Hello again!

Cripes! I haven't written anything for a month! I wish I had an intriguingly exotic or vague or mysterious excuse, something like ,"I'm afraid I can't disclose where I've been for the past month. The CIA doesn't--oh, oops," or "I had a lovely time in New York. And Paris. And London. But we never did make it to Milan--the dear old Queen was ever so welcoming, and we simply had to stay for Prince William's birthday," or "Uh, well, umm, you see, er..." Although stuttering doesn't really translate well into blogs. Nevertheless, here are some random and delightful things I've been wanting to write about.

1. Beard Papa's "fresh 'n natural cream puffs."

I was in San Francisco a little while ago with my dad and my brother, and while walking around outside the Metreon we were immediately drawn to this small shop by its cute exterior--and the fact that it was called "Beard Papa's." We went in and bought some cream puffs--vanilla, chocolate, and tiramisu. They were all delicious. Don't worry--Beard Papa's is a chain with locations in many major cities. www.beardpapa.com

2. Heritage 1981
Basically Forever21, but better. As the cheap-and-cheerful retailer's sister store, Heritage 1981 is better organized, making it a lot easier to shop there. It's clearly arranged to feel more like a boutique; clothes are folded on low tables and hung neatly on racks arranged around the store. The store also seems to have more of a "concept" behind it, a kind of urban-hippie-chic, and has a hint of UrbanOutfitters about it . Heritage's clothes are much more casual than Forever21's, and the glitzy going-out tops and throwaway sequin dresses are largely absent. Everything seems to be better quality than Forever21--although that might just be the organization and "ambience" of the store. You still have to pick-and-choose carefully, but there are some really nice tops among the graphic tees and hoodies. http://www.heritage1981.com/

3. Camera Obscura

I can't believe I only found out about Camera Obscura a couple weeks ago.

The Scottish group has been around since 1996, and made their first album,

Biggest Blues Hi-Fi, in 2002. Their latest release is Let's Get Out of This Country (released 2006), followed by several EPs. Every single song is absolutely charming: the vocals are softly pretty and romantic, and the lyrics are witty, but not in an overly-ironic-Fall Out Boy-way. I would describe Camera Obscura as a blend of Belle & Sebastian, Regina Spektor, and Casey Dienel. In a word: perfect. http://www.camera-obscura.net/

Well, that's all I have for now--time to sleep! I'd appreciate any feedback or suggestions for the blog in general--content, layout, etc!

yours sincerely,

geraldine