off the grid SF

Last night my best friend from freshman year asked me if I was free for dinner. At this point in the week, I'll take just about any excuse to take a break from studying, and because I wanted to see my dear Dara, so I jumped at the chance. He recommended we go to Off the Grid, which I had never heard before. Let me tell you, my life is changed.

Off the Grid is a food truck festival. The company blocks an entire city block off and around ten food trucks come in and sell their goods. There's live music and chairs set up so that you can sit and enjoy your food and your company.

I had a California tofu burrito with french fries in it (can't put into words how good it was) and Dara and I split a salted carmel and a red velvet cupcake.

If you're in the East Bay, Off the Grid sets up shop at Shattuck and Rose in Berkeley every Wednesday evening. For SF locations, check the link above.

You must try!

my heart breaks for berkeley

berkeley is a place that has grown to take up a huge place in my heart.

the culture, the history, the intellect--

everything is so vastly rich and wonderful that i am frequently and massively humbled to be an admittedly insignificant part of such a place.

lately, though, berkeley has been hurting in a big way.

extreme budget cuts and fee increases have left campus in a state of turmoil.

students are outraged, and i know in my heart that the administration is doing everything they can to fix things, but they're not doing anything quickly enough.

occupy cal has drawn national attention.

protests have interrupted classes, spirit rallies, and just generally everyday life.

to make matters worse, last tuesday there was a shooting at the business school.

a student brandished a gun and got shot by the cops. he died.

on friday night, as my friends and i were driving to the movie theater to see breaking dawn, we smelled fire. on our way home (3 hours later) we saw a huge fire raging on telegraph (which, if you are unfamiliar with berkeley, is the main thoroughfare).

we soon learned that not only had our favorite restaurant and favorite bar been destroyed, but so had the 39 apartments above the businesses. 70 students are homeless, all of their worldly belongings destroyed, 3 weeks before final exams.

i cannot even begin to imagine.

so, this week, i am going to be especially thankful for my health, happiness, and home.

and i will be even more thankful for my experiences in berkeley these past 3 and a half years.

i ask for your prayers for a place that has truly become my home.

pray for berkeley!

image via

why i'm a bad blogger

for the past month or so i've been the worst at keeping up with my blog.

(my friends always tease me because i always think things are the worst or the best... no in between. i live in extremes and don't believe in gray areas)

i've been such a busy, busy little bee

so the blog has been put on the back burner.

but now i'm back in action!

today i offer you all some snippets of what i've been up to lately!

sorority recruitment literally consumed my life for about two weeks. but now i'm done! and we recruited 44 amazingly incredible new members. couldn't be happier we got them, and couldn't be happier that recruitment is over! tonight my escapades commence once again! though i am a little bit sad that i am forever done with the chanting, stomping, and bumping. my sorority and the friends i've made mean so much to me and i'll certainly be sad to take alum status at the end of the year.

aside from recruitment, i've been trying (largely unsuccessfully) to keep up with school. oh well, that's what weekdays are for, right? i've also been running a lot, and am looking to start training for a 5k or 10k. i think i need to give myself a concrete goal to work toward. with recruitment and school starting at the same time, i haven't really had the chance to relax or anything, so this weekend i plan on catching up on jersey shore and true blood and gettin' my dance on, of course.

i love love love three day weekends! what are you all up to?

The Semester in Review

I literally cannot believe the spring semester is over. Time sure flies.

So here's my breakdown:

This semester was by far my worst

and conclusively my best

semester I've had as a student at Cal.

Why the worst, you ask?

I battled minor depression (but I admit it, so I feel like that's a positive thing)

My beloved grandpa passed away

My three best friends were 21 and could go fun places without me

Becoming president of my sorority was in a lot of ways a huge mistake and it was really really hard on me at first (and continues to be, but I have learned to handle it better)

Why the best, then?

I rocked all my midterms/papers (earned an A on every single one!)

I finally FINALLY made exercise a part of my life. It's not something I have to do; it's something I want to do. It's helped me lose some weight, but most importantly it has helped me love my body

My sister Kendall got into almost all the schools she applied to, and I'm so excited to say she'll be joining me in the Pac 10 next year! Bears > Huskies ;)

I've begun to navigate my way around this blogging world, and I've found such an amazing support system and endless source of entertainment

But most of all, I've figured out how to be me in this world.

Despite the tears and stress of this semester, I am grateful for it all. I hope I never go through so many tough things at one time every again, but I will also be forever glad I learned so much about myself.

I am so excited about all the prospects of senior year! Lighter course load, getting a job, being 21, and making the most of the last year of the best time of my life. I am enjoying summer so far, but cannot wait for senior year to be here already.

I'm a senior in college!

Ahhhh! I am currently freaking out. Last night I finished my last final and closed the book on junior year. I can't believe I just have one year left! I don't ever want this to end.

I'll be recapping junior year in the next few days, and can't wait to share how much I've learned with you all! And I just started compiling my college bucket list, so get excited for that as well :)

In the meantime, packing like crazy and enjoying my last day in Berkeley for three months!

Happy summer!

Restaurant Review: Saturn Cafe

I'm a vegetarian and a foodie, which means I'm always on the hunt for restaurants that serve good vegetarian food. Ladies and gentlemen, I've found my mecca. Saturn Cafe in Berkeley is the first entirely vegetarian restaurant I've been to, and I almost immediately fell in love.

First off, the decor is unlike anything I've ever seen before. It's 50s/space themed, so everything is neon colors and all the columns are covered in glitter. The table tops are DIY collages of photos of 50s stars (I ate my veggie burger on top of Audrey Hepburn) and memorabilia, like false eye lashes and bobby pins. It was so cute and definitely felt like one of those diners that you just have to love.

Second, the food was bomb. I had the California burger, which is exactly what I get at every restaurant I go to, but it was even better knowing the patty hadn't even come into contact with meat at all. Even though it was veggie, it was still greasy and tasty, just the way I like it. :) My friend Jasmine and I shared a Chocolate Madness for dessert (which can be made vegan, but we opted not) which was equally incredible.

The last thing I loved about this restaurant was actually something I learned in the process of compiling this blog post. The restaurant (which also has a branch in Santa Cruz) is entirely green: they shop locally, don't use trans fats, and only opened in Berkeley because the city matched their ideals of sustainability. I'm not always the greenest, but I felt good knowing that I had a green, delicious meal for dinner.

I cannot wait to go back, and cannot recommend Saturn Cafe highly enough!

**I wish I had taken pictures of my meal!

For future restaurant reviews I promise photographic proof.

Reasons Why This Weekend Ruled

If you haven't noticed yet, I like lists. A lot. I'm too ADD/scattered to keep track of anything on my own, so I make lists. Obsessively. And no, they don't actually help with the ADD/scattered-ness. Sue me. But here's a list of reasons this weekend knocked my socks off:

On Thursday morning (almost the weekend), I got my 6th and final midterm of the semester back. Expected a C, got 100%. That makes me 6 for 6: 6 A’s on the 6 midterms I took this semester (okay, two were A-'s, but they still count). I'm still really anxious about the papers I have to write, but I'm 4 out of 6 pages done with one!
Right after my midterm, I ate an apple the size of a small pumpkin. For those of you who don’t know me well, I really like apples. I even did my senior year final English presentation on them.
As I was eating the apple, I passed a little old man on campus who was carrying a boombox playing “Rock Around the Clock.” Pretty good omen for the weekend, I’d say.

Thursday night Jasmine and I dressed as Mickey and Minnie for our sorority's invite. We were adorable (as evidenced below).Friday, Jasmine and I declared our second major (American Studies), went to a vegetarian restaurant for dinner (ahhh so exciting for me! Literally an entire menu of food I could choose from), and spent some time in the library. I checked out books from the library for the first time as a Cal student. Big day!

Saturday was Cal Day, my favorite day of the year. We spent the day basking in the sunshine and celebrating the fact that we go to the best school in the world. It was definitely a quintessential college day, complete with shenanigans and mysterious bruises. Wouldn't trade it for the world.Sunday, my sister Paige and my parents came for lunch, and my other sister Kendall came for dinner and to stay the night with me. Food coma, but so nice to see my family and spend some quality time with them.

About to embark on my second to last week of classes! Before school is over, I'll write two more research papers, attend 24 more hours of class, and probably cry at least 3 times. But after that, only two more weeks until glorious summer!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend as well!

be well.

Wonderful Weekend

The weekend began (on Thursday, because I'm in college, duh) with a beautiful night spent on the roof of my house drinking wine with my best friends. I took the pictures aboveon my iphone (I really really really need a new camera) and it was such a clear and warm night! It's beginning to feel a lot like summer :)

Friday was SO GORGEOUS. I spent the morning laying in the sun, and spent the evening at the A's opening night game with Kendall, Paige, and my dad. The A's played as if they had never played baseball before (bummer) but games are always fun, so I still enjoyed myself!

Saturday was my friend Genelle's birthday. Her one request was that we go to the gym, so Kate, Jasmine, and I went with her. I ran hard (probably too hard) and wound up pulling a muscle! I haven't been able to work out since. But in happier news, after the gym Jasmine and I discovered this great little place on Telegraph in Berkeley. It's called Pasta Bene, and it's super cheap, quick, and amazingly delicious. I had the salad above (for $4!!!) and was perfectly satisfied. I also scoped out some fantastic looking pasta dishes and cheesecake! I'll definitely be going back there soon.

Saturday night I went to my first foam party (so college, right?!) and I'm still waiting for the pictures. Will post soon, as I'm sure there are some funny ones!

What did you all do over this gorgeous weekend?

Monday musings

Had a mini photo shoot with Riley this morning before I left. I don't know why but she is so camera shy! She turns her head away as soon as I start snapping. Someday I'll have her well trained ;)

My mom drove me back to Berkeley today and we had a lovely afternoon of sushi and shopping. Now that she left I am unpacking and avoiding homework. :) I'm very sad to see spring break end, but I feel ready for the next five weeks of school. I'm very happy for the first time in a while. I have a zillion meetings this week and a midterm, but I'm not letting any of it get me down. It's hard to be sad when the weather is so lovely!

Hope you all are having sunny and happy Mondays! Let's cross our fingers that this weather keeps up.

be well!

PS: I bought this little number a few weeks ago and it arrived over spring break. Not to toot my own horn, but damn it's flattering! I'm saving it for my birthday in Vegas. Cannot wait! That just means I need to keep working out. Otherwise, no bueno in the teeny tiny dress!

I'll believe it when I see it.

When I saw this on my weather app this morning, I had to do a double take: what on earth is that white stuff it predicts on Saturday? I understand how blessed we Californians are for the wonderful year-round weather, but it's hard to see the glass half full this time. It was literally warm enough for me to wear just a t-shirt yesterday, today it rained all day, and Saturday it's supposed to snow?! What is this? It feels like some alternate not-California universe! Okay, I'll stop complaining now. Sunshine Sunday, perfect for a hike maybe :)

It's officially the weekend, which means I finally have some time to relax. I've got a little arts and crafts project planned, a skype date with my best friend Morgan, and a night at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco with Laura and Kate. I absolutely cannot wait to get out of Berkeley (if even for just one night) and shop and relax and just have fun.

Coming up on the blog:

• My arts and crafts project
• Update on the fitness plan
• My quest for a new camera

Hope you all [Kendall and Paige!] have a wonderful weekend!