powdery goodness

where can i get beignets in the SF area that taste like the ones you get at Cafe du Monde? call me a beignet snob -- but i grew up on this stuff! they must be airy in the inside and sprinkled with a generous amount of powdered sugar! gawww... i have a craving for them.... i need them now!


photo via yelp.com

jon and kate...don't h8

so we've been watching this family for a long time now, and they've been an inspiration to us and many families, i'm sure. i mean, if they can do it with 8 freaking kids, surely we can handle just one, right? right??!?

anyways, recently it looks like they've had some highly publicized marital problems, and this season's premiere as a result was definitely an awkward, and sad one.

gets us thinking how we always dream of being famous, but have never thought of what comes with fame. i don't think we could ever handle that kind of attention and, wow, the paparazzi -- what i saw in that episode would have set me off. those guys looked like the lowest of life forms throughout the show.

please don't break up, jon and kate!! it's just too sad.

time sink

if you have a moment, you've gotta check out one of my favorite design sites from red interactive agency-- you can create a little avatar on their site and literally roam, fly, chat (with little word bubbles) and interact with other visitors. it's definitely fun, and the art style is fantastic. there even seems to be a sort of cult following on this site, as every time i visit, there are people hanging out.

it's kind of a time sink too, so if you get caught looking at this at work, just say you're "doing research" on a local design firm ;)

bumble ink day care system

how did our parents do it? bumble baby was a terror this weekend, so we had to employ the services of the best baby sitter on the planet....elmo! and big bird, and grover, etc. er...we don't do it that much...really...:/

the one hot dog per month rule - a memorial day exception?

the famous bacon dogs in sf -- image from yelp

i love hot dogs. i mean, really love them. i love them so much that bumble girl has instituted the "one hot dog a month rule" so i don't die of a hot dog induced heart attack. i often ask myself whether i've had my hot dog this month. so sad.

i propose an exception for memorial day though! since it's barbeque season, what is a good bbq without hot dogs? a bad bbq, i say!

so for those who are grilling it up on memorial day, here are some great hot dogs you can buy from the store: Uncured Niman Ranch Fearless Franks. these guys are healthy (as healthy as a hot dog can get, at least)and have been taste tested as scrumdelicious!

for those that don't want to grill their own, go to some of our favorites:

1. New York: Crif Dogs or Gray's Papaya
2. Los Angeles: Pink's, or the bacon dogs outside of the staple's center
3. San Francisco: Top Dog, bacon dog cart, or fatt dog
4. other cities...uh....i dunno. post em if you know of any!

bumble ink in poppytalk!

thanks for the paper pops mention! check it out here

btw, we love love love poppytalk! jan posts about so many inspiring and beautiful finds! and we are huge fans of her poppytalk handmade market! (where we currently have a table -- go now! :) )

the seafood guide

i was at Lee's this afternoon contemplating whether to pick up some fish for lunch when i started doubting the quality and origin of said fish. now, they may have the freshest, most sustainably fished, best quality fish there -- but i just didn't know. i ended up passing on it.

it brought me to thinking about a handy mini-pamphlet we picked up at the monterey bay aquarium awhile ago, explaining the best choices of seafood, as well as the worst choices and why -- a very handy item to keep with you for just such an occasion!

you can download a pocket guide here!

one item of particular interest was the inclusion of "farmed Salmon" on the "Avoid" list. basically, they swim in these pens full of their own feces, which are then released directly into the ocean, chock full of parasites and diseases.

YUM.

brilliant? i'd say so.

we're big big fans of adobe, having used their product for years. and after seeing this beautiful and interactive mini-site, we love them even more. it's fun to just surf around and interact, and ogle at the eye candy throughout this piece. learned a lot about cs4 as well! no doubt that was their intention...
check it out at http://www.adobe.com/brilliant/

get the digits. even if they're wrong.

another successful night out-- for all you playas out there, learn to take a hint.

Chalk it up to inspiration

Firekites - AUTUMN STORY - chalk animation from Lucinda Schreiber on Vimeo.

Very inspiring piece -- original and well done! Must have taken an enormous amount of time and chalk...

the lightest, fluffiest, and BEST cheesecake ever!!

so we here in the SF bay area are lucky enough to have Zanze's cheesecake. it's not your typical new york style cheesecake. instead, the texture is very airy and light -- and just melts in your mouth. once you've had one bite, you won't be able to stop! the only caveat is that zanze's is only open a few days a week during a small window... i've known a few people to take an 'extra' long lunch from work just to pick up a cheesecake!

photo courtesy of yelp.com

the guy has something...i'll give him that.

not many singers turned actors have been successful. in fact, most if not all are downright terrible. this guy has had a lot of exposure lately. bumble girl, as a matter of fact, is a big, big fan. i've seen the way you look at him, bumble girl! and how you laugh a little too enthusiastically at his antics! hmph!

i am not a big fan, but i have to admit, the most recent snl skit of "PlasticVille" is one of the funniest things i've seen in a long, long time. the boy's got some comedic talent, i'll give him that. but that's all i'll give him!!! for now...

EDIT: Well, we USED to have a link to the video, but apparently NBC is keeping this one under wraps for now. SO, you'll just have to check out this video, which Plasticville was derived from. Still funny, just not AS funny in certain respects!

what freedom can do with the right tools

Cisma's "Le Sens Propre" from glossy inc on Vimeo.

we love adobe products. having used adobe since the first photoshop, we've come to appreciate what its tools allow us to do.

given the freedom to do whatever you want -- that's a designer's dream. this campaign for adobe had only one directive-- you can do anything you want, just do it with adobe cs4. and wow...what an amazing result. just goes to show how much creativity there is out there in the world!

hope you get a kick out of it!

baby survival mode

an extension of mother's day -- this is to all those "new" moms out there who may not have had the time to do much on mother's day.

trust us. we know how you feel.

hang in there!

prime, but subprime

subprime from beeple on Vimeo.

looking around at the state of housing in california, and found some eye and ear candy here -- beautifully and exquisitely done with great visual style and sound.

tea time with mom

this mother's day, take your mom to a cute tea house, or brew your own pot of tea. it makes for great bonding time with mom! my sisters and i do it anytime we get together with our mom. we like to try out different cakes, scones, and pastries to accompany our tea.

if you live in the los angeles/burbank area, try martino's in burbank for their tea cakes. mmmmmm.... their buttermilk and blueberry cakes are just the right size and simply deeee-lish!

i can't wait for bumble baby to be old enough so we can do our own mother/daughter tea parties!

happy mother's day to all the moms!

Arzberg Warmer and Teapot from Crate and Barrel

don't forget mother's day this weekend...

if you haven't gotten a gift/card yet, go NOW. here are some "In" gift ideas for the modern mom:

1. amazon kindle (unless she's not tech savvy, or you're broke) OR
   
2. sony ebook (unless she's not tech savvy, or you're broke) OR
   
3. iPhone (unless she's not tech savvy, or you don't want to pay for the $75/month plan as well) then you should try...
4. a massage/spa package (unless you're very broke) then try...
5. taking her out to a nice dinner (or a casual one, if you are economically challenged) OR
6. give flowers (eh...nice, but not very original) OR
7. make her dinner (unless you're a horrible cook) then just...
   
8. spend time with her, she just wants your company!

of course, get a card to go with that gift! we've got one here. nice self plug, eh? although if you don't have one by now, you're probably screwed. just give her a big hug -- that always works.

image of the kindle courtesy of amazon.com

spanish inspired

here's an innovative site that's just beautiful to look at, and fun to interact with. sure, it's in spanish, but beauty doesn't need to be read! love the organic feel and playfulness --truly an inspiration. (hint: move your cursor up when you get to the bean!)

tough times...

california tax where we are is at 9.25 to 9.5%!!! what the hey?!! anyone have higher? jeez.

in these times, we need....a jig

many of you may have seen this posted in many places already, but it never ceases to make us smile over here. it started out as just something he did whenever he traveled to a new place -- like when you have to pick up that hard rock cafe t-shirt at every new location (except um, just way more memorable). people loved it so much though that this guy now travels around the world, bringing people together to dance his endearing jig. how awesome is that??
just a reminder that there are few things cooler than acting goofy, and having complete strangers join in for a moment of genuine fun.

read all about his exploits here.

mascarpone = heavenly delight!

lately, i've been obsessed with anything mascarpone. it's like the perfect marriage of whipped cream and cream cheese. i use it with berries and cakes, as frosting and in sauces. my next endeavor is to make Giada's strawberry and mascarpone filled cupcakes.

according to cheese.com (yes, there is such a site!): mascarpone cheese is "not cheese at all, but rather the result of a culture being added to the cream skimmed off the milk, used in the production of Parmesan" and is 75% fat!!! hmmm... interesting.. maybe i was better off not knowing this!

photo via FoodNetwork.com