gildery

Review: Mountain Winery

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 22:31:00 +0000

So before I became a real cripple, I decided to spend my last crutches-free weekend wine tasting. I'll break my reviews up into a blog post per vineyard and go from there. The first vineyard I went to was Mountain Winery. Which, I really failed to take pictures... However, I do have to say that the wine wasn't the best, but the place as a venue was great. (If you could ignore the cheesy soundtrack of only artists that have ever played there) If you go to a tasting, make sure that you do the Santa Cruz Mountain wines, those were the best by far.

What I did immensely enjoy about the place was the picnic are, which was perfect when you wanted to chow down after a tasting - and enjoy a bottle while you were there! I thought that it was a great selling point.

A Little Too Much Food For Two People...

Another can't miss feature of the vineyard are the spectacular views, one one side you can see the Silicon Valley and on the other you can see some of the California State Land Preserves.

The View Driving Down The Mountain

We actually happenstanced upon this place because we were not aware that Ridge was having a Montebello tasting, and thus was closed. This would make a nice addition to a vineyard hopping day in the Santa Cruz Mountains, but maybe the last stop. Ridge would still be the first stop (so the car would have plenty of space for a few cases).

injury, scmjery..

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Fri, 21 Mar 2014 20:43:00 +0000

So for those of you who don't know, I tore my left ACL and MCL (two apparently very important ligaments in your knees...) so I underwent ACL reconstruction surgery yesterday. With that being said, clearly I have some time to blog about a few things in the past. But first, I'll let you know what happened :)

The Injury:
I was skiing at the fabulous Alpine Meadows three weeks back where I fell and my binding didn't pop off. This may sound typical, but it twisted in a way where my ACL tore. Unfortunately for my ego, there wasn't even a good story to tell. It literally went, wasn't paying attention on a new run, fell, tore my ACL. My friends think I should just tell people I saw a moose, was startled and then fell. I like their story better, butttt I'm not one to lie. So yeah, totally my fault. To be fair though, I usually ski Squaw, so I really don't know Alpine at all. First and hopefully last time being sledded down the mountain..

Being Sledded Down The Mountain

The Diagnosis:

The first thing I did upon arriving home (besides grabbing a cold one) was talk to our resident sports med doc, Eric. (Yay for doctors in our ski lease!) He thought that it was just a MCL sprain (a sprain is the same as a tear), and that I would be back in 4-6 weeks. Unfortunately, my pain didn't subside at all and so I went to my doctor's at Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) who are amazing. In less than two days, I went to many different doctors and had a my MRI in hand. To be fair to Eric, they initially thought that it was only an MCL tear as well but did a MRI just to be safe. Once they read my MRI, they knew that I had also torn my ACL - which is a surgical procedure to fix. Thankfully for me, my meniscus and cartilage around my knee still looked as it should.

Torn ACL - The "Frayed" White Part Is Supposed To Be Thin And Black

The Surgery:

The surgery was done by the amazing Dr. Frank Chen who is also the team physician for the Golden State Warriors with past experience with the San Jose Earthquakes and Oakland Raiders. I figured if the guys who depend on their bodies for a living trust Dr. Chen, I should too. The procedure took about an hour at the Fremont Surgery Center and I was sent home with all kinds of "toys" including: an ice machine that pumps cold water into your bandage that wraps around your knee (so amazing, if anyone has any injuries I would HIGHLY recommend this), crutches and a Kinetec (a machine that continuously moves your leg to reduce scar tissue). So far, everything is great. I was in a ton of pain when I came to right after the surgery, but after drugging me up, I felt great. Still minimal pain as long as I keep the same dosage of Percocet every 4-6 hours (already leaning towards 5.5-6 hours) so I am pretty happy. Honestly the worst part was probably my IV's - one left a nasty bruise and I hate needles so yeah...

Post Op At Home - Note The Nasty Bruise From One Of My IV's

The Recovery:

A lot of physical therapy in my future, but I'm confident that I will have a speedy recovery and I'm already looking forward to ski season 2014-2015! Already bought my Squaw/Alpine/Sugarbowl/Sierra-at Tahoe pass!

Your Playbook to a Global (and Local) Social Media Strategy | Dreamforce 2013 Presentation

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Mon, 02 Dec 2013 21:52:00 +0000

Dreamforce 2013 was a great experience. Not only was I able to attend, I was also invited to speak at Dreamforce - something that was an great opportunity for me and it was an absolutely amazing tradeshow to wet my feet on the speaking circuit! For a little extra validation, I was even included in our media alert!

Our SFDC Panel Organizer Sully

Speaking at DF13!

You can listen to the recording on YouTube:

View my deck:

Your Playbook for a Global (and Local) Social Media Strategy | Dreamforce 2013 from Alison Yu

Review: Chimney Rock

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 15:00:00 +0000

As we all know by now (I'm assuming that you read all my blogs you know ;)), I ADORE Napa. I was really blessed to have the opportunity to FINALLY visit Chimney Rock in Napa Valley. I have passed by loads of times and I kept thinking, I really want to check that place out. I finally did after years of wondering.

Chimney Rock

I went up with one of my good friends Alyssa, solely for the purpose of stopping by this particular winery. I have to say that the wines were very good, but the tastings were a bit steep at $35 a pop. Don't get me wrong, I love good wine and there are many vineyards and wineries that I wouldn't mind paying $35/tasting, but unfortunately this wasn't one of them. I usually like to pick up bottles from the vineyards I visit, but I had to pass. The only bottle I could see myself enjoying was the red Elevage (Chimney Rock's signature blends) that they had, however at over $100/bottle, I feel like the wine should have knocked my socks off, which it didn't.

Great ambiance, decent wine, but the prices were a bit steep. Next time I'll skip this and go straight to Stag's Leap.

Kicking off Dreamforce 2013!

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 13:00:00 +0000

I am SO excited for this year's Dreamforce, and I can't wait to kick off another great year! Last year was my first Dreamforce, and it was absolutely spectacular. Of course last year I decided to opt for a "Silicon Valley Chic" wardrobe, but this year I have to be a little bit more formal as I will be SPEAKING there! (Can you tell that I am excited?)

SASSY & I!

The ambiance last year was amazing, I especially loved how they transformed Howard Street. I'm looking forward to what they are going to do with it this year as it is taking place so much later (and thus actually cold).

Howard Street

Okay, ONE LAST PLUG, if you have a full pass, and you don't want to "Lean In" with Sheryl Sandberg, you can "Lean Out" with me on Wednesday from 4:30-5:30 and hear me speak on: Marketing Cloud: Your Playbook for a Global (and Local) Social Media Strategy. Here's even a sneak peek of my session:

First Slide

Just kidding, but seriously, come see me speak. See you there! If you want to connect at the show, tweet me: @alisonjudy

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Sat, 16 Nov 2013 15:00:00 +0000

Once I arrived home from Europe, I needed to hit the ground running so that I could go to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, one of my favorite San Francisco annual events and music festivals. Unfortunately for me, it felt like it was BLAZING hot (imagine coming from England and mid-50s to California's mid-80s), but it was a ton of fun and I was able to meet up with a few friends who I hadn't seen in weeks.

Hardly Strictly!

This year it was NOT for the faint of heart as it was the only event going on in the city - read: SUPER packed. Putting it into perspective, the year before 250k people attended, this year over 900k! If you didn't want to see things you couldn't ever (and I mean ever) unsee, this is not the event for you. However, as usual there was a great line up! I had a blast and am looking forward to HSB14!

Getting REALLY Cosy

Last Stop: Windsor, England

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 15:00:00 +0000

Train Station in Windsor

During my travels abroad, my last stop was Windsor, England. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to visit (what I perceive to be) the English countryside. It was also great to reconnect with many colleagues and to be able to have dinner with someone else! I ended up staying at the Harte & Garter which was the most charming hotel I stayed at during my time in Europe. It was nicely placed directly next to Windsor Castle, so much so that I could see it from my hotel room!

Fireplace in the Lobby

View with Windows Open

View with Windows Closed

Even though I didn't get to spend a whole lot of time exploring, I was still enthralled to stay in such a lovely place. (It also probably helped that I had already been to Windsor for leisure and not work.)

Random Painted Cow

Laduree

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 15:00:00 +0000

Laduree, YUMMMMM, MACAROONS. Okay, I know, I eat, A LOT. I'm okay with it, so I hope you are too. One of the only things that could get me down to Champs-Elysee during Paris Fashion Week was Laduree, one of the best confectionaries ever. Since Laudree's reputation proceeds itself, I will keep this short and sweet and post mouth watering photos instead.

Massive Line

Tea Room

Heaven

Macaroons

More Macaroons

Yummmmm

Exterior

Macaroon Box

Rose Water (2) | Mint (1) | Pistachio (1) | Cafe (2)

These were so worth every last Euro, and were delicious as my dinner. Yes, I ate macaroons for dinner, no, you aren't my mother, you can't comment ;). I was going to get more flying out of Paris, buttt as I didn't want to miss my flight (seriously, I was the last passenger to walk on), I sadly was forced to pass.

Montmarte - It Makes My Favorite Parisian Arrondissement The 18th!

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 15:00:00 +0000

During my stay in Paris, I visited Montmarte, my absolute favorite area in Paris. It draws me in because of it's ability to allow you to feel like you are in a small neighborhood when really you're in one of the biggest cities in the world. Sure, Champs-Elysee is a nice draw, but quite honestly it was Fashion Week when I was there and there was no way in hell I was going to Champs-Elysee if I didn't have to. I started out my visit with a quick lunch at Le Consulat - an establishment that has hosted the likes of Dali, Picasso, etc. Of course, I people watched as well.

People Watching at Le Consulat

Once I had finished lunch (and people watching), I decided to take a stroll and find some street art for my living room at home. I currently have a large yellow wall with nothing on it.. After looking around a bit, I found this wonderful street artist who was selling ink/watercolor paintings. I decided that I had to have three that depicted the Eiffel Tour. Arc de Trionphe and of course Sacre Coeur. I'll post photos after I get them framed.

Sacre Coeur

I walked around Montmarte a little more after that, taking in all the sights and sounds that I loved, then of course, had to part for dinner. It was quite a lovely Saturday all in all, and I can't wait to go back!

Oh Paris, How I Adore You!

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Wed, 06 Nov 2013 15:00:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I had the most amazing opportunity to travel to Paris for work (well Frankfurt, Paris and Windsor). This was by far my favorite spot by leaps and bounds, but I'm sure having a weekend off in Paris had something to do with that.

View from the Informatica Paris Office

So my first day in Paris, well really flying into Paris from Frankfurt, I learned that my hard drive was about to crash, lucky me! Obviously that meant that I had to rush off to the nearest electronics store (ie. Apple) to grab an external hard drive as soon as possible. Well the only Apple store I knew of was in the Louvre. Naturally, I had to stop in.

Apple Store in the Louvre

I left the Informatica Paris office a bit early that day to run the errand, but mind you, Parisian taxi drivers are TERRIFYING. Also, I would expect that the taxi driver would know how to get from La Defense to the Louvre....

Taxi Driver Clearly Paying Attention WHILE WE WERE MOVING, NOT

On my way into the Apple store, I was able to take my one obligatory tourist photo in front of the Louvre, then I whisked myself away to take care of some business.

Chanel Sunglasses | SAMMA necklace (old, similar here)

Lilly Pultizer belt (old, similar here) & dress (old, similar here)

After I was done with my errands at the Apple store, I had some spare time to kill before meeting up with a friend from Davis for dinner in Bastille. Since I decided to use the metro I had extra time to spare and decided to walk around Jardin des Tuileries and soak in the gorgeous early evening and start of fall.

Jardin des Tuileries

It was really quite a pleasurable Friday, especially since my week started out with staffing Oracle Open World and a trans-atlantic flight! Stay tuned for my posts on Montmarte and Laduree.

Frankfurt, Germany

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Sun, 03 Nov 2013 15:00:00 +0000

So this is a very late post, but as I have been crazy busy with Dreamforce planning, the only thing to slow me down enough to blog has been getting sick - stuck at home sick, but not sick enough to sleep through the day sick ie. the worst kind of sick possible.

A few weeks ago I was blessed enough to be able to travel to Frankfurt, and even though I was only there for a night, I was able to experience a few things. First up, I was a little shocked to find a see-through shower waiting for me in my room, guess it was a good thing I was traveling alone?

Taken from the BED

Interesting Installation at the Informatica Frankfurt Office

Just to note, I had the most fabulous dinner there at Pasta Panini. Amazing food, normal (read: not-American portions), super friendly staff - you really can't ask for more than that!

Review: Google Shopping Express

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Sun, 03 Nov 2013 03:22:00 +0000

So this weekend I am home sick, so clearly, I don't want to leave the house, for anything. However, there were a few necessities that I needed around the house - namely cough drops, tissues, toilet paper and of course the ultimate comfort food - mac & cheese. (I didn't forget soup, I have a ton on my pantry shelves.) Instead of dragging my sick butt down to the store, I decided to try out Google Shopping Express. I put my order in through the portal around 1PM and received my items all perfectly packed around 6PM. (I missed the afternoon delivery time.)

Quick hint: If you sign up now, as an early adopter, they give you six months of free service and $5 towards your first purchase.

Note: This service is only available in SF and the peninsula.

The Goods

How it works:

Log into Google Shopping Express portal
Search for items you want - no perishable items available for now
Various stores will fill your order (stores include: Target, Walgreens, Nob Hill, etc.)
Your package(s) will arrive at your door!

Pros:

Quick
Easy
Don't have to leave your house or work

Cons:

Very eco-UNfriendly - each store has a separate delivery person, lots of extra packaging

Overall: The pros outweigh the cons by far, so I would highly suggest trying Google Shopping Express out if you haven't already. I actually put in another order right before starting to write this blog. Happy shopping!

Lots of Packaging

Actually VERY True

What I Wore: Abbrarose's Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Sat, 19 Oct 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Sorry, never got a picture of just me, but I can still document what I wore to Abbra's wedding. I love this outfit because it has the perfect amount of class for a wedding (you can never go wrong with lace), but is filled with fun accessories - the hot pink metallic shoes for one! I also love the fact that I was able to pair my grandmother's vintage Givinchy clutch into this outfit. I felt like this was the perfect bag for the occasion as the patent crocodile with gold hardware clutch had enough edge to make sure that this outfit wasn't over the top feminine.

Lilly Pulitzer dress (old, similar here) | Pearl Necklace (great deal here) |

Vintage Givinchy clutch | Marc by Marc Jacobs Pumps (old, similar here)

Abbrarose's Wedding!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 14:00:00 +0000

In early September I flew down to San Diego to see one of my dearest sorority sisters get married. Not only was it great to see her get married to the love of her life, suffice it to say, getting a bunch of sorority girls together obviously resulted in an instant party. First things first, the bride's dress was gorgeous, and I wouldn't expect anything less from Abbra!

Walking down the aisle

Cake time!

So a few of us might have found an escape from the heat in the old schoolhouse, and let me tell you, we had a blast. Unfortunately the boys weren't the most coordinated, so getting pictures where we are all looking at the same camera is slim to none...

Point proven..

I'm sure Niki said something HILARIOUS and that's why we are all busting up laughing

It was such a beautiful wedding, and I wish that I had more pictures to share, but unfortunately I don't. *COUGH COUGH ABBRA SEND ME SOME COUGH COUGH* (I like how subtle I am too.) We had loads and loads of fun at the wedding and I can't wait until more of my Chi O sisters get married! Well, kinda. I can't remember any of the songs..

New Work Digs! (HQ Moved, Same Job)

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 14:00:00 +0000

One thing about working in the Silicon Valley is that change is inevitable. In this case my company, Informatica, had expanded to such a point where we were busting out of our old offices. In fact for the last year or so, I actually was in what I would call a half cube. Even though I will miss our old building's water front views, I definitely am enjoying the new buildings. More space, gym on site, 3 miles of running paths, etc.

New HQ!

Making my desk more homey

Not only did we get to move into our new buildings, but we also celebrated our 20th anniversary!

View of the party from HQ

Informatica & Vibe Cupcakes

Point Lobos - Hiking With A Broken Arm

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Wed, 16 Oct 2013 14:00:00 +0000

While my friends and I were up in Monterey for First City Festival we decided to spend a half day hiking around Point Lobos putzing around and going on a long and absolutely breathtaking hike - without proper shoes ;). Don't worry, the festival didn't even start on Sunday until the afternoon, so we weren't totally skipping out.

I was really good about taking off the sling for pictures, drove everyone crazy

Rock that everyone else got to climb

If you haven't visited the California Coast I would highly recommend it, it is one of the most beautiful places on earth, but please, visit in September or October (for the Northern California Coast). We experience "Indian Summers" here, so the fog doesn't really burn off until September and it is just gorgeous through October and sometimes into November.

Fog on the California Coast in August

It was definitely tons of fun - and to boot, we even packed food to make our own sandwiches after our hike. I wouldn't recommend trying to feed a seagull, they are smarter than you. No, really, they are.

Really, this seagull was smarter than a UC Berkeley engineering grad..

First City Festival - Monterey, CA

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 13:30:00 +0000

During the weekend of August 23rd, a few friends and I headed down to Monterey for First City Festival, a two day concert with a pretty decent line up: Modest Mouse, Passion Pit, Capital Cities, MGMT and a bunch of others. One of my awesome friends was able to score us tickets, so naturally we went! Even though I had to go as a cripple, it was tons of fun getting to see so many great artists live. Plus, the ambience didn't hurt either. Would I go again if I had to pay for tickets? Probably not, being subjected to carnival food two days straight was a little harsh. On the up side, the corn dogs were REALLY good (although with the one piece of $4 bacon wrapped around it, it should've been).

One of the main stages

Stage all lit up - MGMT

MGMT

First City Festival sign all lit up

Soooo I'm Back!

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 04:11:00 +0000

Sorry all for the LONG delay, I *do* have a good excuse though! I fractured my radial head when I went curling, then had to have my arm in a sling for a good long while - well a lot longer than I wanted it to be constrained.. Obviously typing with one hand - and only my left hand (I'm right handed) was awful, so I took a little break. HOWEVER, I did not let my pesky arm stop me from having fun. :) I promise, I'll catch you up on all the things I did from then until now, even if it comes in a long series of blog posts!

Me with my sling in Monterey

What I Wore: Lynmar Estate

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Sun, 25 Aug 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Touring through wine country is a casual affair, but not too casual. With the heat spike that we recently went through, the weather was screaming SHIFT DRESS, WEAR A SHIFT DRESS! So naturally, I did.

J.Crew dress (old, similar here) | belt (very old, similar here)

Versace sunglasses | M Missoni bag (old, similar here and here)

I found this dress to be perfect for wine tasting, casually cool with a pop of color. Plus the cutouts on the neckline of this dress really stands out.

Review: Lynmar Estate

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Sat, 24 Aug 2013 11:00:00 +0000

This past weekend I landed myself at Lynmar Estate with one of my close friends. It was a scorching hot day out, but man, did the air conditioning feel good when we walked through those doors! It was a perfect day for a tasting - especially one that started off with a a nice chilled Rose. I would also suggest that you try the truffle oil popcorn, so good that we inhaled it before I remembered to take a picture.

Awesome Wine Refrigerator In The Tasting Room

Patio Off Of The Tasting Room - Very Pretty (Note The Mountain)

Not only were the wines really good, but the ambiance was also perfect for a relaxing day. The vineyard is open for exploring, and just a few steps away from the patio. It looked like they had pinot and chardonnay (I think) growing. Their vineyards are actually maintained pretty well to facilitate walking, most vineyards I've seen are usually a tad bit overgrown, meaning walking around in flip flops is a no-no. Here however, I had no problem exploring.

Pinots (I Think)

Chardonnay (I Think)

Once you are done exploring the vineyards, you can start to relax on the patio which has a gorgeous vista of the mountains and vineyards.

Pretty Idilic View

Lynmar also has a fruit and vegetable garden out back where they invite visitors to pick produce to bring home. If you ask, they will even provide you with a bag to carry your loot home!

Tomato Plants And Flora

Pumpkin! (No, I Did Not Take This Home - Thought About It Though)

My Loot (Strawberries & Tomatoes)

My loot actually made my lunch today *very* tasty!

Spinach, Steak, Tomatoes, Strawberries, Parmesan, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar

Overall I really enjoyed Lynmar. I will definitely be back! Plus, who couldn't love a winery that has an awesome cork chair in the lobby?!?

Cork Chair!

Review: Merry Edwards Winery

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Fri, 23 Aug 2013 11:00:00 +0000

As you can probably tell by now, I really love wine tasting. Let me reiterate, REALLY LOVE wine tasting ;). I just find that it is a perfect weekend activity. It gets you out of the Bay Area, ie. out of the cold and into the warm, and it is super fun to go with different groups of friends. Beyond that though, if you never wanted to hit the same vineyards twice, you wouldn't have to! There's Russian River, Sonoma Valley, Sonoma Coast, Napa Valley and even Livermore now. All in a very short radius of the Bay Area. My poison of choice is of course the Sonoma/Napa/Russian River area. They are all so close to one another, that you could really have a go at it!

Outside Patio

However, the latest vineyard that I went to was Merry Edwards Winery which is known for Pinot Noirs and their Sauvignon Blancs. It had a pretty peaceful atmosphere, but it was also very cosy. The feeling though was very much, go in, taste, buy wine, onto the next winery. There wasn't a lot of space to just lounge around, and the cashiers at the counter in the lobby definitely did not make it very welcoming.

Tasting Room

They do their tastings in groups and generally four pours. A great perk: FREE tastings! The downside? Miniature pours, not that I am complaining. After having a bottle of the 2010 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, I was really expecting a lot of very blended and balanced wines. I was a little surprised that the reds that they served were so tannic. However, they seemed like they just needed a little more time in the bottle to age to get the mature rounded taste. I ended up walking away with a bottle of the Sauvignon Blanc, a very well balanced and fruity white. I'm sure that the chilled factor also played a factor in me wanting that bottle! I'll let you know when I try it!

Review: Lagunitas Brewing Company Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 02:52:00 +0000

Over the weekend I dropped by Lagunitas Brewing Company with a few friends up in Petaluma and went on one of their tours. Unfortunately because it was the weekend, they did not have a tasting tour. It was *very* hot this weekend (around 90 degrees Fahrenheit) up in Petaluma, so we baked the entire tour. I would strongly suggest checking the weather before going up. However, that Pale Ale was the most refreshing beer I might have ever had.

Since one of my friends and I ended up showing up early, we grabbed a quick beer (super cheap at $4.50!) and hung out on the patio, which was just buzzing with activity. Unfortunately (or fortunately) we thought that we couldn't bring the beer with us, so we downed it pretty fast. Needless to say, while on the tour, we realized that you could bring your beer with you, if you decanted it into a plastic cup first.

Signs Displayed Going Into The Tap Room

The tour was short, maybe 20 minutes in all, but there were a lot of funny stories and some (emphasis on some) detail on how they actually made the beer. It was really more around how their facilities has grown and moved over the last 20 years.

Here Is Our Tour Guide - I Think That He Looks Like He Works At A Brewery

Random fact: did you know that craft breweries create loads of jobs? In 2011, on the heels of the "Great Recession" craft breweries in California alone created 22k jobs. [source]

Some Of The Fermenting Vessels They Have Onsite

Even though these look large, they are building an even larger brewery in Chicago. Not sure about how I feel about this, cause I don't like to share my California goodies! (ie. Pete's, Philz, etc.)

Sacks Of Grain

Quick fact: Did you know that Lagunitas goes through over 50k lbs of grain a day? That's A LOT! Don't worry, there is no waste, the parts of the grain that they don't use goes to local farmers to feed cattle.

Can You See The Grains Going Through The Pipe?

Quick fact: Did you know that the ads for "triple hopped" are kinda just dumb? Lagunitas hops at least six times, if not more!

Lots Of Magic Happening Here

Of course we couldn't leave without popping into the little shop - although, come to find out everything is also available on their online store, duh. You can shop their goods here.

Awesome Seat/Bench In Front Of The Store

All in all, it was a pretty fun trip. I would definitely go again when it was cooler, and maybe at night when the patio lights are all up. Since there looks like there would be good food, I would suggest going after a day of wine tasting.

The Grand Canadian Sport - Curling

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Sun, 18 Aug 2013 15:59:00 +0000

Okay, okay, I know that curling isn't exactly a Canadian sport, but it basically is. Just like how hockey isn't a Canadian sport, but is just so popular there, it basically is. For those who don't know what curling is, it is almost like bocce ball, but on ice, except you don't throw the massively heavy granite rock, you slide it on the ice. You can learn more here. (Yes, you can burn me for linking you to a Wikipedia page..)

Curling Court - Need To Get The Rocks Into The Circles
Photo Credit: Wikipedia

So a bit of a breakdown: there are eight heavy stones on each side (42 lbs each!), a stabilizer, broom, hack (the thing that your foot pushes off of) and for those without curling shoes (so everyone in our group, excluding the instructor) a piece of material that is *very* slippery.

All The Equipment Needed To Curl

The hardest thing to do for me was learning how to push off in the correct stance. Once I started to semi-equate the proper stance into what is the "Knight" pose in yoga, I got a lot better at it. You also have to be quite limber for this sport, if not, you can really knot up, or will feel the stretch in your thighs. Since I've been doing lots of yoga lately, I didn't find this to be a problem.

Here You Can See Someone Getting Into Position To Throw The Rock

The Rock Was Just Thrown In This Picture

So a lot of technique also goes into sweeping which can help direct which way the rock goes and even help it go farther. Usually two people sweep at a time.

Waiting For Instructions

In Position, Ready To Sweep

Apparently We Needed A Little Help - Our Instructor Jumped In

Over all it was actually really fun. I would totally consider taking it up, buttt the only two ice rinks around that play the sport are in Oakland (SCARY!) and San Jose - both of which are pretty far from me. If you have the chance to try out the sport, I would highly recommend it!

Cooking Dinner For Ten, I Mean Two

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Sat, 17 Aug 2013 12:00:00 +0000

This past week one of my friends came over after work and we did something that we've never done before - we decided to be Asian. What does this entail? Actually going to the Chinese market, getting raw ingredients and making dinner. What do I usually eat for dinner? Something embarrassing to admit - it usually comes out of a box... Meaning: instant foods/dinner "helpers" or take out. Well to be fair, sometimes it comes out of the freezer too. Haha, you get my point - it's usually a *very* lazy dinner.

First stop of the night was the market where we packed our cart full of random things - including a few mystery (to us) items. It was a huge experiment and I am so happy that we had something not only edible but also super tasty at the end!

What we ended up making was: dumpling soup, inarizushi and gyozas:

Dinner Is Served

I wish that I could say that I helped with the soup, but well, I didn't. I did absolutely nothing for that dish sooo I'll just show you a picture of the finished product. It was a dumpling and mushroom soup (with other ingredients that I can't remember..):

Dumpling Soup

I spearheaded making the Inarizushis though so, here was the process:

Making Inarizushi, Completed Ones In The Back

1. Ingredients needed: rice, sushi rice powder stuff, wrappers
2. Make short grain white rice (thank god I have a rice cooker which is pulled out twice a year
3. Fold the sushi rice powder into rice in a separate bowl
4. Fill Inarizushi wrappers

The last portion of our meal was something that we made together - gyoza/potstickers totally from scratch! We opted for a pork, green onion and garlic gyoza/potsticker. These were easy to make - time consuming, yes, but actually making them? Easy peasy. Here's how to make them:

Garlic, Pork & Green Onion Gyoza's

1. Ingredients needed: ground meat, garlic, green onion, gyoza/dumpling wrappers (can also be found at Safeway), one egg
2. Mix the meat, garlic and green onions into a bowl
3. Beat one egg into a small bowl
4. Lay out wrappers onto a cutting board, or other non-stick surface

5. Slater egg mixture onto the edges of the wrappers (I just used my finger cause I'm fancy like that)

Fancy Pants Technique Right There ;)

6. Fill with small portions of the meat mixture (remember that you need to close these pretty tightly so it doesn't seep out!)

No Magic Needed, Just Press To Seal

7. Fry in a pan - this is a multi-step process. First add oil to the pan, once it gets hot, place gyozas into the pan, after you let it sear for about 30 seconds, add water into the pan, cover the pan, turn heat on low, wait around 5-8 minutes, take lid off, let sit until the bottoms are golden brown

Yummmm, Fried Food

It was definitely a fun time, but let me tell you, my eyes are MUCH bigger than my stomach! It's been a few days now, and even with eating leftovers for lunch AND dinner, I still have a lot left... Just goes to show, really, do NOT go to the grocery store when hungry. Oy.

What I Wore: Napa Valley, August 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Wed, 14 Aug 2013 11:00:00 +0000

For this trip to Napa, I knew that I would be attending a nicer restaurant so I decided on something simple, but somewhat elegant. As this was a *very* last minute trip thrown together, I actually ended up buying my outfit day of.

Express Skater Dress (on sale!, same dress different color) | Chanel Sunglasses (old, similar here)

ALDO necklace | ALDO earrings (old, similar here) |

Kate Spade handbag (old, similar here & here) | Vince Camuto flats

Here's a better view of my bag.

I decided to pull my hair into a bun all day, which left me with these great curls at the end of the day, which I was quite pleased with.

Not a great photo of me, but a great shot of the necklace and some of my hair.

Silly pic driving home. You can see my earrings a bit better in this photo.