Drool over pictures.
Click on picture to go to recipe.
Star your favorites.
Repeat.
God, I just want to grab everything off the screen and cram it all in my mouth.
Things I'd like to make in the near future from this gem of a blog:
Chocolate Pudding with Shortbread Cookies
Apple Cheddar Scones!
Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream
Eclairs
Pecan Honey Sticky Buns
Familiar with LoveSac's super comfy, simple-but-fun, mod furniture?
If I ever find myself in Dallas, TX, it will be absolutely necessary to stop and see a movie at the LoveSac Theatre. The "biggest media room in Dallas" is probably the most comfortable public theater in which to watch a movie... ever. Pictures inside the theater are here.
Also, speaking of LoveSac... once I have a salary, I'll have to buy myself one of these. They are a little out of my price range but look PERFECT for fall or winter, chilly nights, or just reading a book.
(First discovered here)
Yellowstone was amazing. First, we (Claire, Claire's dad, and I) flew from San Francisco to Salt Lake City and rented a car, then made the scenic drive north. We stayed in a hotel in West Yellowstone during nights and went to the park during days, then drove back down to Salt Lake City before returning to California. Here are the best of the best of the photos I took on the four day trip using a Canon Rebel XTi with a Tamron 18-200 mm 1:3.5-6.3 lens, both of which I was fortunate enough to borrow from a friend for the trip.
Each night, my friend and I reviewed all of the photos we took that day. I asked myself what made the picture more or less pleasant to look at, and gradually I sort of got a feel for what makes a good or bad picture. I seriously think my picture-taking skills improved with each day I spent at Yellowstone. And I have some pretty sweet photos to prove it :)
Enjoy!
Mammoth Hot Spring Terraces:
A funky tree root in Norris Geyser Basin:
The huge crowd watching Old Faithful:
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Lower Falls:
On our first day in the park, we saw a young bear taking a stroll on the side of the road:
And later on in the trip, a baby marmot:
...and maybe its mama marmot? They were both in the same area:
Then we saw the cutest chipmunk, either rubbing or cleaning its nose in this picture...
After getting tired of taking pictures of animals, people, and landscapes, I started taking pictures of faces that I saw around the park, too. Here is a happy little geyser:
And a fun tree:
And an even more fun tree:
On the last leg of the trip when we were in Salt Lake City, I took this picture of a seagull flying over the Great Salt Lake:
After taking nearly 700 photos total during the trip (my friend took more), I think I became a better photographer. My advice for anyone going on such a trip would be to take tons of photos because you can delete the bad ones later. If you don't take many, you might wish you had taken more, because some of them might end up being framed incorrectly or blurry, especially if you are an amateur photographer like I am.
When I come back, I'll have some pretty wicked photos to post. I think we've been taking an average of 500 photos a day*, so I'll be sure to post a couple of good ones on here. Okay just kidding, more than a couple.
* Tourists with digital cameras in Yellowstone = picture-taking chaos.
The songs are also iTunes Plus, which means there aren't any file-copying restrictions on them. Woo hoo!
1. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte), K. 620: Overture - London Philharmonic Orchestra
2. Johann Sebastian Bach - Suite for Orchestra No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068: II. Air - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
3. Antonio Vivaldi - The Four Seasons (Le Quattro Stagioni) Concerto for Violin in E Major, RV 269, Op. 8: 1, "Spring": I. Allegro - Camerata Antonio Lucio
4. Johann Pachelbel - Canon in D Major - Musica Antiqua New York
5. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake Suite, Op. 20: Scéne: Moderato - Slovenian Radio Symphony Orchestra
6. Edvard Grieg - Peer Gynt, Suite No. 1, Op. 46: IV. in the Hall of the Mountain King, Alla Marcia e molto Marcato: Piu Vivo - Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra
7. Franz Liszt - Liebestraum No. 3 in A-Flat Major, G 541, Op. 62: "O Lieb So Lang' Du Lieben Kannst" - Jerome Rose
8. Johann Sebastian Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major, BWV 1048: I. Allegro - Wurttemberg Chamber Orchestra
9. Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67, "Fate": I. Allegro con Brio - London Symphony Orchestra (LSO)
10. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 21 in C Major, K. 467: II. Andante - Köln Chamber Orchestra
11. Johannes Brahms - Hungarian Dances: No. 5 in G Minor - Kosice State Philharmonic Orchestra
12. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550: I. Allegro Molto - SWR Symphony Orchestra
13. Johann Sebastian Bach - Chorale from Cantata, BWV 147: Jesu Bleibet Meine Freude (Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring) - Susanne Doll
14. Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27: 2 "Moonlight": I. Adagio Sostenuto - Eliso Bolkvadze
15. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Serenade No. 13 in G Major, K. 525 (Eine Kleine Nachtmusic): I. Allegro - Slovenian Radio Symphony Orchestra
16. Stanley Myers - Cavatina - Trio Sur
17. Johann Sebastian Bach - Concerto for 2 Violins, Strings and B.c. in D Minor, BWV 1043: I. Vivace - Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra
18. Charles Gounod - Ave Maria (after J.S. Bach) - Amy Butler
19. Remo Giazotto (after Tomaso Albinoni) - Adagio In G Minor for Strings and Organ - London Festival Orchestra
20. Ludwig van Beethoven - Bagatelle in A Minor, WoO 59 "Für Elise" - Leonard Hokanson
21. Johann Sebastian Bach - Cantata, BWV 208, "Was Mir Behagt: Ist Nur Die Muntre Jagd!": IX. Schäfe Können Sicher Weide (Sheep May Safely Graze) - Musica Antiqua New York
22. Ludwig van Beethoven - Overture to Egmont, Op. 84 - London Symphony Orchestra (LSO)
23. Johann Sebastian Bach - Fugue for Solo Guitar in A Minor, BWV 1000 - Klaus Jäckle
24. Richard Wagner - The Valkyrie: Ride of the Valkyries - St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra
25. Sergei Rachmaninov - Vocalise No. 14 for Cello and Piano, Op. 34: Lentamente - Markus Stocker
26. Dmitri Shostakovich - Suite from "The Gadfly", Op. 97a: VIII. Romance - Sofia Radio Symphony Orchestra
27. Franz Joseph Haydn - Symphony No. 94 in G Major, "The Surprise": Andante - Musici di San Marco
28. Johann Sebastian Bach - Violin Partita No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1006: Preludio - Aaron Rosand
29. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - 1812 Festival Overture, Op. 49 - Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra
30. Frederic Chopin - Nocturne No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 9 - Peter Schmalfuss
31. Giacomo Puccini - Turandot: Nessun Dorma - José Carreras
32. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Requiem Mass in D Minor, K. 626: VII. Lacrimosa - Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
33. Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 "Pathétique": II. Adagio Cantabile - Alfred Brendel
34. Niccolò Paganini - Cantabile, Op. 17 - Daniela Rusoova
35. Gustav Holst - The Planets, Sutie for Large Orchestra, Op. 32: Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
36. Georg Philipp Telemann - Concerto for Viola and Orchestra in G Major: I. Largo - Capella Istropolitana
37. Johann Sebastian Bach - Suite No. 1, BWV 1007: Prelude - Victor Yoran
38. Johann Strauss II - An Der Schönen Blauen Donau (On the Beautiful Blue Danube), Op. 314: Waltz (excerpt) - London Philharmonic Orchestra
39. Claude Debussy - Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune - ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra
40. Edvard Grieg - Peer Gynt, Op. 23, No. 1: Solveig's Song - Berlin Symphony Orchestra
41. Giuseppe Verdi - Requiem: Dies Irae - Tuba Mirum - Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra
42. Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor: IV. Adagietto - London Symphony Orchestra (LSO)
43. Franz Joseph Haydn - String Quartet No. 1 In B-Flat Major, Op. 1: III. Adagio - Caspar da Salo Quartet
44. Johann Sebastian Bach - Mass in B Minor, BWV 232: VI. Et Resurrexit - Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
45. Franz Schubert - Quintet in A Major, Op. 114 "The Trout": II. Andante - Rochester Chamber Players
46. Felix Mendelssohn - Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in E Minor, Op. 64: I. Allegro molto Appassionato - Scottish Chamber Orchestra
47. Arcangelo Corelli - Concerto Grosso in G Minor, Op. 6: 8 "Christmas Concerto": II. Allegro - Wurttemberg Chamber Orchestra
48. Antonin Dvorák - Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95 "From the New World": II. Largo - Slovenian Radio Symphony Orchestra
49. Maurice Ravel - Boléro - London Symphony Orchestra (LSO)
50. Edvard Grieg - Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46: I. Morning Mood - Utah Symphony Orchestra
51. Johannes Brahms - Tragical Overture, Op. 81 in D Minor - Amsterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
52. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major, K. 331: III. Alla Turca: Allegretto - Walter Klien
53. Sergei Rachmaninov - Symphony No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 27: III. Adagio - Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra
54. Erik Satie - Trois Gymnopédies: Gymnopédie No. 1: Lent Et Douloureux - Frank Glazer
55. Edvard Grieg - Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in A Minor, Op. 16: I. Allegro molto Moderato - Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra
56. Jules Massenet - Thaïs: Meditation - Caffee Concerto Ensemble
57. Samuel Barber - Adagio for Strings - New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
58. Claude Debussy - Syrinx - Jadwiga Kotnowska
59. Alexander Borodin - String Quartet No. 2 in D Major: III. Notturno - The Rimsky-Korsakov Quartet
60. George Frideric Handel - Water Music, Suite No. 1 in F Major: VI. Air - St. Petersburg Radio and TV Symphony Orchestra
61. Gabriel Fauré - Pavane - The New York Philomusica Winds
62. George Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue - Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
63. Claude Debussy - Suite Bergamasque, L. 75: III. Clair de Lune - Peter Schmalfuss
64. Antonio Vivaldi - The Four Seasons (Le Quattro Stagioni): Concerto for Violin in G Minor, RV 315, Op. 8: 2, "Summer": III. Presto - St. Petersburg Radio and TV Symphony Orchestra
65. Johann Sebastian Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No. 6, BWV 1051 in B Major: Allegro - スロバキア管弦楽団
66. Edvard Grieg - Two Elegiac Melodies, Op. 34: Last Spring - Bonn Classical Philharmonics
67. Johann Sebastian Bach - Chorale, BWV 650: "Kommst Du Nun, Jesu Von Himmel Her Unter" - Armand Belien
68. Ludwig van Beethoven - Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 73: II. Adagio in poco Mosso - Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra
69. Antonin Dvorák - Cello Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104: I. Allegro - Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra
70. Camille Saint-Saens - Carnival of the Animals: 13. the Swan (Le Cygne) - Stockholm Chamber Duo
71. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Requiem Mass in D Minor, K. 626: II. Dies Irae - Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
72. Ludwig van Beethoven - Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24 ("Spring Sonata"): I. Allegro - Emmy Verhey
73. Bedrich Smetana - Má Vlast (My Country) - Cycle of Six Symphonic Poems: II. Vltava (The Moldau River) - London Philharmonic Orchestra
74. Niccolò Paganini - 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1: No. 24. Tema Con Variazioni - Ruggiero Ricci
75. Franz Schubert - Piano Trio in E-Flat Major, Op. 100, D. 929: II. Andante Con Moto - Benedikt Köhlen
76. Franz Schubert - Symphony No. 8 in B Minor "Unfinished", D. 759: I. Allegro Moderato - Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra
77. Johann Sebastian Bach - Woll-Temperierte Klavier, Book 1: Prelude in C Major, BWV 846 - Kveta Novotna
78. Christoph Willibald Gluck - Orpheus and Eurydike: Dance in the Meadows - Munich Chamber Orchestra
79. Claude Debussy - Arabesque No. 1 - Peter Schmalfuss
80. Carl Orff - Carmina Burana (Cantiones Profanae), Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi: I. O Fortuna - Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra
81. Antonio Vivaldi - Concerto for Mandoline, Strings and, B.c. in C Major, RV 425: Allegro - Musici di San Marco
82. Johann Sebastian Bach - Suite for Cello No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009 (Arr. For Guitar): V. Bourree 1 & 2 - Simon Wynberg
83. Richard Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra: Tone Poem for Large Orchestra, Op. 30: Introduction - Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
84. Johann Sebastian Bach - English Suite No. 4 in F Major, BWV 809: Sarabande - Daniel Benn
85. Jeremiah Clarke - Trumpet Voluntary in D Major (The Prince of Denmark's March) - Musica Antiqua New York
86. Ludwig van Beethoven - Egmont (Incidental Music), Op. 84: Overture - London Symphony Orchestra (LSO)
87. George Frideric Handel - The Messiah, HWV 56: Hallelujah Chorus - Atlanta Symphony Orchestra And Chorus
88. Franz Schubert - Ave Maria - Mary Jane Newman
89. Johann Sebastian Bach - Violin Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004: Ciaccona - Conrad von der Goltz
90. Hector Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14 (Episode de la Vie d'un Artiste): V. Songe D'une Nuit Du Sabbat (The Witches' Sabbath) - Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra
91. Franz Joseph Haydn - Cello Concerto No. 1 in C Major (Hob. VIIb:1): III. Allegro Molto - Bamberg Symphony Orchestra
92. Hector Berlioz - Harold in Italy, Symphony for Viola and Orchestra, Op. 16: Andante - Allegro - Moscow RTV Symphony Orchestra
93. Frederic Chopin - Waltzes, Op. 34: No. 2 in A Minor - Abbey Simon
94. Claude Debussy - La Mer - Trois Esquisses Symphoniques (The Sea - Three Symphonic Sketches), L 109: I. de L'aube À Midi Sur la Mer (Paddling On the Sea At Noon) - Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra
95. Richard Wagner & Robert Wagner - Tristan and Isolde: Prelude to Act 1 - Innsbruck Symphony Orchestra
96. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Serenade No. 10 in B-Flat Major, K. 361 "Gran Partita": I. Largo - Molto Allegro - The New York Philomusica Winds
97. Joaquín Rodrigo - Concierto de Aranjuez for Guitar and Orchestra: II. Adagio - Scottish Chamber Orchestra
98. Sergei Prokofiev - Romeo and Juliet, Ballet Suite No. 2, Op. 64b: I. Montagues and Capulets - The Minnesota Orchestra
99. George Frideric Handel - Rinaldo: Aria & Lascia Ch'io Pianga - Brewer Chamber Orchestra
100. Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125 "Choral": IV. Ode to Joy (excerpt) - London Symphony Orchestra (LSO)
Watch a lot of movies. 6 movies in the past 7 days. It puts me at nowhere near 3,000 movies, but it's more than I usually watch (about one per month).
The Darjeeling Limited
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Hero
Black Mask
The Royal Tenenbaums
Fanaa
I liked them all; for various reasons I am too lazy to document here. And I'm going to see another one today. Yesterday I went to see the Berkeley Rose Garden. It was nice.
My future summer plans:
- Yosemite
- Outdoor climbing
- Muir Woods
- Alcatraz
- Seeing more of San Francisco and the Bay Area
- More fun things
Cheers to having so many avenues of entertainment at my disposal this summer.
It's summer, and I've graduated. I've been treating every day like a personal day, although at some point I need to look for jobs. Until I get my act together, the procrastination continues. But at least you get to read new blog posts...
Today I made lemon cupcakes using this recipe. First, I zested and juiced some lemons. I realized today that I hate zesting lemons. I made a note to myself to use lemon extract next time. Or to buy cupcakes from a bakery, ha.
This was for the filling, the lemon curd. It turned out tasting pretty freakin' fantastic... tart and sour but also balanced with sweetness. It's like the filling you sometimes find in lemon danish pastries or lemon-filled donuts, but much better.
Lastly, I sliced the cupcakes in half and filled them with the lemon curd before topping them with some icing. Voila! An afternoon's worth of work :)
What did you learn in kindergarten that you wish you did a better job of applying to the way you live your life today?
To take pride in whatever you do, no matter how insignificant it may seem to someone else, because you will learn from doing, and you can only improve yourself or your skills by increasing your knowledge.
