Five Things

Posted on September 7, 2016 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

I’m back this week with Five Things!

Things are feeling rather hectic in my life at the moment, but in a good way. I’m wrapping up my summer and gearing up for another season at the ballet, as well as another school year. In the meantime, I’ve been handling life’s challenges like any adult would, by ordering things off of Nordstrom Rack at odd hours and marathoning horrible reality television. You do what you gotta do.

I also continue to have the most San Francisco experiences ever in life—things like trying not to get hit by the Google bus on my work commute and paying $10 for a smoothie. That’s right. My name is Eva, and I’m a giant sucker who paid $10 for a smoothie with cold-pressed juice. I wanted it to give me super-powers and alas, it was just sorta tasty. With that brilliant segue, let me get to this week’s Five Things! Starting with…

Juice! Black juice! I saw this and I had to snap a photo. I can’t help but think that this is similar to what they might force feed you in the hospital if you’ve had too much to drink. Mmm…activated coconut charcoal, anyone?

I’ve recently become aware of these little “fairy doors” hidden all over my little island. This was the first one I discovered when walking around my neighborhood one afternoon. I like that this particular fairy family is politically active.

While roaming around a very different neighborhood in San Francisco, I saw this brilliant mural. I give you: Prince as “The Little Prince.” It was quite the bright spot in my day, discovering this.

I’m still finding quite a bit of artwork around my island. This fabulous mermaid print jumped right out at me at our latest Art & Wine Festival.

While I’ve purchased quite a few books lately, a friend of mine recommended Heather Havrilesky’s How To Be A Person In The World, and I’m sorely tempted to pick it up. Has anyone else read this yet? I’m currently making my way through another Game of Thrones novel, a book of poetry by Warsan Shire, and a series of short stories.

Happy Wednesday everyone! We made it!

EVA♥

Five Things

Posted on August 10, 2016 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

It feels like the last few days have stretched on for weeks, not because they’ve been so laborious or tedious, quite the opposite! I have many life updates to get to, and while they’re all (for the most part) very exciting things, today calls for a relaxed Five Things. Before we get into all the craziness that has been my life lately (birthday celebrations, travels, job changes), I wanted to take a quick look back at the less-than crazy (even inspirational) things as of late.

Photo: Mary Lee Shalvoy

Why is the photo so naugahyde-esque, you may ask? I recently did a photoshoot with the lovely Mary Lee Shalvoy (whose photos of my legs you can see here), and this was one of the photos I captured in the studio, moments after it was taken. It’s a sneak-peak for now, but I’m sure you’ll be seeing more official shots very soon!

Just last week I celebrated my friend’s mother’s birthday at Dante Robere Vineyards in Livermore, CA. While Livermore might be the last place that comes to mind when you think of wine, I was so pleasantly surprised. We enjoyed a tacos and live music on the lawn as the sun set—it was such a nice evening!

I’ve been to my fair share of festivals, flea markets, and fairs as of late. I’ve really been enjoying the art and the hodgepodge of antiques, and this wood painting (I believe the technique of wood-burning is referred to as pyrography) really caught my eye.

I recently took a quick flight down to LA for a friend’s baby shower, that ended up serving as a mini college reunion of sorts. Following the shower, we spent some time in Santa Monica at The Misfit catching up over cocktails. If you’re ever there, dear readers, ask them for a cookie. You won’t regret it!

My friend Stephanie is what I would call a plant fanatic. Point to any succulent you see and she would have it’s scientific name ready to go. It’s quite impressive, really, and has made me appreciate them so much more. Too bad I have a bit of a brown thumb.

Happy Wednesday!

EVA ♥

Five Things

Posted on May 18, 2016 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

It’s been far too long since my last Five Things! Thankfully, the internet in my apartment is fully up and running (huzzah!), but I’ve been living the true 20-something life lately, and only using my apartment to sleep/occasionally chug coffee in. Even with all the running around, I’ve still been able to grab the occasional snapshot of my life. In case you haven’t realized it by now, I really enjoy food. Perhaps a bit too much. So, without further ado, I give you: Five Things!

If you haven’t yet been to Craftsman and Wolves in San Francisco, you are missing out. Although it might be the most hipster bakery I’ve ever seen, their highly curated selection of pastries and sandwiches are just as tasty as they are beautiful. In case you’re wondering the dessert above is some sort of strawberry, lychee, early grey-cake-thing. Don’t ask questions- just eat.

During my long internet drought, I amused myself by making massive dinners, like the above pictured turkey nachos. It would have been somewhat healthy had it not been for the whole chips/cheese combination. Delicious nonetheless, especially when paired with a good book! (And yes, I like to eat dinner in bed sometimes. Don’t worry, you will find a plate under all that food and foil.)

My mother and I celebrated the most recent Mother’s Day with a little wine and cheese from our local Rock Wall Winery. It’s quickly become one of my favorite spots in town.

If you happened to walk around San Francisco’s city hall lately, you might have noticed the giant inflatable bunny art installation happening outside. I’ve been told that they’re meant to represent the environmental destruction wrought by settlers in Australia during the late 1880s. Apparently, those bunnies can wreak some havoc.

An amazing poke place opened up just a short walk away from my office. Ever since my first trip to Hawaii, I’ve been mildly obsessed with poke. It’s the perfect indulgent meal, while still feeling light. This serving was so big, I ended up eating it in shifts. I opted for some spicy salmon over brown rice, although you might not be able to see it quite well under the mountain of toppings.

EVA♥

Five Things

Posted on December 16, 2015 by 4evamaria

Hello all,

It’s time for Five Things, again! Is it just me,or does this feel like an entire week of never-ending Thursdays? Tomorrow marks the beginning of my holiday-craziness, as I like to call it with the opening night of Smuin Ballet’s Christmas Ballet. Yours truly will be all but living in the theater, for the next two weeks. On the bright side, I’ll be able to get a substantial amount of Christmas shopping done,as our theater is mere steps away from San Francisco’s downtown shopping hub. I’ll also most likely be able to write quite a bit “inside the box,” as I like to call it. So, stay tuned for some behind the scenes blogs on the ballet. In the meantime, here are this week’s Five Things!

I stumbled upon this intriguing piece of art at SFO the other day. I believe it had some sort of creative name like “Heels to Heaven.” They were giant high heels, so I naturally had to take a picture.

I’m a firm believer in treating yourself every-once-in-a-while. I snapped up these beautiful rose gold Kendra Scott earrings at a recent Nordstrom sale as an early Christmas present to myself. (In case your curious, on my nails is OPI’s “Taupeless beach” nailpolish)

I came across this perfectly preserved cocktail dress from the 1950’s at Desert Vintage in Tucson. The photo doesn’t do it nearly enough justice; it was beautifully tailored, with curved seams and a very full circle skirt. My favorite piece in the shop, however, had to be a 1920’s navy and lilac lace caftan-style dress that looked like it could have been made yesterday. If you’re ever in the market for unique pieces that are well taken care of, Desert Vintage is the place to look.

I was really pleased to hear that the iconic Bay Bridge light show was making a reappearance for the holidays. After a long day at work, they considerably brightened up my commute.

I recently held an impromptu holiday photoshoot in my apartment inspired by this creative woman’s Christmas cards. This year, I’ve resolved to make my very own, semi-inappropriate cards to send out to friends. This is the first year I’ve made custom cards using Shutterfly, and I’m looking forward to finally getting them in the mail very soon. Hint: these are not your grandmother’s Christmas cards.

Cheers, and happy holidays!

EVA♥

Five Things

Posted on November 18, 2015 by 4evamaria

Hello all!

Five Things is b-a-c-k, back!

I’ve been accumulating pictures left and right, and yet life seems to get in the way, as it so conveniently does. I’ve been missing sharing the random round-up of photos from my life, and am looking forward to getting the backlog of blogs out of my brain and onto the interwebs. Of course, what would Watch Me Juggle be without a little spontaneity/chaos? On that note, here are this week’s Five Things:

I had my first pint of porter at Faction Brewing recently. Perched on the edge of the old navy base, Faction a local Alameda brewery with an amazing view of the San Francisco skyline. It’s very much no-frills- a trip to the ladies room requires crossing the brewery’s entire warehouse, but that’s very much part of its charm. I’ve also never had a milk stout quite like theirs before! I highly recommend.

I’ve been exploring San Francisco’s Hayes Valley neighborhood quite a bit lately, and have been enjoying it. You’ll find many interesting characters, restaurants, and bars there, as well as the occasional piece of “burner” artwork. Here’s If you take a peek past this artfully carved gazebo, you’ll be able to see another one of one of this week’s things…

I’m very much in love with Smitten Ice Cream, located just down the street from my office. It’s made-to-order ice cream is unlike anything I’ve ever tasted before. Pictured is one of their season flavors: sweet white corn and fresh berries. Delicious!

It’s no secret that I do enjoy perusing antique and thrift stores from time to time. I found this funny little collection of “mustache” cups recently. Perfect at keeping tea out of even the most dapper gentleman’s mustache!

Some friends and I had the chance to visit the famed Wilson and Wilson bar in San Francisco not too long ago. A secret bar within a bar, Wilson and Wilson boasts an impressive cocktail menu, handed to you in the form of a case file. It’s detective agency-themed decor reminded me of something you might see in The Maltese Falcon and their in-house infused liquors are really unique.

Cheers!

EVA♥

Five Things

Posted on July 29, 2015 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone!

It’s been a long week, but we’ve made it this far! Happy Wednesday. Funnily enough, despite resting up sufficiently this last weekend, I somehow have enough energy to unnecessarily exhaust myself all over again during the day. Take today for example: all I had was a quick, 10 minute jaunt on the freeway to get to an appointment. What do I do instead? Take a wrong turn that includes a 20 minute detour in the complete opposite direction that I need to go. When I finally got to my destination, I managed to run around (literally back and forth across the street to find a functioning parking ticket dispenser) a bit while only being five minutes late to my appointment. Go me! I somehow adult my way through these things. Things like this seem to be the pattern recently- I’m taking the “scenic route” everywhere, both literally and figuratively. You would think I would have better things to do with my time- like peruse Instagram, have a glass of wine, or shop online for shoes. Well, in between doing these things instead of going to bed like a responsible adult, I lined up this week’s Five Things, just as random as always:

Here’s a little snapshot from Jessup Cellars in Yountville. I don’t know about you, dear readers, but if a tasting room supplies snacks, chances are I’ll be back. I loved finishing my red wine with a bit of dark chocolate.

A quick shout-out to #NationalLipstickDay today! The above is one of my favorite clips from one of my favorite movies, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I watch it at least once a year, usually around my birthday. There are still certain things you cannot read without your lipstick.

I snapped a clip of the snarky decor at Bunny’s Shoes in Santa Cruz on my latest trip. Stop by if you get a chance- they have a little something for everyone.

I recently stumbled across this spot for Boston Ballet and have been fascinated. It has minimal bells-and-whistles, but packs a punch by showcasing the dancers’ amazing athletic ability. Check out Dusty Button’s amazing extension at 46 seconds! Yowza.

I give you: one of my favorite pieces of art on the Yountville Art Walk. Yes, it’s a giant salmon sculpture with a broken tail. No, I have no idea why it’s there or who created it. But, there was just something about it’s bright colors and shark-like teeth that made me happy. It was either that or all the wine.

Who knows?

EVA♥

Five Things

Posted on July 15, 2015 by 4evamaria

Hey all!

Welcome to Five Things, the vacation version! Even though it’s been a while since I’ve gone on a legitimate vacation outside of California, but my pictures lately certainly make me feel like I’ve gone on my share of adventures lately. You could also think of this week’s Five Things as a visual vacation- I like to think of chocolates,wine, and the beach when I need a zen moment.

Commence relaxation in 3, 2, 1…

I can’t get over the color of the water by Santa Barbara’s East Beach. It was also so clear, you could see the kelp forests coming up through the water.

I visited Mumm Napa for the first time recently. It’s set up just like a restaurant, with groups of tables and assigned servers, except the only thing on the menu is sparkling wine. So, it’s pretty much my favorite new place. I’m contemplating being a real adult and joining their wine club.

Photo c/o instagram.com/zoella

I’m excited to give my hair a much-needed cut, and a little extra blonde to get me through the summer. Adorable Brit blogger, Zoella, has been my go-to for ombré hair inspiration.

This beautiful piece of art hangs in the entryway of Hall winery, and is made entirely of vintage beaded costumes and sweaters. It’s quite large (floor to ceiling) and stunning in person.

I fell in love with the chocolate case at Dean and Deluca this last weekend. While I have no problem eating entire boxes of chocolates in one sitting, I couldn’t imagine eating one of these beautifully detailed little marzipan animals!

Happy almost-Thursday!

EVA♥

Five Things

Posted on April 1, 2015 by 4evamaria

Hey all!

Remember last week when I said that my Five Things was the place where all the random things of my life go to live on the internet? Well, while I was getting this week’s post together, I realized a pattern I seemed to have. Just take a fancy looking cocktail, something cute (preferably a puppy), and something I bought this week, and voilà! You have Watch Me Juggle. I might be horribly predictable, but I’d like to think I’m fun nonetheless.

I tried to mix it up a bit this week…see, no cocktail picture! But I did run around San Francisco and go shopping- gradual change is good.

I’ve been keeping an eye out for everything mermaid-related lately, seeing as we’re performing our own rendition of The Little Mermaid for this year’s “Big Show.” This shirt from H&M made me laugh.

So, my singular Alex & Ani bangle was looking awfully lonely. My latest edition is the “Love” bangle. Pretty self explanatory- I love jewelry with a little message.

I spend an awful lot of time attending ballets at the SF Opera House, and, hence, I spend an awful lot of time looking at the City Hall building. It’s quite beautiful, though. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I was recently at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts for work and had to take a photo (albeit a blurry one…can’t wait for a new camera!) of this statue in the lobby. It’s beautiful, and always catches my eye.

I’ve been really loving I Am Her Tribe on Instagram as of late. I find their posts inspiring, and not overly schmaltz-y. They’re a great combination of both the serious and the light-hearted. Go check them out!

EVA♥

80% Sass, and a little Coffee

Posted on March 29, 2015 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone!

Sass, snark, smart-assedness (yes, that’s a word I made up, thank-you-very-much), those are just a few words that describe Anne Taintor. If her name doesn’t sound too familiar to you, don’t worry. You’ve probably seen her vintage-style art out and about. A wall in my apartment is sporting an Anne Taintor calender, currently turned to a quote “following the ‘if you can’t say something nice’ rule proved to be more challenging than she anticipated.” I sometimes take my morning coffee in a “Martinis: they’re not just for breakfast” mug, which occasionally makes its way to class, and is slightly embarrassing. You may also know her from this news story that happened a while back, where a woman sued when her yearbook photo appeared on a flask decades later. I found the whole thing funny, but I’m guessing we do not share a similar sense of humor.

There’s just something about her art that just tickles me- I think it’s the combination of oh-so-proper vintage prints and the unrestrained sarcasm. I would like to think that the majority of the people pictured in her prints would relate to their newly appointed captions, even if they weren’t quite allowed to say them at the time. Her artwork covers a variety of relatable topics, such as

Shopping:

My justification is not if, it’s when. Life is short, buy the shoes, and all that jazz. Remember those studded stilettos I bought a while back? Wrote about it here. Those are my ass-kicking shoes, and I think it’s important that every woman have a pair. They’ve recently come back into stock in a nude/white patent and I’m horribly tempted to buy them.

Dating:

Isn’t that always the case? Quite unfortunate, really. This image makes me laugh- ladies, I’m sure that most of you out in the dating world have been here at some point or another. I pride myself in being fundamentally optimistic, even when it defies logic. But, if I have to go on one more mediocre date this next month, I’m just going to get a dog. On the bright side, it’s done wonders for my conversational skills, and I’ve eaten some pretty incredible meals.

Cocktailing…?

This has become my mental M.O as of lately. Being responsible and all, I’ve found myself with a latte in hand, more often than not. That counts, right?

Fitness:

With all the classes I’ve been teaching, I’ve been admittedly putting off the yoga classes I’ve mentally scheduled for re-runs of “The Royals.” It’s basically a ridiculous, thinly veiled British soap opera, but I love it. Stick a pint of ice cream in my hands and I’m a 20-something manifestation of Bridget Jones. “I choose vodka…and Chaka Khan.”

EVA♥

Five Things

Posted on December 10, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone!

We’re officially halfway through the week! We’re also apparently expecting a monsoon of sorts here in the Bay Area. Schools are closed for the day tomorrow, and people have begun distributing sandbags. It’s really happening, people. We’re awfully spoiled when it comes to the weather in California, so I’m staying optimistic. Hopefully my commute isn’t too crazy or rain-soaked tomorrow, but, if anything, I’ll have a good story!

On that note- on to this week’s Five Things:

My friends took me to Hopdoddy Burger Bar in Scottsdale a few days ago. Fantastic burgers and shakes! I ordered the seasonal shake of the week, which was the Frozen Banana- banana chips, chocolate, and a little cinnamon. Delicious, of course.

I came away from Arizona with an extra little sparkle this week. I’ve been wanting to get a little forward helix piercing for a while, and finally did it! Yes, it hurt, but only during the actual piercing. We went to HTC Body Piercing in Tempe, and had such a great experience.

Last weekend was the Arts Festival in downtown Tempe. I was able to catch a glimpse of it at dusk on Sunday. One of my favorite things had to be the beautiful, ongoing chalk art on the street.

As many of you know, I have a serious shopping/thrifting habit. I was wandering about Buffalo Exchange the other day, and found this borderline hilarious top. I quickly decided that it needed to be my friend Emily’s latest birthday outfit. What would she be able to wear this with?!

Here’s a glimpse at the streets of Tempe, all lit up with holiday decorations. I love seeing all the Christmas lights out and about. I almost wish we could keep them up all year round!

It’s officially that time of the year. Happy holidays!

EVA♥