Here's to 2014!

Hello! My my, 2013 was definitely a eventful and turbulent year. There was a lot of that "out of my comfort zone" stuff going on, but ya know, I (like everyone else) emerged reasonably intact. And with a new affection for all things bird-patterned (in addition to my skis, I have a bird-themed shirt and skirt now)! 

I'm still recovering from NYE, but I'm feeling good about 2014. Wonder what surprises/horrors (hopefully minor ones) it has in store...

"2014"

P.S. Like the little birdies I drew?! Hehe, this tablet is awesome!!!

First day

Last weekend, Tahoe got pounded with a ton of new snow. As the inches piled up, my excitement became overshadowed by agony -- there was really nothing I could do to take advantage of all the pow, as I was chained to SF by an important research deadline.

This past week, I obsessively checked the weather reports and lift statuses for Northstar/Heavenly/Kirkwood multiple times every day, my eyes bulging with anxiety and anticipation each time I refreshed a page. Things didn't look promising, but I hightailed it to Kirkwood at the first opportunity anyway. 

And boy, was it worth it! Despite the fact that there were only 3 lifts open, I found a super fun and challenging mogul line to hit over and over again (my legs are currently jello). While exploring the woods and gullies, I came across a fair amount of deliciously untracked pow as well. :) I didn't have my Parlor skis with me (they're still without bindings), but my new Fischer skis really delivered -- I got my ski legs back way sooner than anticipated. First day of the 2013-14 ski season = huge success!

Now, behold: my artistic interpretation of the mogul line that's rendered me pretty much immobile:

"Kirkwood"

 
 

POW

Holy cow, it's December now! Brrrrrrr. I guess this means it's that time of year to... 

Go on powder watch! 
Check trail reports daily! 
Do the snow dance, all the time!

Please be kind to us this year, snow gods of Tahoe! :D
 

"pOw"

Why you lucky little...!

All this SF sun has got me feeling jolly good! Apparently such awesome weather is a rarity, according to every longtime SF-er I've come across (I'd like to say that I don't understand this compulsion to burst a wide-eyed newcomer's bubble, but alas I am evil and have done the same to many a poor soul, aka premed student :D). 

These mean-spirited (or perhaps well-meaning?) people have also been telling me that the snow at Tahoe has been incredibly shitty the past few seasons, but given my good luck on the West Coast so far, I'm reasonably optimistic about my chances for 2013-14. Plus, I finally got new mittens. And my Sparrows will be arriving soon! 

"Jolly"

Intergalactic

It's become weirdly luxurious to just sit at home and fiddle around in Photoshop. What's going on? Who am I?! Lol. 

Anyway, I can barely keep my eyes open, so all I have for you today is this cheesy, retro galactic graphic (with some Halloween colors forcibly mixed in)!

"Intergalactic"

 

Back to basics

Wow, what an anticlimactic ending to a months-long ordeal, haha. Whenever I spend a long time preparing for something important, I always expect jolts of pure, unbearable happiness and triumph to rip through my body when I'm done with that thing. Yeah, that rarely happens. At the end of my exam, I just felt beaten up. So I went shopping. :D

Now I have no responsibilities... minus all of the paperwork and administrative hoops I have to jump through to finally kick off my research. Ha! Exciting and dreadful. 

What will my life in SF look like from this point on...? Time to get crackin'!

"Basix"

Crystal... meth

I've become re-addicted to 'Breaking Bad' -- now that I'm winding down on the study front, I finally have time to do fun stuff (ok fine, I'm lying, I've been streaming other shows and doing other things and on the whole getting dumber instead of smarter). But man, I can't believe that I forgot how pretty Walt's blue meth is!

"Heisenberg"

Off balance

Where's my sense of balance?! I can't wait to get my life together once this horrendous Step 1 is out of the way. There's a gigantic, sunny, beautiful, flashcard-and-question-bank-free world out there, waiting for my havoc! >:)

"Kilter"

Shifting

So much has changed in so little time! Almost everything about SF is simultaneously refreshing and daunting, from the great food to the beautiful buildings to the steep-ass hills (my legs are seriously sore ALL THE TIME).

The public transit system, though, is an absolute nightmare -- the buses are constantly late and painfully slow, and the drivers seem to have the power to randomly boot everyone off the bus for no reason. All this crap, along with the uneasiness that comes with waiting at bus stops alone at night, is something I'll have to get used to... I don't have enough money to cab every where, and I absolutely REFUSE to attempt to bike around (there are large hills and trolley tracks and cars and crazy hobos wherever I look!!!). I'll probably remain lost and confused for quite a while, but I WILL get the hang of it.

The weather is also particularly challenging. It's been consistently gorgeous outside during the day, but the nights are insanely chilly, what with the wind and the fog and my thin blazers/cardigans... I don't know if I can bear to become someone who lugs a puffer around all day just to have it on hand at night. I might just have to get fat, which, given all the delicious food I intend to consume, probably won't be hard to do. 

Also... it's SEPTEMBER ALREADY! WHHHHHATTT. September in a new city... let's do it, baby!

"Shifting"

Contours

Cartoon hearts are really lame, but playing around with their contours was actually a pretty interesting exercise. 

Cuuuuuurvy...

"Contours"

Dots, stripes, what have you

A study in shape and texture.

"Along the dots"

Happy 4th!

Hi all, happy July 4th! Hope everyone gets a chance to enjoy some fireworks/sparklers/cake tonight. 

Check back tomorrow for my big announcement! 

"The 4th"

Random

Checkerboard, remixed.

"Remix"

Man of steel

I've become quite fond of the new Superman, Henry Cavill. I've been wondering whether the % of women dating scruffy laborers (a la Cavill in the early scenes of Man of Steel) has increased since the movie's release. And how many men are now 'roiding out to replicate Superman's body. 

Cavill aside, I thought Man of Steel was the most engrossing superhero movie I've seen in a while (maybe ever..?). The 2+ hours goes by in a flash. Time well spent.

"Steel"

 

Hide and seek

I'm into disguising things today. Can you spot the oh-so-well-hidden vegetables? Hehe.
 

"Farmer's market"

 

From me to you: take 2

I really enjoyed coming up with my first wrapping paper design, so here's another!

It kinda puts me in a party-planning mood. Not that I've successfully planned any parties. All of the glamorous parties that I've hosted (e.g. my 12th birthday party) were put together by someone else (i.e. my mom).

"Funfetti"

 

Spin spin spin

So much to do! Sometimes I feel like I'm just spinning my wheels. 

"Wheels"

 

Downpour

Monday. Rain, rain, go away! 

My last weather-related post for a while, I promise. Can you tell that surgery has driven me insane?

"Rainy day"

Into the woods

To me, the woods are endlessly revitalizing -- in the spring, they offer up some of my favorite hiking trails; in the summer, they turn into a refreshing, cool refuge; in the fall, they become giant blankets of the most beautiful autumnal hues; and finally, in the winter, they accumulate the snow that's most fun and rewarding to ski through. As much as I love skiing, it's really hard to pick which version of the woods I like best...

"Into the woods"

Goat sounds

I saw some goats today! That vacant stare coming from their plastic-looking eyeballs is so amusing. :) 

It seems that lately, goats have experienced a surge in popularity: the "Goats Yelling like Humans" video; Taylor Swift's "Trouble: Goat Edition" (this version, in my opinion, far exceeds the original in both quality and catchy-ness); that goat-meat burrito I ate the other day. Weird.

Anyway, here's my belated homage to these noisy, funny-looking, kinda smelly, and sometimes cute animals.

Q

"The Bleat"