furry face therapy -- halo

i recently read: people with dogs are happier people. since we're not quite ready to invite a new pack (um, yeah, we're thinking, eventually, 3 smaller-ish ones) into our lives permanently, we'll have to settle for frequent furry face visits throughout our 'hood.

so, meet halo! she is so cute, i can't stand it. look at those kinky curls near her ears. you can't see it in these pics, but she's managed to create one dreadlock behind her left ear (yes, she is a dirty lil hippie, but it's not her fault they leave her outside!). monday was the first day she really recognized me -- she wagged her tail upon seeing me and hearing me say "hi, hay." my day was made.

la espanola inspired pizza

last week, the hubs discovered a spanish gem located in the south bay, not too far from his work location. you see, spain is a place near and dear to my heart for many reasons: i studied abroad in spain, traveled throughout it's lands & savored it's delicate-yet-absurdly-impactful foods long ago. upon my return to the states, i was (this) close to smuggling in a couple ounces of their precious jamon serrano so my family could see & taste some of what they were missing. so, needless to say, for the last 8 or so years, the hubs has heard me go on an on about spain's wonders to the point where his interest has piqued. on top of that, being the pbs geeks that we are, we've (well, mostly me) been slightly obsessed with jose andres' show "Made in Spain," "On the Road Again," with mario batali, bitty, claudia & gweneth paltrow, and any tiny spanish-related segment on gourmet's show "Diary of a Foodie." if you haven't been able to afford the luxury of being in spain, eating bocadillos with luscious jamon serrano for days on end (yes, days & days, it's that good), or willing to travel to the westside to sample the jamon at a number of trendy restaurants, then you should venture to La Espanola Meats. they have a few different kinds & will sell you an entire leg if you wish. trust me, i'm already trying to figure our how/when we can make such a splurge ($800-$1400) without breaking the bank or turning into pigs ourselves. any ideas?

last night, after finishing our share of iberico, we made a pizza with slices of the chorizo picante (also available at La Espanola Meats) strewn about on top. i don't know how they make the sausages so tender and smooth? nitrates??

stay gold limited edition letterpress print

stay gold...
a reminder to stay forever young, true to yourself, open minded & connected to the small things in life. inspired by Robert Frost's poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay" & "The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton.

this is an 8.5 x 11 inch print of an original hand drawn design, hand carved linocut by lil ol' me. limited edition of 12 in meyer lemon -- signed & numbered. individually fed through a vintage Vandercook letterpress. you can see more images & details at my etsy shop.

finding ways...

to stay gold.

rad girl, rad coat

the ethereal (now fashionista?) joanna newsom in comme des garcons.

images via mister mort.

red tail hawk

it seems like i've been seeing more red tail hawks lately. is that because spring is right around the corner or because i am paying closer attention?

lady like

behnaz sarafpour's fall 2010 collection is exactly what's needed in order to beat today's "dreary's."

images via style.com