Cupcake Pup

Moving to the city from LA wasn't easy. It's one of those life questions where you wonder, will the grass be greener on the northern side? Will the air be brighter? Will the cupcakes taste better? And while there are too many variables to count, and the like of a boy may be fleeting (read, i mess it up- usually) there is one guy that will always be there when I need him most.

My puppy.

Laugh all you want, I don't care.

He's cuter than a cupcake.

Honey Bunches of Cupcakes (now with pecans!)

I am all about reinvention. And uping the anty. And raising the stakes. And making it count. And owning your experience. (Full disclosure, a wise man- read, cute boy- once told me that one.)

However, let it be known that there are a few things in this world that should be left alone. We'll keep this food-focused to make things easy: Coffee? Leave it alone. Cupcakes? Self-explanatory. Need I say more?

So goes my diatribe surrounding Honey Bunches of Oats, wait for it... with Pecan bunches. Not only is the double bunches mention redundant- we get it, there are bunches of somethings- but pecans are just simply NOT cereal material. Muffins? Sure! Pie? Of course! Bread, cake, even cupcakes? Why not! But cereal... oh. no. you. DID-N'T.

A little background. I am a cereal connoisseur, OH YES I AM. During various vacations growing up, my dad and I would have contests to see how many mini- boxes of cereal we could eat. I was like 10. To no one's surprise he would win, but my life-long obsession with cereal was just beginning. Favorites you ask? Rice Krispies & Cheerios. I know, I know, boring, right? Naaaa-uuuuh. (Bringing out my inner- kindergartner's vocabulary.) While other kids were busy eating Fruit Loops and Lucky Charms, I was snap, crackle and popping without the added sugar crash around 2p. This may have contributed to my current sugar addiction at present, but that's another story for another time.

ANYWAY, PECANS. In cupcakes, maybe. In cereal, terrible.

One minor, little, tiny detail though- I have yet to try the new bunches. Yes, I am judgmental when it comes to cereal. I think I'll stick to cupcakes.

Cupcake Island

Some things in life are certain. Fact: Hawaii is a beautiful place. Fact: One of my favorite vacation spots, it's true. Fact: You would think nothing could taint it. Fact: You were wrong.

Mr. Antonio Sabato Jr., 90s Calvin Klein phenom, washed-up soap hunk and current star of the My Antonio manages to quell all romantic or fantastical nature of this tropical paradise simply with his first staged baywatch mankini jog. (Thank you, Ed.) It doesn't help that his bevy of women who want him are for lack of a better word, broke.

From an impromptu sprint up a sand dune, (really Antonio?) to the return of Mr. CK's ex-wife (as a CONTESTANT) this show ups the reality quotient. Competing for a man who was once your husband- on TELEVISION?!- is honestly beyond comprehension. Yes, yes it is.

But, let's go with it. For fun. Tiki torches are in full effect, leis are used in place of roses and to add a touch of um, 'class,' served room-service style under a 'just dessert' to reveal elimination. Too bad he didn't opt for cupcakes. At least there would have been one redeeming quality to Sabato's island.

But don't worry, I'll keep watching. So you don't have to.

Golden Gate Cupcakes

Why hello again cupcake, how I've missed you.

A new name, a new place, a new outlook.

With Big City Cupcakes (Cupcakes & the City was taken- don't blame me, url's are subject to availability nowadays) I find myself in the city by the bay ready to write. Life storytelling through cupcakes, take two if you will. Except this time, the cupcake is only a metaphor. I think? No wait, I know. (Stated with authority to no one in particular.)

Big City Cupcakes will be more than just a blog with pretty cupcake photos. Although- aren't the photos really pretty? Procrastinating at work will take on a whole new meaning as guilty pleasure television has nothing on me. Need an update on My Antonio? (or Project Runway for those of you who haven't yet expanded your reality show horizons.) I'm your girl. And of course, life battles of love, jobs, sugar- you name it, I'll get to it. I may be new to the city, but I've been living this life for 27 years. I'm an expert- don't f*@% with me.

With that said... my love affair with cupcakes is far from over- let's face it. BUT, this summer has brought me a clean California slate in San Francisco, a city I love almost as much or even more so than cupcakes. As they say, there's no time like the present.

So meet me at the golden gate... cupcake.

Cupcake 2009

Happy New Year to you, and to me.

With this day of new, I'd like to reflect on that which I resolutely resolve to reach this 2009, including but not limited to...

1. Health. This means yoga, soccer, spinning, running and yes, having my cupcake and eating it, too. In moderation of course.

2. Family. Always the first on the list. Or second.

3. Boys. Can't live with 'em, but most certainly cannot live without them. Especially now that I'm like, a day away from 30. And by a day, I mean three years plus.

4. Work. Lord help me. Seriously, I welcome divine intervention. Some direction, a sign maybe? Throw in a good word with the matchmaker while you're at it- thanks.

5. Quality of Life. Let there be fun. Let LA grow on me (a little.) Let traffic subside and the air be smog-free. Okay, I'm reaching.

You get it. This is a good year. A year of change, and progress. Always move forward I say...

To 2009.

Go team. xx

Reindeer Cupcakes

Alright people... it's holiday time. Ready. Set. Cupcake.

A few staples for the holidays...

But first, a disclaimer: Don't get me wrong, I think Chanukah is a beautiful celebration, but let's face it- even in LA where 98.5% of the population is a member of this blessed tribe, Chanukah gets no love. Therefore, I must fall back to what we all know best, Christmas. I am still a good Jew. (I think.)

Ok... holiday staples.

1. Kost 103.5: I have Love Songs with Karen Sharp "Holiday Edition" to thank for the constant stream of Goyim favorites- my top three being Last Christmas (a George Michael classic), Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree (thank you Brenda Lee) and the can't live without All I Want for Christmas by the infamous Mariah Carey.

And...

2. The Grove: No one can take away my Disneyland at the Grove. Yes, it's touristy. Yes, it's tacky (at times) and YES the Cheesecake Factory is so 2001. HOWEVER, you cannot tell me that a place where fountains dance, music comes out of the sidewalk and there are occasional puppet shows and dancing on the greens is not AMAZING. And, because the Grove does not stop at AMAZING, the holidays bring out its best.

It SNOWS.

Yes, that's right my fellow holiday-cheersters. SNOW.

Upon arrival a few Fridays ago (after photos in front of the Christmas tree and lots of oogling at the gingerbread house and Christmas lights) my sister and I were treated to an impromptu performance by the 'Top Hats', a group of girls decked out in Santa outfits and riding a trolley gilded in holly and tulle.

Just as their rendition of the can-can was winding down, I began to tell my sister the story of this magical night two years ago when I happened to be at the Grove during December and it snowed...

Well, you can guess what happened next... 'Let It Snow' started playing from behind a bush, and all of a sudden- *POOF*-

SNOW!! We proceeded to take a dozen photos of us in the 'snow' and skip down the the lane 'my darling.'

It was the best hour I've ever spent there, and definitely a holiday highlight.

I'm sure there are cupcakes at the Grove, but those sneaky reindeer must have ate them all.

Or maybe it was Santa.

Yes We Cupcake

Today is the day of change.

Don't let me down America...

Cupcake of Peace

Do you know it has been exactly 2 months and 2 days since I last wrote? And even more exciting, it has been exactly 6 months or one half of a year since my 26th birthday. That's right... I am officially 26 and half. Tomorrow I will be closer to 27 than I will be to 26.

Terrifying.

There are so many things I want to be doing- traveling, writing, reading, resting, running, romancing (anything that apparently starts with an 'r' and I'm there.)

I am doing some of these things, and waiting for others to come along, and dreaming about the possibility of the impossible, but it's a tough place to be. 

Dreaming.

So that is why my cupcake of peace awaits and I must ride into the sunset with my yellow and pink swirled frosting. Figuratively only, of course.

Lopsided Cupcake

Oh my... this is one of those weeks.

All topsy-turvy and kind of feeling east coast-like on the westside.

I'm waiting for this to pass. It will.

Hopefully it does before I meet the big dogs on Saturday. That's right... the. big. DOGS.

Cross your fingers, sugar cupcake.

Bright New Cupcake

click goes this something.
and today i feel lighter.
30 days to go.

Candlestick Cupcake

What do you do when you find yourself and another someone stranded somewhere along the road in Culver City?

You wrap yourself in a blanket and blow out a candle. That is putting it in very basic terms and leaving out several important details.

On that note, details, details, details.

My prolonged absence from writing has been due to the fact that I have actually had a summer this year... as in, I am not working 100 hours a week, but am instead going to the beach, and waking up at 5:30a to say hoo-ya, and simply enjoying not being chained to my computer.

I have decorated my new place on cloverdale and I love the fact that when I open the door, it's all mine. Not in a selfish, possesive kind of way, but in a my space, my retreat kind of way.

I have gone up to the bay, out to Boston, and will be heading to Hawaii in less than two weeks. A real vacation for a real summer... minus the cupcakes.

Shower the Cupcake

I went to my very first baby shower this weekend. Knowing T, I knew it would be a beautiful afternoon, and it was.

Babylove. Cupcakes included.

Cupcake Eyes

Wish upon a moon.
It happens when you don't look.
Close your eyes, cupcake.

Daddy Cupcake

It's been a while. This I know. The past few weeks have been peppered with mini-trips and big events and falling in and out of like and lust.

The constant in this change of tides (as always) is my family.

By the grace of good luck, I spent the past five days up north in the bay with my family; exploring the best designers of the city, taking a surprise detour to Treasure Island, watching a play in a mountain, dressing in white and cutting the line, running uninterrupted- if only by a deer- along sawyer camp, and posing for san francisco's bathroom shoot 08.

And, for the cherry on top, it was Father's Day weekend. So, not only did I get to come home, I got to spend Sunday with my Dad, and my Mom and my little sister. In a mountain. Watching a play. I know... Why and how would you watch a play in a mountain? Well, friends, it involves a big yellow school bus and a red ticket. Think Willy Wonka's golden ticket and then replace the gold with red and the fantasy world with an open-air mountain and the Wizard of Oz.

And there you have it.

I want home.

And cupcakes, too.

Sealed with a Cupcake

Peanutbutter frosting: $4.99

Chocolate kisses: $2.99

A perfect combination of peanutbutter & chocolate?

Priceless.

4ever Cupcake

I am definitely not a person who uses the phrase best friends forever, or a person who buys charm bracelets each with one half of a heart, or a person who talks 101 times a day to my best friend forever.

Unless... you count my sister.


Best friends forever, little one.

And sisters for always.

Swimming Cupcake

Bubbles.

Cupcakes.

Bubbles.

Cupcakes.

Bubbles.

Bubbling cupcakes.
Merrily swimming along.
Don't forget to breath.

Breath, cupcake, breath.

Cupcake Moon

Goodnight little moon.
Under the same moon we sleep.
Exploring moon dreams.

Mama Cupcake

In honor of Mother's Day this past weekend, I have gathered some very famous quotes, sayings, and revered euphemisms (with my sister's assistance) that will forever remind us of our cupcake mama...

1. How do ya like them apples?
2. Ciao, bella.
3. You look with your eyes closed.
4. Dammi cinque! (Gimme 5!)
5. Right with eversharp.
6. You take the high road, and I'll take the low road, and we'll be to Scotland afore ye!
7. Bacci! (Kisses!)
8. You lie like a rug.
9. Rock-A-Bye Baby on the treetop...
10. You're a day late and a dollar short.

I am a day late on this one... but as my Mother would say, better late than never. Happy Mother's Day!

Love you, Mom.

Cloverdale Cupcake

Should you not know the daily happenings of my life, (common knowledge) I moved into a new apartment yesterday.

It must be love.

I feel giddy. Glow-y even. I feel all pink and rosy and strawberry sweet. (Did I just write strawberry sweet? This fuchsia-colored life feels strange...) A passerby might glance over and think I had truly fallen in love... They would be right. I have a new beautiful space that is all my own and that is lovely, indeed.

Let's name it, cloverdale.

Welcome home, cupcake. Welcome home.