summer vibes

currently playing: ten-twenty-ten, the generationals.
for the past couple of weeks, i've been nothing but busy. amid a packed work schedule (prom season = high school grads cover all the shifts!) and a couple finals, i ensured that in every free moment i'd see my favorite people.

day two of meandering about the ucla area led to a quiet discovery: westwood farmer's market!

a recently acquired favorite of thousand oaks: the natural cafe

whole wheat pita, warmed :) with hummus, carrots, and sprouts.

too good.

old town salad (the best salad i've ever eaten, camera phone quality does zero justice); feta, carrots, tomatoes, avocado, brown rice, field greens, and a lemon herb dressing. 

due to my lack of a conventional academic agenda (and, in part, because of my work schedule i suppose), i find it quite hard to believe that, for all intents and purposes, it is summertime. i've got a lot of planning to do this summer, which entails a lot of major decisions (what to do in the fall?!) that i'll have to make much too soon. regardless if i return to puget sound or not, i'm entirely glad that the fact that it's summer means that i can reunite with my old floormates and friends.

as of late

too many lovely people

the dubious connoisseur

being that it was a rather dim monday, work was a little slow.
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so began my expedition into the domain of desserts!

mini waffle cone with lemon and strawberry sorbet

mango sorbet + panna cotta = mango lassi! naturally, i immediately disclosed my handiwork to my indian pals. 

during slow shifts, we make innumerable amounts of waffle cones that make all of peppertree lane smell deeelish!

flavor of the day: tiramisu! for fun, henry often makes and beautifies mini cones and gelato, which gives an extra 'oomf' to the entire showcase.

the good thing about working at a gelato shop: seemingly limitless free gelato.
the bad thing about working at a gelato shop: seemingly limitless free gelato.

non sequiturs:
my last days of classes are rapidly approaching. it's a pretty bittersweet feeling, but i'm excited for the summer! and the black keys & arctic monkeys and just the bay area in general this weekend!

eons far from the sun?

it's almost summer! not that the weather is any indication of that...today's a little gloomy out, but i'm absolutely fine with that since it's the most versatile of weathers (cardigan and shorts come together on days like this). plus, the mellow weather is perfect for hiking or jogging the beach trail!

anyway, today i moseyed down to the salvation army and was delighted to see this sign out front:

i have an extremely ominous-looking shadow 

 yayayay! then this happened:

wooden bowls, $1.49 each

straw bag, $3.95. usually i don't pay particular attention to brand names when it comes to thrifting, but this bag had a distinct "gap" label, so i know it'll last a while 

$1 for a shawl

the shawl also acts as a skirt! or the skirt acts as a shawl, whichever you please.

since i've been obsessing over "mad men" lately, i had to get this $6 dress. the neckline reminded me of sally draper, plus the dress is a very light taupe color (again, sorry for the photo quality) and it's clean, fresh, and light feel would be perfect for hot summer valley days when i have to go to the office in canoga park. 

this outfit kind of makes me feel like i'm four years old again, and i'm pretty sure i had an very similar if not almost exact outfit when i was that age, but regardless, i thought the light mint (PICTURE QUALITY WHY) green top ($1) and floral shorts ($4) were so perfect for the summertime!

so anyway, i purchased some more additions to my quickly growing summer closet, which includes some of these: 

excuse my half-closed eyes...let's focus on the hat i got recently from forever 21 instead! i didn't get it today, i actually bought it online a while ago, but while i'm posting these summery clothes i thought i might as well show it off

a closer look at the hat. i love the polka dots!

$15 dress + $3 belt from h&m. again, not from today (actually from my most recent LA weekend) but it fits the theme

so there it is! clothes clothes clothes. it's a bit of a bummer that i have a uniform for my main job at GP, where i spend most of my time these days, but i guess that makes all the other occasions seem that much more special. speaking of work, i've got the closing shift tonight and i anticipate a lot of down time (what with this gloomy weather) to make pretty-looking edible things.

currently playing: i wanna go by summer heart.

hope y'all beat dem monday blues!

saison du printemps

it's sunday night.
i'm feeling restless.
what i would really love more than anything right now is a mac n cheese + mex hot choc pie from the pie hole...but i'll opt for some other small delights (both edible and not) that exhibit the aura of spring.

for eats:

carrots and edamame! 

 for fun:

my aggregate supply of nail polishes

i bought these on sale for $3 each at little tokyo's american apparel...i was instantly besotted with the salmon pink and the darker magenta! both are perfect for spring/summer; the salmon would be beautiful against a light outfit or beach day wear, and the magenta would look awesome with some night-out apparel for the evenings. 

the day i received my first paycheck from gelato paradiso (GP) coincided with my weekend in LA. krista and i went to the americana and downtown/little tokyo...which resulted in one magnificent example of cross-cancellation. throughout my capitalistic escapades, my thought process was pretty flawed (constant justifications including "it could be more expensive" and "$15 for an new arrival h&m dress is so cheap!"), and naturally, the receipts added up.

time to start saving, ashley...to buy BETTER things! like a rebel (to replace my stolen canon) or to, i don't know, pay for fall 2012 tuition?

i need to reorganize my priorities.

also, i apologize for the shoddy photo quality; i'm using my phone until i upgrade my poorly-functioning camera.

JUST KIDDING!

despite my preference for wordpress's sleeker, cleaner, and ultimately more aesthetically pleasing interface, i've resorted to old-fashioned (did i speak too soon?) google blogger...it's a little more convenient (just since i'm so accustomed to it) and far more simplistic. i might update the wordpress account every so often if i'm feeling a lil high 'n mighty, but until such delusions of sophistication devour me whole, i'll be sticking to good ol' blogspot.

pictures of late and subsequent commentary:

usc beaux arts ball with krista and her roommates (i am utterly infatuated with these ladies)

running around studios in the archie dept.

the theme for beaux arts this year was mondrian, so sick ass decorations were clearly in order

waffle bowl success: various sorbets, berries, and chocolate drizzle, concocted by the magnificent henry.

fucking delicious brioche french toast made for a fantastic post-beaux arts sunday morning brunch

my line of work

updates:

• i got a second job! it's pretty fun...the shop is nestled in a cute little brick alley. being that it's located in laguna beach, we get a pretty wide variety of customers (tourists, with whom i LOVE striking up conversation, soccer moms and all of their 485 children, elderly women who maintain that the shop "smells like woodstock"). essentially, i get paid to scoop gelato, make pretty lil desserts when i'm bored, and/or babysit a gelato shop (during slow shifts). 
• bullet points, i've discovered, are both adorable and nifty, and for that reason (evident in the wordpress site) i'll be utilizing them regularly.
• re-discovering the joys of LA, time and time again

happy sunday! xoxo

no. 93

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