Happy hump day, y’all! I am ever so slightly under the weather with a bit of a head cold, but otherwise life is just lovely. The sun came out again today and despite the fact that I can scarcely breathe, I decided it was midweek and FFAF needed some action. I’ve been living in this outfit, as it’s not too cold here lately, but it’s not warm by any means, either. This is a nice balance because it’s super comfortable, and a great excuse to rock some color, too. I’ll admit I’d hardly given Spring a second thought until yesterday and all the Groundhog Day activity! The internets, they do not let you forget. My head is far too stuffed to continue on in any meaningful way, so let’s make a list of shows I’m obsessed with at present:

1. LOST, because it’s bananas:

2. The Tudors really needs to hurry up and get back on the air already. Sex, violence, religion, politics, corsets. Need I say more?

3. The Pacific, which is a new miniseries coming to HBO this March, a sort of complement to Band Of Brothers, which I really, really loved and always watch whenever it’s on. I need to own it. Maybe they’ll create an amazing box set with both series after The Pacific premieres.

4. Big Love is the show I want to be addicted to, but I’m not quite there yet. It’s in the queue! M & I watched an episode or two awhile back and were pretty ambivalent about it, but have since been convinced by friends that we need to start from the beginning and give it some time. (This better not be like True Blood, y’all!)

5. Last but not least, Grey’s Anatomy. This one is all my BFF’s fault. I’ve mocked her incessantly for years about this show. I’ve spent countless Friday mornings rolling my eyes over coffee while she went on and on about Izzy this, McDreamy that and last season, we somehow got sucked in. Unbelievable. Now we have the video game. Yang, of course, is our favorite, and now I know exactly what the BFF means when she says, “You’re my person.”

C’mon, folks, we’re taking a stroll. This outfit really isn’t anything special, but it’s been awhile since the sun has shone on a wintry Sunday here in San Francisco, so we’re going to wander through the Mission into the Castro for M’s haircut (it’s been about six weeks and she was starting to get all ornery about it), and you can enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes with us along the way.

We found this pink house around the corner from M’s barber shop on Market. It has a fantastic little mail slot for the post, above.

Unionmade is an incredible, incredible men’s store on Sanchez. I’ve been wanting to wander in for some time now, and I’m so glad we finally did. The boys at the counter were good-natured and adorable about M & I threatening to move in, joking that it was open concept and cheaper than our current flat. Everything they carry is gorgeous, from the heaviest, highest quality wool sweaters, handmade and signed for in Denmark, to tees so soft and wafer-thin they catch your breath, and lots and lots of leather goods and manly, officious nautical instruments and things to admire. See M peeking through their store window down there?

To the right of the store, the Victorian that M would like us to move into. Below left, the J heading out of Dolores Park, where hipsters were out in full effect, crawling out of their tobacco- and PBR-stained ratholes to undulate feverishly in the light of day, neon sunglasses at the ready. Sigh. Fortunately, the line at Bi-Rite Creamery wasn’t too bad (and I got to pop into Joy O Designs next door and drool at all the jewelry and clutches) and M & I both got single scoops with two flavors each: vanilla malt with peanut brittle and chocolate bits, roasted banana, honey lavender and mint chip. Everything was good except the honey lavender, which tasted like “eating a stick of laundry detergent” according to M, but Humphry’s still beats out Bi-Rite and Mitchell’s, we’ve decided. IT IS WHAT IT IS, KIDS. Deal with it. I will say that my ice cream cone lasted me from 18th & Dolores all the way to Paxton Gate, which is fairly impressive.

Clockwise from top left:

• The Smile, You’re In SF! hidden camera art in an abandoned gas station, with a homeless guy napping in a pile of trash next to it.
• Open House sign for a ridiculously overpriced flat in our neighborhood. See below for up close awesomeness.
• This lady was standing at the corner of 22nd & Valencia holding a sign that said “You Are Perfect” for no apparent reason.
• The Marsh doing some sort of weird taping – “What Is A Wife?” and “Faces, Feelings & Lies”.
• Try French Kiss! Don’t mind if I do! Thanks, bossy street graffiti!
• Bi-Rite’s flavor sign and ice cream tubs. Mm.

We walked over three miles! It was a lovely way to spend an afternoon, after sleeping in and dilly-dallying over coffee and Grey’s Anatomy for the Wii all morning. Tonight, M made her delicious secret recipe burgers and I made my fantastic homemade french fries, and we baked a batch of chocolate thumbprint cookies with a vanilla bean & chocolate ganache. They’re still setting, so the verdict is out still on their deliciousness!

Hope y’all had a fantastic weekend and HAPPY FEBRUARY! It’s the month of love, y’all. In eleven days we’ll mark the 5th year of our very first meeting, and February 2006 was the month we became real “girlfriends”, too, if you can believe it. Even if you haven’t got a loverbird, I believe firmly in loving on yourself, so you’d better! XOXO.

PS. If you like my shirt and / or want to see others like it, check out Lola Starr’s online boutique. I bought mine after attending one of her super amazing, outdoor, nighttime, themed roller skating parties on Coney Island in 2008.

PPS. Wanna live here?

HA! HA! HA!

CONFESSION: M & I had the most amazing night last night. After sleeping in, resting up all day long on the couch with leftover NYE cava and nibbles, I made some Bulleit sidecars, put Rufus Does Judy At Carnegie Hall on and got down to the business of getting ready for an evening of dancing at New Wave City’s Bauhaus Tribute. (M noted that it was a very bizarre music choice, considering, but it felt right at the time.) We didn’t leave the club until well after 3AM! We danced and danced while Sid & Nancy flickered across the walls (perfection), and then we slow-danced alone on the big old stage to The Chameleons UK, hung out with beloved, hilarious, gorgeous friends, made plans for the future, people-watched and more (by more I mean I had to crotch-kick a guy who tried to feel M up while we were standing around outside, while she stood there half-giggling, half-cringing).

Our friend accidentally brought the wrong key to her car “club”, so we all just taxied back to our place, where M made us delicious Havarti grilled cheese sandwiches and we played Grey’s Anatomy for the Wii. EMERGENCY FACIAL RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY IS SUPER HARD WHEN YOU ARE THE DRUNK. (Also, these photos were taken around 4AM. Please forgive the dishevelment. My hair was so much more fancy and perfect than this when we set out at 11PM!)

Lastly, I am convinced absolutely that this dress is made of magic and that it’s impossible to have a so-so night whilst wearing it. Pairing it with the little faux-leather jacket was a last-minute stroke of genius!

(Note to locals: Next month it’s the New Romantic Tribute – you should come with!)

*Big bag by Betsey Johnson!

CONFESSION: So, the weekend! It was officially kicked off at bartending school, where we sped through our lesson to get to the tequila lecture and tastings. I learned that sipping tequila straight is like unleashing a pack of hellhounds on your palate, unless it’s an anejo, or extra-anejo. M & I stayed up late watching old episodes of Grey’s Anatomy and eating the Indian food we had delivered.

On Saturday, we spent the (hot) day doing a grand old Mission / Noe districts walkabout, became card-carrying members of the ACLU, went to Happy Donuts, visited an eyewear boutique without pricetags and frames that “can’t be found anywhere else in the country” and asked them if they carried, you know, sports goggles. Which they did, funnily enough. I also found really pretty earrings at a little boutique and burrata at Lucca’s, M found some great antlers on the cheap at the BellJar, and the petite finally found her cheddar jalepeno cheetos at the liquor store next to Delirium. We headed to Puerto Alegre for dinner and polished off a huge pitcher of peach margaritas while this woman with an amazing voice sang to us all. We walked home in a heavy fog drizzle, which had come all stealthy-like over the hills, but not before a much-needed pit stop at Anthony’s Cookies for a hot-out-of-the-oven dozen. It was so much fun!

We slept in on Sunday, walked to Spanish brunch at Ramblas and came dangerously close to buying a $1300 piece of art at Fabric 8. Their converted bath-to-recycled-water-koi-pond is awesome and their hardwood floors are gorgeous. In the evening, I had a delicious cup of Earl Grey tea with lavender honey out of my new mug, which I’ve renamed KITTENS GALORE, from Marini Monteany’s Ecoute line, since it had cooled down quite a bit.

BONUS: All that walking totaled to nearly 7 miles!

Today, we’re bringing a jug of my secret recipe bourbon slush to a friend’s BBQ. Pray for us or something, because whenever we visit this particular friend we always end up doing random panty checks or tackling one another on the roof and whatnot. HAPPY LABOR DAY, Y’ALL!

CONFESSION: Y’all, this weekend was one big, dreamy, fantastical doozy! The hilarious thing is that M & I were hemming and hawing and grumbling about how we had all these plans, one after the other, back-to-back and nonstop when all we really wanted to do was stay home in our p/manties, eat prosciutto out of the box with fancy cheese and watch Grey’s Anatomy. But we sucked it up and ended up having a ton of fun.

These photos are from Saturday, when we met up with some friends at the Buena Vista in San Francisco, birthplace of Irish Coffee in the United States. To say that it was a glorious day is an understatement – the temps were in the 80s and Buena Vista sits right on the water – it was impossible not to feel giddy from it. Buena Vista’s drinks were fantastic, and brunch wasn’t half bad, either. The group decided to pop into Cannery Row to have drinks at Jack’s afterward, and on the way we spotted this amazing old fire truck. It is shiny and pretty and has lots of knobs and buttons and things to fuss with and, of course, I was unable to resist.

Then it was off to a pool party in Pacifica, which is a stunning little town off HWY 1 just south of San Francisco.
Then we decided to enjoy a few cocktails at the Lexington, SF’s 24/7 lesbian bar.
Then M was required to defend my honor from a Mongolian heiress who tried to purchase me!
Then we made a friend who does gay rodeo bull riding and promised to come to poker night.
Then we grabbed a nightcap at Beretta on the stroll home. I had the Monte Carlo. Perfection.

And then finally, at last, bedtime.

Today was the Eat Real Festival at Oakland’s Jack London Square, and I’ll post pics from that tomorrow. Goodnight, kittens! Hope y’all had magical weekends, too. ? ? ?

CONFESSION: It’s been too long! Two weeks and then some too long, to be specific. You know what happened? The fog rolled in, bringing with it a traditionally chilly SF summer, sending my preexisting  nesting state into a disoriented cocoon of warmth and quiet and respite. (Translation: I wore a lot of jeans and hoodies. I spent a lot of time searching for the perfect down comforter – Calvin Klein, for the record – to stop the chattering of my teeth in bed at night and so that we snuggle each other out of free will like we used to, instead of clinging together desperately just for warmth. I fussed with all of the bottles and things at my new vanity and begged the Gods for motivation to put my curlers in. When no motivation came, I watched Season 2 of Grey’s Anatomy.) I hope y’all forgive me and that we can all just MOVE ON from this terrible, awful stagnation.

So, the vanity! Isn’t it darling? I really am in love it. It brings me tremendous joy and pride to sit on my little padded bench, with everything so easy to get to, and with it so prettily displayed, it’s a highly effective way to stop wanting to buy every last shiny new cosmetic I see out and about. (This principle is the same reason I had the beast and have the new mini-beast for my shoes and bags.) Plus, it’s very fancy. This is a little sneak peek at my side of the bedroom, but M & I are still working on it, so you’ll see more very soon.

I’ll also be sharing the kitchen and dining next, followed by the living and sun rooms. We are so, so close to being done and able to just be in our space and enjoy it without that little nudge to tinker with things until they are just so. It’s so wonderful when life is just so, and I’m closer than ever.

Fill me in on your goings-on in the comments! What have I missed!?