Thursday, December 31, 2009

Favorites of 2009

December 31st, 2009.  wow.  what a great year.  here are a few highlights.  enjoy!

Favorite New Blog: JewelryWhore


Creator of JewelryWhore, Jade has been artfully running the site since January 2008.  I stumbled upon this treasure during a normal afternoon of blog-hopping and I have been mesmerized ever since.  Her blog is packed full of goodies like DIY projects, weekly sample sales, the latest jewelry trends, styling advice and so much more.  The variety of styles and price points showcased is refreshing.  I'm hooked.


Favorite New Burger Joint: Umami Burger
 
My apologies, Father's Office.  You make a hell of a burger, but it's time to move on.  I recently had the most delicious burger of my life at Umami Burger Hollywood.  With the recent explosion of high end burger joints serving craft beer to match, Umami Burger has risen to the top.  They boast 10(ish) yummy burgers, DELICOUS sides and an acceptable beer/wine list based on an interesting concept that I will leave to Jonathan Gold to describe.

The restaurant is dedicated to the concept of umami, the savory, meaty "fifth taste" that may be technically defined as the carboxylate anion of glutamic acid, which is to say the dash of soy sauce in your stir-fry or the catsup you like with your fries. - Jonathan Gold.  full article here.

Does that make sense?  All you need to know is the food is delicious.  JUST GO!



Favorite New Weekend Activity: Hiking

My handsome and talented boyfriend recently turned me on to the wonderful world of hiking.  A couple months ago I found myself on top of the highest peak in the Santa Monica Mountains.  This profound experience has led to many subsequent hikes all over southern California.  For me, hiking has been a challenging, exciting, emotional, rewarding experience.  California is such a beautiful state that I am finally beginning to explore.  And now I look forward to my first backpacking trip in a couple of days.  I'm so excited!!


My New Hobby: Photography

This magical art form has interested me since I was a child.  My sisters and I would create elaborate sets for our fashion shoots that consisted of "clothes" made out of old sheets.  I continued to document my life through photography and in 2006, I earned a degree in Commercial Digital Photography. After a 3-year hiatus in which I discovered my current career, graphic design, I have recently drifted back.  It's no mystery, I got an SLR for my 30th birthday (October) and since then I rarely go anywhere without it.  I continue to explore new techniques, such as using Photoshop to create panoramas and fake tilt-shift miniatures. Photoshop is a powerful tool that I am glad to have on my side.  Documenting our hikes has been quite a thrill as well.  I enjoy exploring this world through a lens, and I will continue to do so.

Thank you for reading.  Don't forget to visit my friends!

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Hi Katy! Thanks so much for adding me to your list of 2009 favorites - I'm so flattered! Your blog is great, too. Love all of your graphic design work. Seeya around! :)