Making the Transition...

from bartending to skincare and makeup

My Life as a Esthetician

Little Time For......

blogging these days, obviously. My last entry was on May 2nd and here it's now July 11th. Sorry guys. I really miss writing in my blog. So much in my life has been happening and I have no time to dump it out on the internet. I have just been swamped with school, work, facials, waxing, makeup, sleeping, studying and trying to keep my sanity in the process. The good news? I have less than two months left of school. The bad news? Well, there really isn't any except that I have very little spare time for anything that doesn't pertain to school or work these days.

I'm really digging the makeup aspect of school. Perhaps I will start putting together some how-to makeup videos, showcasing various looks. Is anyone out there interested?

As you can see, my heart is no longer in bartending. It's moved on into a new and exciting industry. Skin, skin care and makeup!!!

Switching Gears

This week marks my first week at beauty school. I am now enrolled in a 17-week program to get my esthetician's license. So far I have learned about microorganisms, good bacteria versus bad bacteria and that bar soap manifests bacteria because bacteria loves living in warm, dark and damp environments. I have since switched to using liquid soap. We have even already shadowed other student estheticians giving treatments (facials and waxing) on real clients.

I think the hardest part of going back to school so far is adjusting to the grueling schedule: Tuesday thru Saturday, 8:30am to 4:30pm. Add in four shifts of working behind the bar a week and I've got myself a loaded schedule.

So don't be surprised if some of my upcoming entries in the blog are esthetically focused instead of bar related. I'm learning so many new things, I want to share the new knowledge. I'm also starting to really get excited about my new career. Now that I am in school, becoming an esthetician is quickly becoming a reality to me.

Tonight Was Interesting

The above is NOT a picture of my actual basement/laundry room. This is just to give you an idea of what I had to deal with tonight


After spending all day working at the club, getting it set up for the grand opening this Saturday night, I came home exhausted. I was sitting at my computer, checking my email when I started to hear a loud noise that sounded like someone banging on metal. I thought there was someone out on the fire escape. I looked outside and didn't see anyone, but I could still hear the banging. Then I got scared.

We have had a number of problems with crackheads breaking into our building and sleeping in the basement. I find remnants of them all the time here in the building. This is a major reason why I avoid the building's basement at night. I don't want to ever come face-to-face, alone with a or multiple crackheads hanging out down there. I realized that the banging on metal noise was coming from the basement. I walked to the foot of the stairs and could hear the noise get louder and louder. Just as I was about to go downstairs to investigate, I heard a loud popping and hissing sound. Whatever it was, it scared the shit out of me and I ran back to my apartment.

I didn't know what to do. I was scared and shaking. I called 911 and told them the situation. The police came out rather quickly and went downstairs to check things out. Turns out there weren't any crackheads. The banging noise I heard was the sound of a water pipe breaking. A water pipe had broke downstairs in the laundry room and now there was water flooding the whole basement. Great. Now what am I suppose to do?

I tried calling the building owners (a certain huge property owner/management company here in SF) and got nowhere. Unfortunately all of the emergency contact numbers I had for this company weren't working. I couldn't even access the 24-hour emergency line for the huge property owner. This huge SF property owner is a total joke in my book, but that's a whole other discussion.

I called the water department. I needed to get this running water shut off immediately. They sent the fire department out to shut off the water.

Now it's 3AM and I am still waiting for the plumber to arrive. I have no idea what the plumber will be able to do at this point, if anything. All I know is that I am exhausted and just want to get some sleep. I just wish the building ownership were a little bit more accessible during a late night emergency.

Update: plumber is here. A pipe fell off from the boiler. I think that's all bad. The plumber said he would sauder it back on so that our building would have water.

Yay! Problem solved.

I'm still mad at this huge SF property owner/management company. If you live in San Francisco and rent from them, you probably have many stories of frustration of your own. San Francisco, you probably know the exact company I speak about without me having to disclose their name.

This along with the constant neglect of our building makes me want to move out of this building. It's too bad because I really enjoy the actual inside of my apartment and the neighborhood. I just hate the way this company works and neglects its buildings.

Why is Fernet So Popular in SF?

Did you know that San Francisco drinks more Fernet than any other locale in the United States and more per capita than any place on Earth?

I was going to write an article for my Examiner page on why Fernet is so popular here in San Francisco and among the people who work in the industry here. Instead, I stumbled upon a great and very detailed article written back in December of 2005, answering this same question written by Nate Cavalieri of the SF Weekly. I thought that the article was well written and answered my question significantly. I didn't feel the need to regurgitate all of the information because Mr. Cavalieri had done such a nice job the first time.

So in case you've ever wondered why Fernet is so damn popular among San Francisco bartenders, be sure to read:

The Myth of Fernet: The saga of Fernet, and its cultlike popularity, says a lot about San Francisco
Written by Nate Cavalieri (SF Weekly)

Ginger Beer=Buck

I have been expanding my horizons lately by working with different types of ingredients to make my cocktails more complex and certainly more delicious. Popular San Francisco booze blogger, Camper English, wrote an excellent article recently for the Chronicle discussing ginger beer, its roots and its recent craze among bartenders in cities such as New York and San Francisco.

Be sure to check out the tasty recipe called Kentucky Buck featuring ginger beer, strawberries, lemon juice, bitters and bourbon formulated by San Francisco's own Erick Castro, beverage director at Rickhouse. Can you say yum?

Ginger beer gives a buck more bang
Written by Camper English

The MUNI Crash

Here is footage from the MUNI crash that took place last Saturday, July 18th at the West Portal station. The train was going fast. Can you imagine how scared the passengers and people on the platform must have been?

NEW BLOG: Tales From Behind The Chair

A friend of mine is FINALLY starting a candid blog about working as a hair stylist. YES!! I have been bugging him for while to do this. And I thought I had juicy stories.

Check out my friend's blog here: Tales From Behind The Chair

San Francisco Dyke March 2009 Billie Jean by Excuses for Skipping

One Word=AMAZING!!!

My friend, Wendy is a rockstar!

RIP Micheal Jackson

What a shock. Such a man of talent. He could sing and dance. The King of Pop. I had the biggest crush on him in the third grade. As soon as I discovered 'Thriller", I had my heart set on marrying Michael Jackson. I played all MJ in my class this morning and plan on doing it again tomorrow for my Saturday class.

I found a link showing the highlights from the Flash Mob here in San Francisco last night where people paid their respects to MJ thru song and dance. The "Beat It" part is the best. It made me laugh and cry a little. I still can't believe he is gone.

Ask the Bartender: Tipping at an Event

Maggie Savarino of the Seattle Weekly writes an excellent column called "Voracious: Eating In, Out and Around Seattle." In her column, she writes a weekly feature called, "Ask the Bartender" where readers will write in their questions about bartenders, bar etiquette and bartending in general. This week's "Ask the Bartender" question was:

Who do I tip when I'm going to a wedding? We got in an argument at a wedding last week that I tipped too much. It was a downtown hotel, and I was raised to tip for service. I know I tip the valet, coat check and the bartender, but what about the waiter? I have three more to go to this summer, and I'm tired of not knowing and feeling awkward or wrong!

Be sure to read the rest of this week's "Ask the Bartender."

Every bartender who has ever worked an open bar or hosted party knows and dreads this situation all too well. I agreed and loved Maggie's answer such as, "Tipping is just what you do, people. If you don't like it, move to Germany." and "YOU ALWAYS TIP THE BARTENDER." All hail Maggie Savarino and her awesome column!!!

Kitteh of the week: Ace

My kitty, Ace is Kitteh of the Week over on the Tenderblog. Check it out:

Ace: Kitteh of the Week

PS: We are temporarily relocated for the time being due to the fire on Friday. We are both a-okay, but man was it stinky and scary.

Tenderblog

I came across a really cool blog today called Tenderblog. Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love living in the TL. Turns out, I am not the only one who loves living in the TL.

About Tenderblog:

"We live, work, eat, and shower regularly in the Tenderloin/Tendernob area. Sometimes we pop up to Nob Hill or Russian Hill on a “human safari” and we talk about that too. If you happen to actually like the Academy of Art University (isn’t that title just a wee bit redundant?), then you’re probably not going to like us. In that case, send any and all hate mail to thetenderblog@gmail.com. Just make sure that you say, “You’re an asshole.” and not, “Your an asshole” as the second is more commonly written, yet highly grammatically incorrect."

I love this blog already.

They even mentioned little ol me and my feature on i live here: SF. I am now officially a Tenderloinette. Check it:
i live here SF: Tenderloin Pride

You better believe I am going to follow this blog and so should you. Go Tenderloin!!

Some Interesting Articles

I came across some interesting articles over this past week that I wanted to share with you guys.

Oh Gosh! wrote a great article about certain cocktail guilty pleasures-drinks you would never publicly admit to ordering or drinking. This article is all about an embarrassed look at the Woo Woo (a fine example of cocktails you enjoy secretly):

An Embarrassed Look at the Woo Woo

Also, did you hear that there were traces of cocaine found in Red Bull? Don't get too excited. It was in Austria, not the United States. You guys know that when Coca Cola first came out on the market, there was cocaine in that too? I'm just saying..

Austria: Traces of Cocaine Found in Red Bull Drink

Happy Reading!

And happy day off to me. It's sunny in San Francisco for once.

Feedback

I have a bunch of articles already written and have ideas of articles I want to write for both my Cielo Gold bartender blog and for my SF Bartender Examiner page. I am constantly talking to my customers, students and other bartenders about what topics I should cover.

I wanted to reach out to you guys and ask for your feedback. What are some topics you would like to see me cover in the future? Any questions you have about bartending in general? Ideas? Comments?


Hit me up. I want to know.

My Dad's Boat is on MTV!!!

How is this for cool? My dad's fishing boat was on MTV. The show is called The Phone. His boat was on Episode One: The Bomber.

Watch the full episode.

See the blue boat that the contestants are on during their search for the first clue? That's my dad's boat. Only, it isn't called "The Suspect" in real life. It's named after me. :)

I remember when they filmed the show up in Seattle at the beginning of this year. I couldn't take time off of work or else I would have so been there, taking a bunch of pictures.

TL in the New Yeah Yeah Yeahs Video

Check this out!! The new Yeah Yeah Yeahs video was filmed all over the Tenderloin and North Beach. I recognize all the places in the TL of course. Some of the spots are right by my house like the mural on the side of the Shooting Gallery. TL Represent!! Notice the Super Discount store that they are dancing in at the end of the video? Yeah, that's like a half a block away from the club I used to bartend at for like three years. I was in there all the time. So F---ing cool! I love seeing San Francisco in stuff like this.

Check out the video: Yeah Yeah Yeahs-Zero

Proof That We CAN All Get Along

Dog,Cat,Rat

I saw these guys walking around Union Square a couple weeks ago. It was seriously one of the cutest things I have ever seen. Check out the video:

I Overheard a Crackhead Say...Pt. 4

I just overheard a guy crackhead trying to pick up on a female crackhead by yelling to her as she was getting off the bus, "That's a nice outfit lady!" he failed to get any sort of response

It's along the same lines as when guys drive by and catcall or make kissing noises in order to get a female's attention. How do they think that approach is actually going to yield a positive response from anyone? So why do they do it?

I Want!!