iDaft

Now, this is the most fun I've had all day, but I've had a pretty boring day. Nonetheless, if what you really need right now is a good excuse to have a midnight dance party, then please make your way to the Daft Punk Console. You can be your own Kanye West (or Daft Punk, for that matter) and remix the classic sound drops from Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger."

Now that is a good use of your time on the internet!

what i'll miss :: peet's coffee

I know, I know: Peet's Coffee & Tea is no longer a Bay Area exclusive. You can find little outposts of this local legend all over the West Coast now, and thank goodness for that. The decades-old company has always had a great emphasis on quality over quantity, and their growth has been slow. But within the Berkeley/Oakland area, you're always within a mile or two of a Peet's, which makes easy work of satisfying that craving for an iced latte and a tasty, chewy vegan ginger cookie.

what i'll miss...

Having lived in the San Francisco Bay Area my entire life, the thought of living somewhere so different from the little chunk of Northern California that I know and love seems really intimidating. How will I find my way around? Where will my favorite meals come from? What charming local secrets will I discover before anyone else? What will I miss?

There are many, many answers to that last question. As I prepare to embrace a new chapter in my life, I want to chronicle those things... I hope you enjoy a little peek into what makes the Bay Area 'home' to me.

raspberry-yogurt cake

I had the urge to bake last week, and I finally found the time to follow through. I baked up this delicious raspberry-yogurt cake from a 2008 issue of Bon Appetit magazine (recipe available here.) There are a couple of culinary curveballs in this recipe, so be sure to follow it to the letter. Just as suggested, I have found that a fair-sized slice of cake is great compliment to my evening tea, or as a morning, er, snack. (They keep telling me that cake isn't breakfast. However, I'm not too inclined to believe that!)