getting better

still thinking of you.

rest in paradise, max

Even as I write this, I am still in shock that such a terrible thing could happen to such an incredible person. Max, you were one of the most fun, genuine, kind, warm, thoughtful, generous people I have ever been lucky enough to know. You could effortlessly make everyone else had a good time, feel included, be happy. You were an inspiration and an example. You touched so many people in so many amazing, positive ways and we all miss you so much. You may be gone, but you will always be loved and never forgotten. 

My love goes out to Tessa and Marcella. You two are beautiful, strong, amazing girls and I'm sure that Max is watching over you now. Stay strong. 

lolita

"We will walk starry-eyed and reverently through this foretaste of heaven drinking in beauty that can influence a life."

home :)

yeaaaa son

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRIS

Happy birthday to the most amazing, hilarious, talented, kind, fun person and brother I know. I honestly don't know what I would do without him and I am so glad that I got to come home for his birthday!
He is truly awesome and I love him so much and I hope this is his best year yet!

Happy halloween!! (wonderful weekend with madi)

Halloween is the best holiday ever and is way sad that it only happens once a year! (at least it lasted 5 days...)

Anyways, this glorious halloween weekend started with Princetoween (where I was smurphette), continued with awesome cramped apartment parties and frat parties and ended with an insane Halloween parade and a bar party (awww yeah).

ps. I love nighttime adventures with Madi and I can't wait for our apartment together! Also we decided that we are going to open a coffee shop/bakery in NYC with really cool brick walls, wallpaper, vintage chairs and cool tables that also sells old CDs and old records and has live music. Its gonna be awesome. 

And we are taking Europe by storm (by rail) this summer. 

Also if you are ever in NYC you should go to Grey Dog Coffee Shop and get the scone (ask for it heated up). 

photo class

dates.

... but i'll cut you some slack. 

x-ray photography

sososososo tight

ptonlivin

life at princeton is so FABULOUS.

theta is awesome (love all the girls), shere khan is so sick... you don't even know, my roomies are awesome (and extended roomies), the street is bumpin, I got a tight new red bike... you know.


Parents weekend was this weekend and my AWESOME FANTASTIC parents who I love so ridiculously much visited me! I'm so sad they were only here for a little (even though I barely saw them because my dad is so cool that he was teaching a workshop here)! And I'm so excited to go back home for a little!  (and see my bro... duh)
I LOVED everyones parents... seriously so great.

and to share a nice quote I read to day, which may or may not be applicable to a certain situation in my life with a certain person who lives in the same hall as me... maybe.

"If you have to keep wondering where you stand with someone, perhaps its time to stop standing and start walking."

weekendd

had the best weekend ever with my wife.

seriously though, I have so much fun with her (whatever situation I'm in) and I know that no matter where our lives take us, we will always be suuuper tight.


I could go on forever about how awesome she is and how I miss singing with her all the time (and singing at the same time, in the same key) and saying the same things at the exact same time.... but I'll spare you the sappiness.

LOVE THIS GIRL.

ps. I got into Theta! Yayyyyy

pps. ARCH SING THIS THURSDAY!! (so excited... kinda nervous... but hayyy)

gardening!

Today claire and I went gardening!

And here are some hipsta pics.

we wandered around forbes for WAY too long looking for it... BUT WE MADE IT

rasberries!!

SHERE FUCKING KHAN

So last night... after sleeping on and off for about 4 hours, Shere Khan (aka the coolest a cappella group ever) busted into my room at 7 am screaming and yelling with huge tree branches, beer cans, champagne and shaving cream. I am officially a Shere Khan toooeeee! (khanverted baby!)
I am so excited to be a part of this awesome, fun, hilarious group and I can't wait for the next four years!

SHERE KHAN 

true dat

i miss my wife.

Comes in every shade so what you gonna say
When I roll down the block with my base up all the way
All the way to the sky, that's how we gonna ride
Fuck yeah we so fly that's how we get the guys
Windows all down sunroof pulled back
The breeze in our hair has got us feeling wack
We don't need no keys, everything hands free
We could take you downtown if you know what we mean
No need for gas, yeah we saving this planet
But we still drive fast never quit god damn it
Yeaaaahh uhhh


PRIUS POWER

new nickname

Beasley. Beas.

its sticking :)

someone is playing Mumford and Sons "The Cave" on the trumpet outside my dorm.

win.
ilovecollege.

Awkward Moments #1

So today I was walking past Dillion Gym with Cecilia and they were playing this song



... and I like it, so I was singing along, of course.
We turn the corner (I'm still singing) and some upperclassman who's locking up his bike makes eye contact with me and chuckles to himself.

So I smiled at him and kept walking.

Yeah it was awkward.

I LOVE MY CLASSES.

My professors are all awesome, and I am so excited for this year!

First day of classes!

FRE 101 (Beginners French)
ENG 220 (Crime, Fiction and Film)
AST 105 (The Living Cosmos)
VIS 211 (Intro to Photography)

IM SO EXCITED!

and really really really nervous. 

I only sing in G major because I'm a major G.

win.

I LOVE COLLEGE

My roomies are so awesome (and our room is seriously decked out... couch, fridge, table, rasta wall, hanging, speakers...), the people here are all so much less nerdy than I expected, the weather is perfect (right now at least), and the parties are so insane (Princeton goes so hard).

Lets backtrack because I haven't posted in way too long.

So OA (outdoor action). I went to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia with my OA group (2 leaders and 7 other kids) where we got hit by the most intense rainstorm and ended up getting evacuated three days early! We actually never even stayed in our own shelter. The first night it was raining like crazy and our tarp started to flood, so we all booked it to the bathrooms with our soggy sleeping bags and food. Then some ladies came into the bathroom (confused to find a group of sopping wet kids with sleeping bags hanging from all the stalls) and I started to talk to them about how we were planning on sleeping in the bathroom and one lady offered us her spare tent! So we all ended up cramming into an 8 person tent (nice and snuggly). We played lots of mafia, went on a beautiful hike in the rain and made a beast fort for the night (which ended up dying once it started pouring again but the support van saved us and gave us their room in a hotel). The next day everyone was evacuated to a Days In in the the middle of nowhere where my group just played awesome pranks on everyone -- we tied peoples backpacks to the second floor railing, hung shoes from the second floor, roped peoples doors together so they couldn't get out (got mooned by one group we locked in their room lol). So even though it was raining like crazy and my bag (and all my clothes) smelled like wet soggy onions, it was sooo fun, and I'm really glad I met (and bonded with) so many awesome people.

When we got back we played lots of OA games, did some Rick Curtis impressions, got 4th out of 95 in the scavenger hunt (we are the coolest base camp group everrrr), and raged.

So since I've been here I've been going to tons of orientation things (Pre-rade... GO ROCKY), and of course, hitting up the frats and sororities and of course the eating clubs. The frats and sororities are mostly pregames for the street (aka the eating clubs) and they have the craziest themes, neon, black light, new years (champaign with speeches and a New Years countdown every 5 minutes). At around midnight everyone goes to the eating clubs, which aren't officialy opened yet, but they are so fun! They are all jam packed with people, blasting music.

This week is gonna be insane -- dance group auditions, a cappella auditions, class registration (today), lawnparties (basically a huge concert at all the eating clubs with a bunch of awesome groups like the Rusted Roots and Hellogoodbye where everyone dresses up as preppy as possible... win).

this is the lawnparties schedule:

Check out more at www.lawnparties.com.
So awesome. I'm so excited.

I love college. I love Princeton.

happy birthday Coco (lol)!

I know I'm a couple days late posting, but happy birthday to one of the most intelligent, bubbly, ambitious, beautiful, hilarious, exciting people I have ever met! I miss coming home to find her sleeping on my couch! I love this girl, and I know she is having an awesome time at Duke.  (even though she doesn't respond to my texts...)

NYC baby

after -- a broken plane (which led to a canceled flight), flooded amtrak and a broken bus, I'm in the coolest city EVER.

ps. sorry I've had literally no time to post! 

hell yeah

college!

All my friends are leaving! It hasn't quite hit me yet, but I'm sure it will once I realize I have no one to call to hang out with.
10 days!

the policee

Yesterday may have been one of the scariest days of my life.

Four cop cars, eight semis pointed at us, and one helicopter. 

Yeah I know... so freaking bad ass. 

Basically this is how it went down:

Madi and I were driving home in her convertible and cop car starts to follow us, so we pull over. Suddenly they are shouting orders at us, telling us to put our hands in the air and not speak while they pull their guns out, aimed at our heads. Three more cop cars pull up and an LAPD helicopter starts to circle up ahead. 

By that point the entire neighborhood was out on the street and one guy was even snapping shots. We had to get out out of the car with our hands up, side step to the left, step back, step forwards slowly, sit down in the street -- all with our hands shaking above our heads. 

Sitting on the scalding ground in our bikinis they handcuffed us and led me into the back of one of the cop cars where they questioned me. (Did you know that the back of cop cars are plastic?... like there is no seat. Just cold hard really really uncomfortable plastic.)

Turns out, Madi's mom had reported the car stolen earlier that month and had never cancelled it... so we were driving a stolen car. 

I think I kept my cool throughout the whole thing, but it was pretty intense. 

My dad (who was two houses down) told me later that he came out of the house when he heard the helicopter and saw two teenagers handcuffed in the street but didn't recognize me. So when the cops told everyone to go back into their house... he did. Nice dad (its ok I still love you). Oh and when my mom and dad figured out it was me, my mom started running towards us even though the cops were all yelling at her to get back (she said "no").

Epic. Straight out of a movie. 

if you don't have this, get it!

spotify has changed my music world entirely (and now its WAY more awesome).
(if you go to spotify.com and click the facebook link you only have to invite like 2 friends to get the free versions)

its almost too good to be true

love this

sleepless in seattle

why can't life be like the movies?

 

my biggest fear is to never have somebody to say this to

mad men

"Now I am quietly waiting for
the catastrophe of my personality
to seem beautiful again,
and interesting, and modern.

The country is grey and
brown and white in trees,
snows and skies of laughter
always diminishing, less funny
not just darker, not just grey.

It may be the coldest day of
the year, what does he think of
that? I mean, what do I? And if I do,
perhaps I am myself again."

-Frank O'Hara    Mayakovsky


Mad Men not only has an amazingly crafted, intelligent script, but it features some utterly beautiful poetry.
damn.

chocolate mouse cream bites with graham cracker crust and bananas

This recipe is my baby. I invented it about a year ago, and every time I ask my brother what I should bake he suggests these. They are pretty easy to make, they look really cute, they are fun to decorate, and they are like an explosion of deliciousness in each bite. Perfect for so many occasions!

Ingredients:
graham cracker crust-
12 graham crackers
1/4 cup sugar
6 tbsp melted butter
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional)
mouse- 
1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp cream

2 bananas
Handful of blueberries
handful of strawberries
(or any combination of the three)

How to make them:
First make the crust:
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
In a food processor grind the graham crackers and sugar until all the pieces are made into fine crumbs. Next melt the butter and add the chocolate chips and butter (when still hot so the chips can melt a bit) to the crumbs and process until combined. The crust is ready when a bit of crust holds its shape when you press it in the palm of your hand.
Press the crust (with your thumb) into either a pam'ed or muffin cup paper lined mini muffin pan. Make sure there is enough crust on the sides or bottom so that they will hold their shape when cooled.
Bake for 13 min until the crust is golden brown (without chocolate) or a deeper brown (with chocolate).
Set them aside to cool and harden.

Make the ganache:
Heat the butter and 2 tbsp cream to a boil and add them to to chocolate chips until melted completely. If the mixture is too thick (not smooth and glossy) add another tablespoon of boiling cream and mix until combined.

Take the crust out of the muffin pan (by flipping upside down and tapping gently). Spoon about 1/2 tsp of the ganache into the bottom of each mini crust.

Make the mouse:
With an electric mixture combine the 1 1/2 cups of whipping cream, vanilla and sugar. Whip the cream on high until it thickens and the peaks formed when you lift the mixer out of the cream hold their shape.
Set aside about 1/2 cup of cream.
With the rest of the cream: Fold a bit of the remaining cream into the rest of the cooled ganache (really make sure its cooled) to loosed it up a bit more. Then fold the loosened ganache into the whipped cream in 3 parts folding until combined.

Using a small spoon, put about 1 tsp of the mouse into each crust (which also has to be completely cooled) so that the mouse fills the cup until the top.

Now for the fun part -- decorating!
Use the 1/2 cup of cream you set aside and the fruit you chose (cut into slices) to decorate the little cups and voilá!

chocolate croissant bread pudding with salted caramel sauce

and the baking continues....
With sho (my brothers friend from Japan) in the house nothing I make lasts long, so I have been cooking/baking like nonstop. But this is one recipe I had to post on here (I was trying to copy the bread pudding from Chaya Venice and not gonna lie. . . I think I succeeded).

I added banana slices on top of this one, and one mushed banana inside the custard part. 

Ingredients:
6 or 7 chocolate croissants (if you aren't into chocolate or just don't have chocolate croissants just use plain)
2 cups of whole milk
1 cup of cream (I put 1 cup half and half on the lighter side)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
6 egg yolks  (yeah I know. . . what do you do with 6 egg whites? try this)
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 oz bittersweet chocolate chips (depending on how chocolately your croissants are)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F (up it to 375 and bake for about 40 min if you like it toastier and crispier) and lightly butter an 8 inch square baking dish or something similar (I actually skipped the butter all together this time, and it turned out fine!).

In a big bowl whisk together the milk, cream, egg yolks, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon and salt.
Next, cut the croissants (either homemade like mine or store bought) into little 1 inch pieces and try really hard not to eat them (I had to hide my pieces from my brother/friends/brother's friends).
Pour the milk mixture into the pan and then put the croissant pieces in the mixture. Make sure everything gets soaked in the custard, but you don't want every piece totally submerged, so the top of the bread pudding should be pieces of croissant sticking out of the liquid (so you get that nice buttery crunchy croissant layer). Finally press the chocolate pieces in between the croissant pieces and on top of the croissant pieces and stick the whole thing in the oven. Bake for about 45-50 minutes until the liquid is gone and the top is nice and toasty. (While it bakes make the caramel sauce.)

Let cool for about 10 minutes and serve hot with salted caramel sauce (just a little), vanilla ice cream, salted caramel ice cream (I recommend the one from Sweet Rose Creamery if you are in LA - SO DELICIOUS) or any combination of those three actually. I just wouldn't add any strongly flavored ice creams because the flavors of the pudding itself are awesome.

Salted Caramel Sauce from Zoe Nathan (Huckleberry owner/chef/master baker/awesome person)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tbs light corn syrup
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 tbs unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp sea salt (crushed)

In a sauce pan, bring the sugar water and corn syrup to a boil. Boil over high heat until the mixture becomes a deep amber caramel (about 6 min - dont let it burn though so make sure you keep an eye on it). Remove from the heat and slowly and carefully whisk the butter and cream into the caramel (not the other way. . . trust me, its not pretty). Finally, whisk in the salt. Let the caramel sauce cool while the bread pudding is baking.

Enjoy!!