crushes i wholeheartedly endorse or just giving thanks a little early

Happy autumn y’all. The holidays are almost upon us and I don’t know about you but I haven’t taken the time to really digest all of summer and early fall yet. But alas, time marches, so I am going to recap the past three months here on the left coast while giving thanks to the abundance of new crushes that have enriched my life. The daily wonders, big & small, that have made me smile on what otherwise might have been less than stellar days. In short, the people, places and things that inspire. So without further ado, here are the things I have fallen utterly and irrevocably in love with, in no particular order:

fog
brown sugar kitchen
being able to wear all your favorite items of clothing on the same day — even if they are sandals, corduroys, big scarves, windbreakers and t-shirts (weather be crazy out here)
rebecca solnit
ben
the color blue
vandercook presses
lemon zinger tea (an old steady resurfaces)
the cursive typeface that makes up the “cal” logo
robert wilson
kaci (what a gift)
sweet onion potato chips
inner + outer richmond san francisco
maggie nelson
betsy + berkeley california
living surrounded by water
robert bringhurst’s voice (super swoon)
jen + chris (old friends are like home)
richmond california
harryette mullen
daily email notes from the universe
nami yamamoto
the smell of eucalyptus trees
the abundance of old typography + signage in oakland
the nice lady who owns the coffee shop across the street from my house
john cage
sun yellow kitchen tables
julie chen’s studio
my new green scarf
postcards
faith + isabel + sarah (new friends are kinda nice)
the voice
myung mi kim
nishat (connecting folks from a whole state away)
the mills college library
people who love trees
waiting for the sun to set like its my job
the 2 security guys at the front gate of mills
rachael yamagata + elle varner + ella fitzgerald
salvage yards
+ still, just the biggest crush on my east coast family (for pep talks, skype sessions, for keeping in touch, care packages, updates + love. i miss you every day.) with a special shoutout to kate… (for still texting me awake and texting me to sleep no matter the time difference or what coast we happen to be on… oh, + for still being concerned about my fashion sense 3,000 miles away, bless you)

Also, here are some excerpts from the “things I can get behind in the bay area” list:

poached eggs (there are a lot of these everywhere. i don’t mind)

the overabundance of affordable avocados. again no complaint here from me

the way people come out for a sunset here like it’s an important appointment or a national pastime. it’s like we all have a date out here with the sun at the end of the day… (well done californians, you know what’s important.)

kids seem to smile easier here. i wish i could bottle that up and send a little of that back east. its nice to see.

happy crushsgiving y’all.
xo