The House Poet

Gahhhhhh, I can't believe I hadn't posted this yet!!! This past week has been INSANE. I had some hard stuff to deal with, such as the death of a family friend and frustating class scheduling. College is never easy, and in the words of my wonderful father-- "Living on your own is tough!" I couldn't have said it better myself, Dad. :) However, a lot of fun was had by me and Andrew this holiday weekend. :) I am glad that we are settling back into our usual routine this week-- I actually am a "routine" kind of person, and I really don't like change. I can't believe it's April already...I am going to Japan next month! Now, without further ado, here is what I did for my 20th birthday in January! Stay tuned for more catch-up posts to follow! :) ~ ~ ~ Oreo cookie cake with 20 candles, courtesy of my love and his family! :D Hello everyone! Saturday January 3o was my 20th Birthday!!! I am really excited about being 20; it feels right to ...

I know Christmas is done, but here is how I spent my Christmas eve! My father had to go to San Jose to say hello to a dear client of his, and so my sister and I tagged along. I was dying to check out the Kinokuniya Bookstore and Mitsuwa Marketplace there, so I was looking forward to it! :) After shopping at Kinokuniya for a bit, my sister and I went over to a cute little bakery called Clover Cake Shop. It was very Japanese in style and food, so it was fun to check out! All the pastries and breads were cheap, and I was so tempted to buy a lot, but I didn't. This was an almond danish. I ate it on Christmas morning, and it was pretty good. It seemed more bready than I would have thought a danish to be, but the almond flavor was strong and tasty. :) This doughnut was a hit! It was lightly coated in sugar and inside it there was smooth azuki red bean paste....yummm! This was still warm and really hit the spot! :) The flavors of the bean paste and the sugary doughnut outside complemente...

Ever since my parents divorced when I was eight, Thanksgiving changed for me. I still wish I could be with my whole family for Thanksgiving, but maybe that will happen someday in the future. Until then, I usually spend it with my dad, sister, grandma, aunt, and my four cousins. I really missed Andrew yesterday and wished he could have been a part of it, but he is having fun in the Philippines. :) For lunch, my dad made homemade tacos, which were tasty and not spicy, which was good for me! It was a nice treat since it has been forever since he made them for me last. :) Tacos are kind of a funny thing to eat on Thanksgiving, but thats okay. :D Preparing for Thanksgiving dinner on the other hand.....was certainly interesting. The oven caught on fire right before I was going to make biscuits, so I decided against it. Luckily, the fire wasn't a serious one, and it died out rather quickly. I did end up making mashed potatoes and box stuffing, so I am glad I was able to contribute some di...

Yep, I am on a blogging roll today! I want to write up the posts as soon as I can this week so I don't get bogged down and behind like I do when at school, haha. Also, it's fun, and I want to make sure Andrew can see what I am up to! :) My sister and I went to Tulio's, which is an Italian restaurant I used to go to as a kid when I was done with ballet class, which was across the street. So, it's been around for a long time! We were seated promptly and given a basket of baguette and foccacia bread, both of which were good and just how I remembered them. Also, a bowl of herbs, olive oil, and balsami vinegar accompanied the bread. Dipping the bread in the mixture was very tasty, especially with parmesan sprinkled in it! This was the house salad that came with my pasta entree. I wasn't a fan of everything in this salad; I think the beats are an odd addition.....but that's just me. I asked for vinaigrette as my dressing and they served that in a quaint silver bowl. T...

Many things have been happening so I'm happy that I finally have the time to write a post about it! One big thing is that I have decided to change my major to studio art with a concentration in Photography and something else!!!! This is really exciting for me and I can't wait to start my art classes next semester! :) I've also been having fun with Andrew and enjoying the fall weather. It has been extremely cold this week though, so hopefully it warms up a bit before Halloween! The weekend of October 17 my family came over to visit me here on campus! :) They took Andrew and me out to lunch in a neighboring small town called Clements. On the drive over, we passed a lovely apple orchard that was on both sides of the road. The trees were tall and green, their leaves bushy and letting in slivers of sunlight. It was a lovely orchard and we all wished we could walk around in it. The restuarant was known as Clements Feed and Fuel and it was closing the day after we went, which was...

As I mentioned in my last post, my dad threw me a good-bye dinner last night! Itwas fun and full of excellent food and conversation. :) My dad made three pizzas with the same toppings of ham, mushrooms, cheese, and a mixture of ground beef and onions. We tried to get pepperoni, but every time we went to Safeway to get some, they were out! But the ground beef and onion mixture was delicious and a great way to use up leftover meat! There were four of us: myself, my dad, little sister, and our family friend Joe. We all ate tons of pizza!! :D Yummmmmm!!! Here are two slices I ate drenched in fresh parmesan shavings, the best!! I can't eat that awful Kraft parmesan in the green containers. It's so fake and tasteless! Buying fresh parmesan may be more expensive, but it's so worth it! I loved all the salty pieces of ham too....soo goood..... :D Today is my last day at home! I woke up this morning all excited and anxious for tomorrow to come! But, I have a lot to do today, so it...

Bwahahahaha I am going on a blogging rampage! I want to get at least somewhat caught up before I go back to school! :) Today so far has been quiet, but rather productive. I packed some more things for school this morning and went through old boxes. I've also been enjoying putting up these blog posts! I also started working on some poems for a performance next Saturday night with Euphorah so hopefully that goes well. I did find something amusing in an old box in my closet! When I was 12, my dad organized a taco-eating contest between me and my sister! She was only 9 at the time, and did very well, but I was the winner! I don't remember how many I ate, perhaps 7 or 8! :D My dad made a little trophy to celebrate it; I am so glad I found it! The trophy says "Taco Champion 2002"! :) For lunch, my grandma and my aunt wanted to take my dad out to lunch! So, after my dad went to church we went to Miraku, a Japanese place near where we live. The other Japanese place in Concor...

My dad is returning home from his mini-vacation in Reno tomorrow, so today my sister and I went shopping with my grandma and had lunch downtown! :) Since I have about 2 weeks (OMG YAY!) until I go back to college, today was probably the last time we could do that this summer. It was very fun and I always enjoy spending time with my grandma. It was funny though, because we could all tell that my mind is not here any more, but in Stockton! :D I had Pacific on my mind~~ ;) We went to H&M and I bought 4 shirts and two cute hair accessories, all for $35! Ahhh, I love finding good sales. ;D Afterwards, we went to an Italian place that has been downtown for years!!! I've walked by it all my life and had never eaten there before, so I was curious and wanted to try it before I left. It's called Tomatina, and apparently is a chain. To start off the meal, I ordered a vanilla mint lemonade and my sister ordered the strawberry lemonade. I enjoyed the vanilla mint; it wasn't too swe...