Month: March 2014

bloop

BRB – Switching Servers!

Nina PenalosaLeave a comment

Le Fancy Geek is going to be down for a day or two as I switch to my own server tomorrow (or Jen’s server, since she offered :))! If you subscribe via email, you should still be getting messages in your inbox for every new post after the switch, and I believe folks subscribed via WordPress Reader should still see updates too. As for Bloglovin’ followers, I’m not entirely sure, I’m still looking into that. x__x

I thank you all in advance for your patience and also for tuning into this little blog of mine. Once Le Fancy Geek is up and running again, I’ll be continuing with more Portland posts! 😀

Cheers,
Nina

out & about · tasty travels

Tasty Travels: PDX Eats & Treats – Part 1

Nina Penalosa2 Comments

Fifty Licks: 2021 SE Clinton St.

Jen and I saw Fifty Licks on the Food Network or Travel Channel around Christmas time during a round of Cards Against Humanity. We had to stop the game momentarily in order to watch them make delicious looking cocktails with sorbet. It was a no-brainer that we had to visit when we went to Portland. And it was so delicious, we went twice! I had the Nordic Palmer sorbet cocktail with sparkling iced tea mead and lemon sorbet, and took an ice cream sandwich with Stumptown flavored ice cream on a gluten free cookie to go during our first visit . So divine! I got another ice cream sandwich with toasted milk ice cream the second time around. My taste buds miss it so much!

The Waffle Window: 3610 SE  Hawthorne Blvd. & 2624 NE Alberta St.

Caitlin suggested The Waffle Window for our first breakfast in Portland so we could get our Leslie Knope on. I opted to get the savory special called Spring Forward which had asparagus and peppered bacon on it. I’d like to think that Ron Swanson would approve of my choice. It was the perfect combination of sweet and savory and I was crestfallen after I ate the last bite because it meant I was done with my waffle and that there wasn’t any more of it to put in my mouth. I also had a green tea mint lemonade that was super refreshing (I guess I was too thirsty to take a picture of it)! THIS DRINK. I LIKE IT. ANOTHER. *throws cup fervently down on the ground*

The Press Club: 2621 SE Clinton St.

We ate at The Press Club a few hours after we checked into our hotel the first night. The plan was to eat dinner, have sorbet cocktails at Fifty Licks, then watch Muppets Most Wanted. I Googled restaurants nearby Fifty Licks and came across this particular one because it said it served sandwiches and crepes, and I am all about a good sammich! When we got there I noticed that everything on the menu was named after a famous author or book, so my inner book nerd was totally fangasming! We all ended up ordering the Ernest Hemingway (it said turkey and pesto, so if anything has those two ingredients I. Am. Down). We were hangry as hell, and though it did take awhile for our order to come out, it was ever so satisfying.

Hot Lips Pizza: 2211 Southeast Hawthorne Blvd.

I suggested to Jen that we should order pizza from our hotel room one night and she thought it was a brilliant idea (she literally gasped after I said it, so I’m assuming that means she thought it was brilliant). We decided it would be best to order local since we didn’t drive 12 hours out of California to have a pizza from Domino’s, y’know? It took awhile to pick what toppings we all agreed on, but we ended up with the ABC – Artichoke Bacon & Chicken pizza. ERMERGERD. SO TASTY. I love, love, looove, artichoke and chicken as pizza toppings, and the bacon just made it that much better (because bacon).

Moonstruck Cafe: NW 23rd Ave. (Pioneer Place)

Is this horse truffle not the most adorable truffle you have ever laid your eyes on?! It was almost too cute to eat. Almost. It was also super scrumptious with rich chocolate on the inside. Best $3.50 I ever spent. Caitlin’s friend suggested we visit Moonstruck (it has several locations throughout the city, but we went to the one at the mall). It’s kind of like Godiva, but better. Yeah, I said it. They’re better than Godiva! I think I dropped over $35 buying chocolate bars and whatnot to bring back home to friends and family, but it’s just so damn good. My only regret is not trying their hot chocolate, or at least buying the mix for it. My mom and aunt still have yet to eat the treats I brought back for them and it’s kind of driving me crazy because I want to eat them, but know that I shouldn’t because that would be a horrible thing to do. 😦

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I’ll be posting the last half of my PDX Eats & Treats series in a few days! I don’t want to bombard you guys with all this food porn, and I also don’t want to make myself hungry and sad because these food places are so far away from me and there really isn’t anything that’s nearly as great in my hometown. *cries over first world problems*

Cheers,
Nina

geek style · out & about · shoppin'

The Second Happiest Place on Earth

Nina Penalosa6 Comments

Powell’s City of Books is one of the most magical places I have ever had the pleasure of visiting. It is without a doubt the second happiest place on earth — the first being Disneyland (duh), but it definitely gives Disneyland a run for its money. If only they had Dole Whips. *le sigh* Upon entering Powell’s, Caitlin and I were both bright eyed and bushy tailed and extremely overwhelmed. Books upon books upon books and MORE BOOKS! We spent a good two and a half hours in there (Jen joined us a bit later since she had a late start that morning), and I could’ve easily spent the entire day there if my stomach wasn’t telling me to put some food in it. I’ll talk more about food on the blog later, because OMG. *salivating*

Anyhow, I had no idea where to even start as all the literary categories were split into different rooms on various floors (Gold, Rose, Purple, Pearl, etc). At the front of the store there’s a bookshelf featuring their best sellers, and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman was in their top 30! This made me quite happy since that’s my “100 item” at my job. Caitlin and I went into the Rare Book room where many books that were printed around the 1800s were beautifully displayed in all their worn-out leather bound glory. We must’ve looked really strange as we opened books and held them close to our faces to inhale the old book smell. I sniffed a book from 1884. It smelled spectacular.

I kept straying away from everything I had on my original booklist, then found myself with at least 10 books. One included a gorgeous copy of Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote that was in fact Tiffany blue. It’s one of my all-time favorite books, but I couldn’t justify buying a book I already had two copies of (I think I mentioned in one of my previous posts that I got a copy that looks like a first edition, but I can’t tell if it actually is or isn’t). Ugh! It was very difficult, but I managed to trim the fat off of my shopping basket.

I walked away with…

  • Nerd Do Well by Simon Pegg
  • A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
  • Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell
  • I Don’t Care About Your Band by Julie Klausner
  • The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld
  • Spirit Animals by Stefanie Iris Weiss
  • Van Gogh quote card
  • Unicorn postcard (most beautiful postcard EVER!)
  • Downton Abbey tea (not pictured, and it was a last minute find at the register)
  • Powell’s tote

I gave myself a budget of $50, but then I said eff it. BUY ALL THE BOOKS! Carpe diem! Next time I go to Powell’s I’m going to bring some books from my personal library to sell for store credit, that way my bank account won’t be pissed at me. The only problem is that I have a hard time letting go of books. I’ll figure it out when the time comes.

I’m not even close to being done about sharing all my fun adventures in Portland, so stay tuned for more posts!

Cheers,
Nina

PS: In case you’re wondering about the group picture, Jen said I could only share it so long as I Photoshopped a horse head over her face.

out & about

Back from Portlandia

Nina Penalosa5 Comments

I am completely and utterly head over heels in love with Portland. Maybe I had vacation goggles on throughout the entire trip, but that city is absolutely lovely — the people were so damn friendly, the streets were [fairly] clean, it was quiet and never sounded like it was bustling, there were trees all around, there was an abundance of beautiful men … it was just nice. SO. NICE. Even the sketchy looking places weren’t that sketchy looking when I compare it to San Francisco or my hometown of Stockton.

Caitlin and I went to Stumptown Coffee our first morning there and the barista offered to give me a free drink card since they were out of stock of both teas I wanted and said that they had them at another location. I said it was okay, but she offered me a free drink anyway since I was picking up a bag of coffee and a scone. She was sooo apologetic and kind about it. WHO DOES THAT?

I’m really excited to share more with you ponies about my time in Portland, but I’m still recovering from the ridiculously long road trip we embarked on yesterday (we had a late start and didn’t get back until a little past 1 am). Plus I think I left my camera in Jen’s car, so I can’t upload some of the pictures I took. Wah! But if you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw a lot of the stuff I was up to already! I swear, Portland made my Instagram look a billion times nicer too.

Ugh, can I just stay in Portland forever?

Cheers,
Nina

PS:

🙂

 

geek style · out & about

Stripes & Poe-ka Dots

Nina Penalosa5 Comments

outfit details – dress: Passport Love // tote: Out of Print (buy here) // glasses: Derek Cardigan // boots: Steve Madden (buy here) // magnifying glass necklace: American Rag // Haunted Mansion necklace: League of Shadows (buy here) // bow: Me Oh Mine (buy here) //bracelet: Anna Grace Designs (buy here)

This Friday I’m heading to Portland! Thank goodness because I’ve been feeling very out of sorts lately, so I’m much too eager to escape California and explore a new city in another state. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about Portland, and I’ve been told by several people that I’d love it, so to say I’m excited about finally going is an understatement.  And we’re [Jen, Caitlin, and myself] dedicating a day to just wandering around Powell’s, which I cannot stop thinking about. If you’re not familiar with Powell’s, it’s one of the biggest bookstores around — it contains millions of used and new books within five glorious floors! God, that place must smell divine (book smell is one of the best smells). I really need to write down a book list because I feel like if I go in there without a game plan I will be lost and utterly overwhelmed.

Speaking of bookstores, this outfit shoot was done at Tom’s Used Books in Lodi. We don’t have a whole lot of bookstores around, so it’s nice to know this little gem isn’t too far away, and kittens roam throughout the whole store! Many of the books that are in my personal library have been purchased from Tom’s, including a copy of Breakfast at Tiffany’s that looks very much like a first edition, but I still can’t tell if it is or not — it doesn’t even say what edition it is inside the book. Anyhow, I thought it would be fun to do this shoot at Tom’s because of my Edgar Allan Poe, or rather Poe-ka Dot, tote from Out of Print. My mom got it for me for Valentine’s Day last month. Isn’t it the bestest?! I paired it with this burgundy dress I found at Ross last October. I normally don’t like what I call “mullet dresses” — it’s like, do you want to be a maxi dress or a mini? Make up your mind! But I really liked this one when I saw it because it had a Lady Mary/macabre-ish vibe to it. I also incorporated some Haunted Mansion pieces to the ensemble with my hair bow and necklace that feature the painting of the parasol girl from the stretching room. Edgar Allan Poe, Haunted Mansion… they’re both gloomy so I figured they could all work with this outfit. And my bullet bracelet was handmade by my friend Megan… like, seriously all handmade by her, right down to the hook and d-rings. She’s crazy talented. Her and I did a little jewelry trade, so I gave her one of my Ron Swanson necklaces for that beaut of a bracelet. Please check out her jewelry over at Anna Grace Design! 🙂

Do any of you have anything special planned for spring break?

Cheers,
Nina

bloop · geek style · shoppin'

Pie Day + Sale!

Nina Penalosa1 Comment

pie dress/Pushing Daisies necklace/Bass oxfords/Kate Spade purse/cardigan

As you may know the square root of π = 3.14, making the 14th of March Pie Day! Or Pi Day. I prefer the former because it involves the kind of pie you can eat and not numbers.

I’m an English major. You do the math.

For some reason the square root of π is one of the only things I remember from my high school math class. The F.O.I.L. method? Couldn’t tell ya, I don’t remember what the hell that thing is. But pi? 3.14 is the square root and that’s all I know. Anyhow, I put together a little outfit that I thought would be super appropriate to celebrate the day in. I mean, can that dress by ModCloth be anymore perfect? Nope. It can’t. And I also added my Ned the Pie Maker necklace from my Etsy store, Le Fancy Geek Boutique, to the ensemble because… well, pie. Duh.

And speaking Le Fancy Geek Boutique, there’s a great sale going on right now!

From now until Sunday, you can save $3.14 on your order (see what I did there?)! Just use the code “PIEDAY14” when you checkout. 😀

thor necklace_

Thor has absolutely nothing to do with pies, but you can pick up this necklace along with Ned the Pie Maker and many other designs during the sale 😀

Hope you ponies have a spectacular Pie Day!

Cheers,
Nina

bloop · geek style

La Vie En Rose

Nina Penalosa7 Comments

outfit details – cardigan: H&M // dress: ModCloth (buy here) // belt: Xhileration // shoes: Bass (buy here) // unicorn necklace: Fuego // purse: thirfted // glasses: Brooks Brothers (buy here)

Oh my God, an outfit post? SAY WHAAAT?! I know. I knooow, I haven’t posted one of these things since January because I’ve been a bad [see: lazy] blogger. Also, I have no idea where my camera disappeared to. Go figure. But Jen and I went on a photo spree [with her camera, obviously] all over Lodi on Saturday, and we even turned her backseat into a makeshift changing station for me! It was awkward, but sometimes you gotta do what ya gotta do for the sake of a blog so there will be material for multiple blog posts in the future. I mean… right? Oh, and what’s that on my left forearm? A TATTOO?!?!

I’ve been up to a few things since I last updated Le Fancy Geek, but if you follow me on Instagram you would’ve seen a super puffy picture of it in the middle of my session that took place a few weeks ago. The last time I wrote about getting a tattoo on here I said I was going to have it done in April. I got extremely anxious and called up the shop and asked if the appointment in February I was originally offered was still open, and it was so I booked it. I’m super pleased with the design Jen Lee came up with for my carousel horse. It’s a lot bigger than I thought it would be [insert that’s-what-she-said joke], but I’m completely and utterly 10000000000000% in love with it, and I can’t wait to go back and get the rest of it colored in! I’m still adjusting to the fact that this thing of beauty is going to be on my forearm for the rest of my life, but its itchy presence constantly reminds me that it is, in fact, there. Getting the tattoo itself wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be. It felt a lot like using an epilator on my arm — a really, really, intense epilator that sometimes felt like it was slicing into my arm. I’m pretty proud of myself for not crying or screaming profanities while getting it done. Do I get some XP badass points seeing that this is my first tattoo and it’s big with an insane amount of intricate details?

I keep getting asked what the significance behind it is by people who see it, and I just want to say, “Go read my blog” (this one in particular) because I think it’s packed with a lot of meaning and I covered it all a few posts ago. Most of the time I just say, “I just really love carousel horses” because I feel weird saying it represents the part of me that always celebrates my inner child or to keep staying curious or that the first piece of writing I ever had published was a personal essay where I compared life to a carousel ride. Saying those things feels too personal to say to an actual person asking a simple question. Writing it on my blog should be no different — I don’t know who’s reading it, or if you even care about the meaning, but you’re getting my complete and honest reason. It’s so easy to be honest on the internet, and that’s kind of a scary thing. Anyhow, I think I’ve gotten to the point where I’m starting to ramble soo, I shall end it here before my brain sends signals to my fingertips to keep typing more nonsense.

Until next time, my little ponies. 🙂

Cheers,
Nina