Bay Area Living

Posted on September 16, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone and happy Monday.

An Eva in her natural habitat. Photo c/o Patrick Baron

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

I thought I’d share some photos with you from my latest adventures across the bay. I finally got to visit the Wave Organ installation in the Marina recently. It’s quite unique, made with recycled stone from the old Laurel Hill cemetery, and home to some beautiful views of the bay and the Golden Gate bridge. I anticipate many a day spent out on the hidden stone bench, with a cup of coffee from my favorite doughnut place right around the corner.

Those of you that have visited, or may live in the Bay Area, know that San Francisco is entirely its own creature. That’s what so many people like about it. It’s a veritable melting pot of people, home to the beautiful and the bizarre. Despite having grown up in this area, the last five years of my life spent here have been filled with new neighborhoods, restaurants, and people. And while I’m entirely taken with the city, and everything it has to offer, I sometimes find myself wishing that I wasn’t as “lucky” to have grown up here. Most of us have a desire that drives us to start our adult lives elsewhere, away from our parents and the quiet streets we grew up on in the urge to create something entirely our own. I can’t really complain. When I get restless, I have the luxury of getting in my car and driving somewhere entirely new, where no one knows me. There, among the unfamiliar faces, I can act as much of an idiot as I want. If I feel like being the girl in the impossible shoes, teetering around like a baby giraffe, I can. If I feel like having pink hair and thrifting my afternoons away, I can. If I feel like wearing no makeup and only my favorite Lululemon, I can. I can temporarily reinvent myself as many times as I wish, all I need to do is pick a new city, or a different neighborhood. As much as Bay Area transplants feel as if they belong here, in whatever city they find themselves, with little wiggle room, I feel as if I can belong anywhere. Does that make sense? Or is this just the combination of insomnia and too many Tv Land re-runs?

Just some thoughts.

EVA♥

I’m a Dancer.

Posted on September 11, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone!

We all know that today is a day of reflection for many people, myself included. There’s every reason to be sad about what today commemorates. There’s no denying that there’s been a huge shift, and the world that we currently live in is not and has not been the world of thirteen years ago. If we dwell on this too much, it can be horribly upsetting, but then again, the only guaranteed thing in life is change. What I like to think about is the fact that this week marks another time that’s been significant in my life.

firstdap

This photo was taken six years ago- almost to the day.

It’s a photo of the very first dance class that I taught. I still have the same leotard (I wore it today, in fact!), and I still roll one pant leg up in that silly dancer style. Like the very first dance class I ever took, this day stands out in my memory. I’ll also never forget being accepted into the BFA program in college, as our ballet teacher told us that we could call ourselves dancers now. While I vividly remember every production that I’ve ever done, these moments in my life stand out to me completely. I remember being cast in my favorite rolls, the many hours spent backstage, and the stab of relief mingled with melancholy as a show run draws to a close. When people ask me what I do, I feel the need to explain things away. I feel odd saying: “I’m a dancer.” But, it’s the truth. I’m not a teacher, turned dance-enthusiast. I was a dancer before everything else.

I’ve found joy, and a solidarity in teaching. I didn’t decide to teach right off the bat, to be quite honest. I did the audition circuit, I took classes, and I ran around because I didn’t entirely know what to do. Sometimes I feel as if I get as much from my students as I’m giving them. The lack of judgement and the kindness they show me sometimes makes me wonder why the rest of life can’t be like it is in the studio. Growing up, you generally tend to cultivate a talent and passion for something. What they don’t teach you is that you can, logistically, make your passion your life, your way of making a living. It may not always come in the way you thought it would, but it’s possible.

There will come a day where I’ll be unable to dance like I do now. And probably a day where I feel cumbersome in a leotard and tights. But, that will never make me less of a dancer. As Martha Graham said, “”I have spent all my life with dance and being a dancer. It’s permitting life to use you in a very intense way. Sometimes it is not pleasant. Sometimes it is fearful. But nevertheless it is inevitable.”

This has been dubbed the “most graceful selfie” ever. Playing dress up. In this way, I hope I’ll never grow up.

In a tutu. Because I can.

It’s inevitable.

EVA♥

Five Things

Posted on September 10, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hi everyone!

I’m gonna be frank: this first week back to teaching is rough. I’m sure many of you can agree with me, perhaps not on the teaching front, but on the fact that it’s always a bit of a stretch when returning to a long-established routine. No matter- I’m so excited to get back to dancing everyday. The excitement is exacerbated when you consider that you’re greeted with so many familiar, equally excited faces. But, even excitement can’t discount for the fact that I come home every evening entirely wiped out. So much so that even lifting my fingers to type this seems like the biggest chore.

Totally kidding.

I try to write a little bit before bed everyday, even when I don’t entirely feel like it. Like any routine or ritual, it’s wonderfully grounding, and somehow makes me feel like I’ve done something good and productive with my day. With that being said, let’s get to my weekly Wednesday ritual of Five Things!

A beautiful mural I found while taking a stroll near the Haight in San Francisco. I take such beautiful old homes for granted sometimes. Reason #749 why living in the Bay Area is wonderful.

Did you know, readers, that I have some mean cappuccino-making skills? Because I do. Back in my college days you would get a latte if ever you visited my cozy home.

A refreshing breakfast of raspberries, almonds, and vanilla yogurt from this last week. My favorite combination has always been freshly cut strawberries and Trader Joe’s vanilla bean yogurt. So yummy!

A hallway selfie, and Outfit of the Night (OOTN). I was particularly impressed with myself that evening, as I managed to throw this ensemble together in 5 minutes. No joke, I even timed myself! I have my trusty Le Pliage bag from Longchamps, denim blazer from Juicy Couture, my favorite tank from H&M, skirt from J.Crew, and sandals from DV by Dolce Vita. I even managed to haphazardly slap some makeup on my face before running out the door.

This is the part of my blog that features insufferably cute things. This week, we see The Adventures of Charlie Bronson the French Bulldog. I have a bit of an obsession with Frenchies, in case you haven’t noticed. Especially Frenchies with “real person” names. The baby also ups the cute factor. So cute, you may not want to look.

EVA♥

My Little Pony Hair.

Posted on September 8, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone, and happy Monday!

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend, I did, but not in the ways I usually do. There were no epic travels or adventures, but just some tea, takeout sushi, and a good book. It was rejuvenating, and very much needed. On the other hand, I did manage to do things like eat cake for breakfast and color my hair a ridiculous shade of hot pink.

…because I can.

The hair chalk craze is nothing new, but I finally caved and picked up a little Color Pop from Dippity Do (Ha! remember that?) which seems a close dupe for the slightly more expensive Kevin Murphy Color Bug.

The whole process was quite easy, really. I knew I wanted to concentrate the color on the ends of my hair for a dip-dyed effect. Throw a towel over your shoulders to protect your clothing, and rub rub rub with the chalk. My hands quickly turned a shocking shade of magenta, but it washed right off with a bit of soap and water.

Before… …After

After shaking all the excess powder from my hair, I was quite pleased with the results. Being totally temporary in nature, I had quite a bit of fun with it. It was almost as much fun washing it out in the shower, as it made all the suds from my shampoo a quite vivid pink. It’s good to change up your look every-once-in-a-while. Just a little bit of fun to brighten up any Saturday! It’s also a really fun excuse to take a barrage of selfies to show off the new “do.”

EVA♥

Favorite Places

Posted on September 4, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone!

Those of you who know me, know that I’m a fan of going on adventures. I’ll use anything as a motivation: a mundane errand, a really good lunch, a stopover on the way to something else…you name it! So it’s funny that in a place that’s ultimately know for its fabulous wine and vineyards, I go for the cheeseburgers. Now, granted that this last weekend was bloody hot, I opted for something a little bit different with Ahi Poke tacos. My favorite spot in Napa, Gott’s Roadside, formerly of Taylor’s Automatic Refresher fame, is the place to go if you want a no-frills good food, with a little bit of a Napa twist. And, while there’s almost always a sizable line at this diner, the trick is to get a refreshing glass of wine to keep you company while you decide on your order. What’s even better is its great proximity to a number of sprawling wineries. Did you know that there’s a castle in St. Helena? Neither did I. Unfortunately, my poorly charged brick of a phone gave out before I could take a vast amount of pictures. There’s always next time…

Oh, hello Bowzer. As you can see, I was feeling a bit grungy that day.

The best meal for a hot day. Fresh and delicious.

Oh, hey, wine country castle! I was perhaps the biggest fan of the wine cellar at Castello di Amorosa, as well as the outdoor Roman-style bathtub. A girl could get used to that.

Photo c/o Patrick Baron

Remember my Summer List? While it looks like I might not have been able to make it SUP’ing this year, I did get to spend a last day on the last official weekend of summer in St. Helena.

Whatever…I’m still all for wearing white after Labor Day.

EVA♥

Five Things

Posted on September 3, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone!

The Wednesday after a long weekend always sneaks up on you. I found myself making plans for Wednesday yesterday, not realizing it was a day away! Vacations are so hard, everyone. So, whilst trying to adopt a sense of normalcy before my first week back at work kicks off, here’s this week’s Five Things!

I’m so excited to have made my first purchase from Bauble Bar! I’m trying to actively avoid looking at their website, because I’m fairly certain that I might end up buying more fun, unnecessary accessories. I loved that when I opened my package, it seemed almost as excited as I was. Yay!

A little snippet from @WatchMeJuggle Instagram- Some salty dogs, and one of my best dog-friends, Theo at the monthly Treasure Island Flea Market. They had a buy-one-get-one happy hour…starting at 10am. Possibly not the best idea…

I can’t believe I never knew about this amazing view from Treasure Island. This weekend was so amazingly beautiful. I wish I had an excuse to go out there every week.

In other news, I discovered a local coffee company from Oakland making what they dub “Black Medicine.” This was the most delicious pre-made latte I have ever had in my life. They apparently sell them by the case, which was horribly tempting! Also, please notice my new Bowzer bracelet from Marrin Costello on my wrist. You will see him again.

It wouldn’t be ‘Five Things’ without one random addition. I found this questionable candy bar at Walgreen’s in the financial district. I couldn’t figure out as to whether or not it was cake covered in chocolate, or a candy bar meant to resemble cake. It was strange either way. My coworker encouraged me to squish it just to find out. I did, and it didn’t lead me to any strong conclusions.

EVA♥

Picnic in the Park

Posted on September 2, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone!

I hope that you’ve had an enjoyable last weekend of summer- what a beauty it has been. I found myself wandering around the Marina the other day in shorts and a tank. Those of you that have lived or at least visited San Francisco know what a rare occurrence that is, especially in an area that I would otherwise describe as “living in cloud.” I’ve attempted to be a social butterfly, as of late, so you’ll soon be seeing my latest adventures retold. I’ve been rather scattered while getting ready for the transition of summer into fall- summer gigs are wrapping up, and I’m looking forward to starting new classes and seeing some familiar smiling faces, as cliché as that sounds. As much as I enjoy a break during the summer, it also serves as a nice reminder that I’m doing what I’m meant to be doing.

In the meantime, I can fully enjoy writing to you, dear readers, about my adventures. Despite having lived in the Bay Area for almost the entirety of my young life, there’s still so much that I haven’t seen. Last weekend, I jumped on the back of a motorcycle (crossing that off of the bucket list!) and tooled around Golden Gate park. Does everyone know that there are bison living in that park, or is this just news to me?

Photos c/o Patrick Baron.

We spent the majority of our time outside the Conservatory of Flowers at a friend’s birthday picnic. A fantastic time and place to have one, I must say. I, foolishly enough, forgot my phone, which left me unable to take any pictures at all. I’m sure you can guess how much this killed me, knowing how much I like to take pictures of flowers. Luckily I had someone with a much better phone who was willing to take pictures for me, which was incredibly obliging. I was especially surprised that, unlike most flower gardens, the Conservatory of Flowers is bordered by a full garden of dahlias, rather than the traditional roses. All in all, it was a good way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

EVA♥

Game Day

Posted on August 28, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone!

Ever have one of those days where all you’re capable of after work is laying in bed and drinking copious amounts of tea? That was my day a while back, and, aside from venturing out in the evening to procure some frozen yogurt in lieu of dinner, it was disappointingly uneventful. In other news, when it comes to self-serve yogurt, I’ve realized that my taste preferences leave me with something resembling a kindergartner’s dream breakfast: a soupy mess of fruity pebbles, strawberries, mangoes, and neon colored mochi.

Unlike some days, however, this last weekend was quite eventful! Yes, there was that giant earthquake that scared the living daylights out of me at 3am, but not so much that I didn’t have a problem rolling over and going right back to sleep. When I did finally choose to get out of bed, I had a little rooftop brunch with the significant other, which is a lot more glamorous than it might sound. Sure, we were sitting on crates on a tar roof, but sometimes you must trade comfort for a spectacular view of the Golden Gate.

What’s a Watch Me Juggle post without a little digression? So, with that long-winded introduction, I give you: Sunday night game day! I have a soft spot in my heart for my local Oakland A’s. The coliseum is a one-stop Bart ride away, tickets are reasonably priced and games are decidedly laid-back.

It isn’t quite a baseball game without an overlarge, overpriced beer.

The best bleacher view ever!

Apparently it was one of the first Sunday evening games in 10 years, and was entirely sold out! Unfortunately, the A’s lost this one, after a long winning streak.

Stadium garlic fries are the best. I kept thinking they were smiling at me. On a side not, the upper left sauce is not ketchup- it’s barbecue sauce. Perhaps not the best idea…

French fry close up. Look at all the garlic! I’m hoping in vain that I didn’t totally reek afterward.

It was a girls’ day out; two rows of very fun ladies.

A set of my some of my favorite sisters, in their natural environment.

Most everyone (aside from myself) got to the game hours in advance. Of course, the main motivation was this awesome unicorn backpack that they were giving away. Yes, it is in fact a backpack for adults. Plenty of grown men were sporting it all around the stadium with pride.

Have a great day everyone!

EVA♥

Five Things

Posted on August 27, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hi everyone!

I somehow went into complete zombie mode yesterday, and I ended up abandoning my blog-post-in-progress about halfway through, which is something I rarely do. It was there to greet me this morning, however, and instill the appropriate amount of shame in me to get me rolling. And, here I am! It’s this week’s Five Things- a little photo-collage glimpse into my life over the last week.

I tend not to wear any ostentatious or noticeable colors on my nails when my classes are in session. I like to look appropriate and well-groomed, and, let’s face it, bright blue nail polish somehow screams “I’m a teenager!” to parents of prospective students. Solution: I wear the heck out of them in summertime. Pictured above are two of my favorites from Essie: Bikini So Teeny and Mint Candy Apple, which I have on my nails now.

I finally jumped on the fashion-blogger bandwagon and bought myself some skater shoes. These were such a steal, and I’ve gotten so many compliments already. Bonus points for the leopard print, they make me feel instantly chic even when I’m wearing sneakers and cutoffs to go grocery shopping.

My mother gifted me a refill of one of my favorite perfumes from Philosophy recently. I after finally cracking it open, I realized it was the exact same color as my bathroom walls. Coincidence? I think not.

I received a very cool, belated birthday card in the mail a while back from a good friend of mine. It took me about a week to finally realize that it wasn’t just awkwardly thick, but was in fact designed so that I could mount it on a wall like a piece of artwork. A very clever idea!

Here’s a little sneak preview of tomorrow’s blog. I may not be the biggest fan of sports, but I do enjoy the atmosphere of live sporting events. Sure, I use the majority of my time there to eat all of the junk food available to me and to gossip with my girlfriends in between doing the wave/the Bernie lean, but isn’t that what you’re supposed to do? I’m well aware that I”m a living female stereotype.

Don’t judge me.

EVA ♥

Kitchen Experiments

Posted on August 25, 2014 by 4evamaria

Hello everyone!

I hope all of you had a good Monday. Recently, I had an evening free and decided I was going to see what all the fuss over coconut oil was about. I haven’t been baking all that much as of late, simply because, when I do, I find myself eating the same cake/brownies/cookies nonstop for a week. Not the best plan of action. I did, however, have some aging bananas sitting on my dining table that I just had to do something with, and figured that bananas and coconut would be a good mix.

I was correct.

I had a surprising amount of trouble finding a recipe that involved coconut oil in banana bread, but was glad when I stumbled upon this No-Fail Banana Bread from All Things Simple. I tweaked the recipe a bit- substituting vanilla bean yogurt for sour cream, and adding extra-large pinches of cinnamon and semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Ingredients ready to go.

The required banana mash. Looking frightful.

I’m a horribly impatient person, especially when it comes to dirtying “necessary” dishes, but I forced myself to separate the wet and dry ingredients this time around. What I was not so successful at doing was fully melting the coconut oil. Yes, I used my blow dryer to do this. And yes, when I got too impatient, I just threw it in there. I did have to give a disclaimer to people eating the banana bread that should they come across rare “doughy” bits that it wasn’t underdone, merely clumps of oil. Not making that mistake again.

I purchased this little silicon loaf pan recently. While I initially wasn’t sure as to how well it would work, I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome! It’s just a little tricky to get in the oven when filled full of wobbly dough.

Before.

After.

The end result!

I must say, I was quite happy about it. My house smelled lovely, and I enjoyed my warm banana bread with a big glass of milk.

So…that’s basically what I did the other day instead of going to a yoga class. I feel no shame.

EVA♥