Back

No, I didn't go anywhere (unless you count going on a mental vacation.) I just had a crazy week and was so exhausted it hurt to think about anything, even about what to eat (and I love to think about food!) Anyway, I'm back on track (read: functionally sane) and speaking of food, last week, I saw this little item on Eater LA:

"Crumbs Bake Shop, the New York cupcakery with sugar bombs like caramel apple, Oreo, and Fluffernutter flavors will open at 216 N. Larchmont in April. The good thing about Crumbs is that it's not a monolithic chain (there are only seven locations so far), whose owners still actively oversee daily operations. The first west coast Crumbs opened in Beverly Hills in September---and they gave away free cupcakes on day one. Yes, they're willing to buy your love."

I reviewed Crumbs on Yelp after visiting with the Cupcake Meetup Group and so far, they are my favorite over-the-top cupcakery in Los Angeles. That they are opening a location within 10 minutes of my home means I have to hurry up on sorting out my fitness plan. Still, despite the possibility of rear expansion, I'm happy that they are opening a location in my area. If you take a look at the L.A. Times' cupcake map, we are currently underserved.

Yelping

A quick note that I've started to Yelp. Click here for a link to my page and my first review.

I'm not sure how much I'll write (see how many postings I've written here), but people often come to me for advice on where to eat and hang out, so I thought that I would at least give it the old college try.

Speaking of college, now that I've told certain people key people at work, I can be more open about the fact that since September, I've been busting my butt in the Interior Design program at UCLA Extension. It's a lot of work, especially because of the intro design class I'm currently enrolled in. Even though I make my living doing graphic design, I never had formal design training (outside of a few courses here and there), so creating art without a computer is pretty intimidating to me (and time consuming!) However despite that, I love the program. I love my teachers, who are all so interesting and encouraging. I love my fellow classmates, who are more or less in the same boat as me (working and tired but very inspired.) And I love that I am becoming a better designer overall.

I like graphic design, but to me, the best kind of design envelops you. I've been obsessed with built environments since my undergrad days (hence the Urban Studies degree,) and my various work experiences in the architecture industry helped to enforce that. A couple of months ago, I decided to go beyond a mere appreciation of architecture and interior design and actually take the steps to be able to create the kind of spaces that inspire me and (hopefully) others.

I've got about three years of going to school plus working full-time ahead of me, but that really doesn't bother me. Three years of intense focus is nothing compared to thirty years of searching for a purpose.