Orange you glad I didn’t begin “Saturated Summer” with a overdone pun on this week’s color? Okay maybe I spoke too soon, but hey –– my strong suit is writing, not foreshadowing! To be quite honest, I suspected that orange was going to be the most difficult post to complete. But surprisingly, here we were in week five with a fully finished photo set (I even had extras to choose from!). Despite my past abhorrence of warm tones and colors (if you follow my Instagram, you know what I mean), I actually enjoyed collecting these images! This installment made me realize that while I may loathe some aspects of this hue –– I blame my pesky allergy to the citrus fruit of the same name –– orange also defines so many things I love. Take for example my favorite fruit –– peaches –– or salmon, my ultimately favorite protein (everyone ranks their preferred meats, right?). Hell, even my most binged watched TV obsession, Orange Is the New Black, includes this color. So I suppose I have to thank this series for breaking me out of my petty partiality to the cooler tones of life. And while you may never see me turn up the temperature on any of my future pictures on social media, lets just all enjoy this change of pace while it lasts.
1. When I caught up with an old friend over brunch last week, we both expressed our desires to eat healthier this summer. And while it was hard to choose anything desirable from Plow’s menu that didn’t feature something fried, fatty or rich, we made at least a minimal effort to balance out our meal. That singular smart-eating decision came in the form of this pretty and nutritious chia pudding, topped with peaches, almonds, honey, and –– last but not least –– bee pollen. Notice how when I described this dish, I refrained from calling it “tasty.” I think both me and my brunch companion put our pride first and pretended to like this shared pudding for the sake of appearing healthy. But at the end of the day, this gorgeous gelatinous mush still couldn’t beat the ricotta pancakes, fried potatoes, and sausage we ordered and thoroughly enjoyed. I’ll let you take a wild guess at the one thing we didn’t end up finishing by the time the check came.
2. Every time I see local artist, Zio Ziegler’s murals around the city, I can’t help but think of my best friend. Her love of the young and undoubtedly cute muralist is no secret, and hearing her explain her art crush on Ziegler time and time again, has admittedly made the infatuation rub off on me a little. So now, every time I see one of the artist’s pieces around town, I make sure to snap a photo of it –– Like this one near 24th and Mission –– just in case she hasn’t seen it yet (because I’m the best best friend, obviously).
Sidenote: If you’re not familiar with Zio Ziegler’s work, check out the one he did right across the street from our very own Wave!
3. This evening felt like one of those typical summer days you see in cliche tumblr posts or read about in cheesy young adult novels (I’m referring to you, John Green). My best friend Gaby, had the idea of going up onto my roof to watch the sunset –– a potentially “dangerous” plan my parents had rejected for so many years prior. To our surprise, they finally allowed the escapade to happen this time around, and so up the two-story ladder we went. We did all of the things we always dreamt would be a part of a grand, teenage, rooftop hangout. Together we drank beers, ate snacks, talked about boys and –– of course –– took “candid” pictures of each other in various poses overlooking the horizon, for cemented proof of our unforgettable adventure.
4. Here, is another shot from the joint Father’s Day and Grandma’s birthday dinner I posted about two weeks ago. Unlike my mom’s enviable dish I featured in that installment, I also took photos (though albeit less of them) of my own order for that evening. The tunaputtanesca pasta turned out to be not at all what I thought it was going to be, but I enjoyed the carb-abundant meal nonetheless. I also find it appropriate that as I’m writing this, it’s apparently “National Fry Day,” so consider the fries chillin’ in the back of this snap my way of celebrating the favorable occasion.
5. This image has an unexpected bittersweet backstory to it. It’s an emotional tragedy that I still have yet to come to terms with, but I’ll gather all of my strength and do my best to talk about it –– for the sake of my honest writing of course. Okay here we go…
Before you is the last photo I have of my most prized pair of shoes prior to when they tragically broke the same day. Sadly, the cute and comfy sandals pictured met their untimely demise while I was coming back from the Mission –– where I stopped to shoot these precious koi fish on the cement. Despite our time being cut short, these cheap Chinese-wholesale shoes and I had a good run (and I mean that figuratively, because God knows I never actually run). From trekking the streets of Manhattan, to getting me to work here at the Wave, I raise an imaginary glass to my fallen, fave footwear. #RIP
6. This is literally making me salivate just by looking at it. As I mentioned above, salmon is my all time favorite carnivorous food –– especially in its raw form. So when a friend dragged me to a Tofu Festival in Japantown last month (yes, you read that correctly), I opted to forgo all forms of beancurd and instead purchase this radiantly fresh sashimi from Nijiya Market.
7. Probably the only selfie you’ll see in this series. After owning this Mac lipstick in Chili for over half a year without ever putting it on my lips, I finally decided to free the product from my makeup archive this summer. Though a little bolder than my usual mauve color à la Kylie Jenner, this shade made me feel my oats for days and reminded me that sometimes it’s actually nice to step out of my comfort zone regarding what I put on my face.
8. This pressed juice was a proud buy of mine. After working an unproductive, yet tiring shift in the world of retail, I treated myself to an overpriced, pick-me-up from Evolution Fresh. Where does the achievement part come in to this senario, you might ask? I managed to arrive and make my purchase one minute before the cafe’s Happy Hour was over –– making my drink a (finally) justifiable price to pay, at 50% off. It’s the small wins that matter, y’all!
9. Last week, I expressed my reborn love for my own house following my return from college. Well, this shot is another testament to the place I grew up in for 18 plus years. I’m privileged to live somewhere with phenomenal natural lighting, and the way the sun casts itself on every inch of my abode is always changing as the day progresses. On this particular day, we witnessed a particularly saturated sunset. But even before the sun went full on watercolor painting in the sky, dusk came and radiated gorgeous orange light all over my formerly monochrome, white kitchen.
