased “empirical” grounding for things we already knew or assumed. sex science has always been on my list of dream careers. is that weird?

a big chunk of the piece posits how the sense of being desired is crucial to female sexuality. duh, right? but i think the researcher/scientist sound bites (that i list below) come across eloquently and succinctly. it’s all so very true. am i pig-headed or naive to believe so?

a consistent feeling of being desired is key to any relationship’s vitality and longevity, and core to any person’s pysche and confidence, whether you’re male or female. everyone needs to feel nurtured, loved, and adored. everyone needs to feel special, admired, respected for his/her unique traits, or sense of humor, or intelligence. but let’s face it, we all need to feel like sexy, hot, desirable pieces of meat too. it fits into the equation, and we can’t live without this healthy sensation. conversely, it’s just as important to feel that same sparky, uncontainable lust for your partner as well, and express it best you can.

maybe what i’m describing is an impossible reciprocation. but i’d like to believe this kind of relationship can exist.

without further ado, here are the striking snippets from the article that resonated with me. and yes, please file this blog entry under “random” and “no $hit, sherlock.”

She, even more than Chivers, emphasized the role of being desired — and of narcissism — in women’s desiring.

The critical part played by being desired, Julia Heiman observed, is an emerging theme in the current study of female sexuality. She pronounced, as well, “I consider myself a feminist.” Then she added, “But political correctness isn’t sexy at all.” For women, “being desired is the orgasm.”

The generally accepted therapeutic notion that, for women, incubating intimacy leads to better sex is, Meana told me, often misguided. “Really,” she said, “women’s desire is not relational, it’s narcissistic” — it is dominated by the yearnings of “self-love,” by the wish to be the object of erotic admiration and sexual need.

And within a committed relationship, the crucial stimulus of being desired decreases considerably, not only because the woman’s partner loses a degree of interest but also, more important, because the woman feels that her partner is trapped, that a choice — the choosing of her — is no longer being carried out.

A symbolic scene ran through Meana’s talk of female lust: a woman pinned against an alley wall, being ravished. Here, in Meana’s vision, was an emblem of female heat. The ravisher is so overcome by a craving focused on this particular woman that he cannot contain himself; he transgresses societal codes in order to seize her, and she, feeling herself to be the unique object of his desire, is electrified by her own reactive charge and surrenders. Meana apologized for the regressive, anti-feminist sound of the scene.

i had a fabulous meal last night at picco in larkspur, marin. i'd never live in this area (self-righteous wealthy [white] people; sean penn lives in the area, 'nuff said) but it is nice for 1) forays into beautiful nature and 2) a handful of good restaurants. picco is one of the said dining destinations. other than the food, the other awesome thing about picco = these sweet bad boys hanging on the wall of the bathroom.

they're obviously vintage collectibles. there was also a framed collection of the baseball player pog-type discs but it was too dark to get on the phone. there were three bathrooms. i was curious to see what the other ones had for decor…

ryan or some other japanese culture expert can prob comment on what these are about, but i'm dumb. slightly slightly reminiscent of wacky packs but only in format.

See the full gallery on posterous

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he’s an uneducated chinese farmer who accidentally burnt down his home and plunged his family into debt. but damnit he creates robots from scratch!

check out how creepy his robot is. do you like the moving eyes, flapping ears, and freaky weird rectum/cephalopod-esque mouth? i love that he’s wearing a hat and got the sweat rag draped around his shoulders. lastly, the wife is spicy, what with her sassy twilly action.

god i love china.

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despite my rollie-pollie laziness and unfounded disdain for going into work, two nice things have occurred this morning. i hope they are harbingers of a good day to come.

1) on a quiet street, i was going and a youngish lad on a bike was coming. as he neared and slowed we started to stare at each other and eventually recognized each other as “distant” co-workers. we both flashed smiles of familiarity and while on his bike he even did the whole taking-his-hat-off-and-slightly-lowering-his-head greeting. i don’t know why but i was totally taken by this. when was the last time anyone ever tipped his hat to you? though i was feeling surly and tired, this simple gesture made me feel warm and fuzzy.

2) one of our volunteers — a feisty and lovable older asian american lady whom i get a kick out of — brought in two tea eggs for me. apparently her husband had made them. i LOVE tea eggs and thought this was such a darling (and practical!) small thoughtful gift. i immediately opened up that ziplock bag and took a huge whiff of the intoxicating aroma. tea eggs make great nutritious, portable snacks. thank you doris!

so, even the most insignificant but nonetheless touching things can happen to even the most undeserving grumps! here’s hoping everyone has a sweet day…

ADDENDUM** – said volunteer just left. before she did she came over and gave me a hug and said, “i really have had fun working here.” be still my heart…

blame it on hormones, unmet needs, low self-esteem, and whatever internal malfunctions there may be, colliding with the weather, holiday doldrums, daylight savings time, and whatever external influences there may be, but dang it i really need to hibernate! my malaise has trumped all productivity and motivation. i want to crawl under the covers after indulging in one of these:

and of course this:

and while i’m in bed, this should be on:

top it all off with some serious cuddling and reading and $hit. i need to be held. maybe i can go kidnap jesse.

because for every time something $hitty and unfair happens, there’s a kitten falling asleep — without even knowing it! — on someone’s warm chest.

i swear once i get a moment i’m gonna crack my knuckles and sit down for some serious “writing,” a la the murder she wrote montage. there’s way too much to say.

i read a somewhat-authoritative doc this morning about what a good blog comprises, which made me anxious and angry and annoyed with this dumb thing. it’s not tightly focused, and yes it is too self-referential, and um, it doesn’t have a point. will revisit and re-strategize my approach.

for now, please please please feast your eyes on something fluffy and sweet.

(and even if you hate animals and want to curb stomp every single kitten, you can peep jeff’s beautiful transformers collection)