The 3-day weekend extravaganza (conclusion)

If you missed it, here’s part 1

One of the things I love best about living in SoMa is that there are tons of wonderful places within walking distance of my building. Saturday morning I’d made plans with my neighbor, Candice, to go check out this store called Jeremys. I didn’t know what to expect; all I knew was that they sold designer goods at super low prices. And they were having a major sale.

Really, what more was there to know than that?

The first 100 customers got an extra 10% off, so we were out and about by 10am. After a quick 10-minute walk, we arrived… and my first thought was “how is it I’ve lived here for 9 months and not have known this place existed?!”

I wasn’t planning on buying anything but that didn’t stop me from flitting from clothing rack to rack like a butterfly on steroids. They had stuff from all the major labels (Gucci, DVF, Vera Wang, Givenchy to name a few) at crazy insane markdowns. A Prada top that originally retailed for $1,165 was marked at $205. An Oscar De La Renta dress, originally $2,950 could be yours for $515. And a Stella McCartney dress for $2,095 was listed at $44. Seriously!

But as with most good things, there’s always a catch. One of the reasons their prices are ridiculously low is because Jeremys merchandise comes from advertisements, window displays and customer returns — and many items are often damaged. They also get stuff from designers who sell them their production, sale samples and past season’s stocks. So you can get a good deal… you just have to be diligent.

Inside the store on the second level. How fab is that antler chandelier?

Despite our early arrival, a lot of the clothes in my size had already been snatched up. Out of the 7 or 8 pieces I decided to try on, I only bought one: an open-back grey Nicole Miller sheath dress which I scored for a miraculous $11. That’s right, eleven dollars. It retailed for $300! And the icing on the cake, it wasn’t damaged at all. I’ll post a pic when it makes it debut, but for now here’s a similar dress:

Right before checking out I stopped by the accessories display just to browse. But when I spotted a Prada clutch, it was love at first “high-end designer” sight. I briefly remembered the Choos that I wanted so badly but didn’t dare buy. But this clutch, I could. It was marked down from it’s original retail price of $500 to $130. There was a bit of fading on the gold leather, but she was still perfection so I took her home with me as well. Only a cruel person can say no to Prada.

The bf and I lounged the rest of the day, soaking in some much needed R&R. We topped off the evening with a late night showing of The Avengers at the Metreon. It is as good as everyone says, if not better. And I am now more in love with Robert Downey, Jr. and his fabulously snarky one-liners.

Sunday was Mother’s Day. We drove up to Napa and spent the afternoon with my mom and family. We ate way too much food, took home even more leftovers, and had a pretty wonderful day.

And thus endeth the 3-day weekend extravaganza. Alright, alright, alright (name that movie!)

Jeremys interior store photo from here

The 3-day weekend extravaganza

We had absolutely gorgeous weather in SF last week so C and I both decided to take Friday off and gift ourselves with a 3-day weekend (something we both seriously needed). I dubbed the weekend an extravaganza, because that word just makes everything sound like infinitely more fun.

We kicked things off Friday afternoon with lunch at Chez Maman in Potrero Hill. It’s a fabulously tiny place with DELICIOUS food. For him, a croque madame. For her, a burger with a fried egg, bacon, and cheddar cheese. We would have died and gone to heaven on that amazing meal alone but there was so much more to do.

Image courtesy of seriouseats

Once we were deliriously, happily stuffed we walked around Potrero and admired the view from atop a giant hill. I would insert a pic that C took of me overlooking the city but it got deleted. Lame. However, we did find the cutest little flower shop just a few doors down from the restaurant.

I just had to step inside and ask if they had any of my favorite flower. Well they did and these are the pretties I picked out:

Whilst waiting for my peonies to get wrapped up, I also spotted this beauty and knew I had to make it mine!

After a few hours in Potrero we ventured into the Haight and practiced a little retail therapy. I scored a lovely rose gold beaded necklace and a simple, dark blue button down while C found an awesome hooded jacket and a few t-shirts.

And with that we concluded our oh-so-perfect Friday. But Saturday was pretty amahzing (name that show!) too…

The dark side

I’m not a coffee drinker. As such I’ve managed to avoid Starbucks, save the occasional Tazo Shaken Iced Tea or hot chocolate. I really thought I was safe from that deadly Starbucks addiction that has so many of my friends craving (and buying) their daily fix.

But today, everything changed.

Did you know that this week is Frappuccino Happy Hour at Starbucks? From May 4-13 between 3-5 p.m. you can get any Frappuccino blended beverage for half price.

Folks, this is a HUGE problem. Why? Witness this bad boy:

This is the Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino Blended Crème aka my first Frappuccino EVER.

That first sip will go down in delicious drink history because goshdarnit… it was amazingly wonderful. I was not prepared for how good it was going to be! I had no idea Starbucks even made coffee-free fraps (and I even got mine with soy).

I think I’ve officially crossed over to the dark side. Damn you, Starbucks!

A peony for your thoughts

As I was walking down Market Street today in search of lunch (I ended up getting a bacon grilled cheese from Boudin and yes, it was delicious) I passed one of the many street vendor florists that are scattered about downtown. And I was delighted to find that it’s officially peony season in California!

Peonies are my new favorite flower. I’m not sure how I discovered them but it was very recent, maybe 3 or 4 months ago. I have been obsessed with these gloriously beautiful flowers ever since. I love how delicate, lush and full the blooms are… and the colors. Soft and sweet pinks, vibrant reds and oranges, bold fuschias and pale purples… each one is perfect in its own way.

As I did with my previous favorite bloom, the lotus flower (which was also the inspiration for my first tattoo), I wanted to learn about the meaning and symbolism of peonies. According to a Google search: peonies are known as the flower of riches and honor. They embody romance and prosperity, and are regarded as an omen of good fortune and a happy marriage. Peonies are also the traditional floral symbol of China and the state flower of Indiana.

I don’t know what it is about peonies but they just make me really, really happy. If I had a garden, it would be FULL of peonies of every variety and every color.

Coca-cola? Don’t mind if I don’t.

Folks, I have an announcement to make: I’ve kicked my addiction to Coca-Cola.

No, really! This time I mean it.

I’ve been drinking Coke since I was a kid. In high school I was at my worst, drinking at least 3 cans of Coke EVERY DAY. I’ve made many attempts to cut back on soda but I was never able to stick with it. I just really liked Coca-Cola and preferred it over any other beverage.

I decided that I simply needed a really good reason to quit drinking it.

Over the last few years, I’ve noticed there are a few things don’t come as easily as they used to. I can’t say I wasn’t warned. Anyone and everyone who was older told me that once you hit 25, things start to change. And boy were they right. About nine months ago I started getting pimples on my face a lot more frequently. Yuck. I was fortunate to have never experienced those acne-riddled teenage years so having my skin change so drastically now at age 26 was a bit of a shock.

At first I wasn’t sure what to do so I tried a few things. I cut back on greasy foods, I invested in a skincare routine for my face, I got prescription ointments from my dermatologist. They helped, but still didn’t solve the problem completely.

When the new year hit, I set some personal goals for 2012. One was to drink 1L of water every day (I’ve since upped it to 2L of water a day which I learned is the recommended daily amount for women). And every.single.day, I made a conscious effort to not drink Coke. A few months in, I noticed that my skin was clearing up and there were no new pimples!

So there it was. My one really good reason to stop drinking Coke.

I’ve gotten down to just 1 or 2 sodas a week. If you know me at all, that is a serious accomplishment. And lately I’ve noticed that I don’t even finish the can, drinking about half and tossing the rest. I stopped buying it at the store so there’s none in my fridge at home, although they do keep Coke fully stocked at work. I thought that would be a challenge but in the last week, when faced with the option of a Coke or water, I’ve been choosing water.

Did you hear me, people?!?! I CHOSE WATER OVER COKE!

So the next time you invite me over, don’t worry about throwing a can of Coke in the fridge for me. I will have water, thank you very much. Sparkling, if you can swing it.