Penny wasn’t super pumped about having to make the trip from San Jose back to Oakland like this because I’d just inherited 6 chairs for a new DIY project.  I put a towel down to make her more comfortable, but she ended up just picking it up with her teeth and flinging it off to the side.  At one point she hung her head and one arm over the side of the chair and just stared at me for like 5 minutes straight.  (There was a definite, “I cannot even believe you’re making me do this,” vibe.)

Our pets are just a tiny bit dramatic.

What are you all up to this weekend?  We’ve got a wedding to go to (at the Oakland Zoo!)  I hope I don’t get eaten by a lion or anything during the reception…

Links from this week:

• KC took the day off this week and we headed to Mikkeller Bar for lunch — it did not disappoint!
• We also hit the new Michel Bistro for dinner.  The service was a little rocky, but the food (including the free chocolate mousse and creme brulee they gave us) more than made up for it.  If you’re looking for French food in Oakland, this is the place.
• I meant to post this last week, but then I just abandoned the blog and didn’t write anything.  Oh well.  This post on happiness was very well-timed and felt like such a relief to read.
• This one-minute clip of Jim Carrey’s commencement speech is pretty amazing.
• I don’t have kids yet, but when I do, I really want to subscribe to this philosophy (re: who has the worst kids).
• I love Mindy Kaling, and every interview of hers that I read just reinforces my infatuation.
• A hilarious book dedication.
• For all you Game of Thrones fans who are also parents, it’s time to step up your game.
• I feel like I want to make this pizza bread, but I also feel like I want to fit into my clothes.  Dilemma.

Since I do a lot of reading throughout the week (and am about to have quite a bit more time to do so…) I thought I’d use my Friday Penny Posts to share a few of the interesting things I’ve come across over the past week — I hope you enjoy!

Don’t worry, Penny isn’t this scary in real life — I just happened to catch her just at the right moment.  What a beast!

This weekend KC and I are staying home after having been away traveling for the past 3 weekends.  It seems like forever since we’ve had a weekend at home with no plans, so both of us are looking forward to staying in and working on a few projects around the house.  KC is having a BBQ for his co-workers at our house next weekend, so we’re planning on doing a little trial run to make sure we’re prepared (KC’s never BBQ’d before.  It’s going to be an experience.)  KC also has some grand plans involving refinishing a bench he bought off Craigslist for $10 (I’ve done all the furniture refinishing up to this point, so I’m kind of excited to hand over the reigns on this one.) and he wants to clean out and organize our pseudo-garage space.  That doesn’t sound super-fun, but I’m hoping that I can maybe get away with more of the “supervising” than the actual cleaning on that one… 😉

Links from this week:

• How the internet ruined Tom Cruise
• A funny new Instagram account (because, let’s just be real — right?)
• Birth rates are up for the first time in 5 years (Uh, I could have told them that, just based on my friends)
• I’m really excited about Tina Fey’s new movie
• This blog is too funny, and this post made me laugh out loud
• Do you know the difference between natural and Dutch-processed cocoa powder?  Handy info for all you bakers out there!
• I’m in love with all of the rugs and the exposed brick in this Scandinavian home (which used to be a carpenter’s workshop!)
• I think I might have to make these S’mores Krispies Bars this weekend.  I think my jeans and I might also be in a fight afterward.