Here’s a video of the band we saw at Kimo’s. I don’t think I’ve ever posted a video on my blog before. I’m a tad bit slow when it comes to technology.
Off the Grid
Posted on June 29, 2011 // Leave a Comment
I was completely off the grid for the past week, vacationing in Canada. No cell phone, limited internet access. It was heavenly. So relaxing and enjoyable that I’d say it was even better than our honeymoon…which is a bold assertion.
I am very extreme. I like not exercising, but I also like races. I like Burning Man, but I also like church and the corporate culture. I like staying up late in big cities (no SF, that’s not you), but I also like camping. I enjoy inhaling information–reading the paper, my Twitter feed, catching up with friends on Facebook, but I also enjoy being completely away from it. When was the last time you intentionally refrained from calling, texting, being online?
More thoughts on our trip shortly…
Out and About on Polk Street, San Francisco
Posted on June 28, 2011 // Leave a Comment
Last Thursday, we had a good time hanging out with friends in Russian Hill at Amelie—a special place for us since that’s where Dean and I met. It is such a romantic and lively French wine bar. Perfect date spot. Later on at night, we ended up at Kimo’s watching and dancing to a surprisingly good band called YNOT & Asian Diva Girls. They mashed up hits from Nirvana, Michael Jackson, U2. The female lead vocalist asked how many of us played the piano and I started cracking up. Almost the whole Asian crowd threw their hands up. Gotta love the robotic Asian culture. Piano, tennis, Lowell, UC Berkeley, optometrist. So friggin predictable!
Monday night, I went to my first ever Porchlight series at the Hemlock Tavern on lower Polk. Porchlight gets highlighted by literary blogs and calendars, but it is so not a literary event. It’s “literally” open comedy mic. There’s a theme for the night, you sign up, and tell your 5 minute story. 7-8 people typically sign up. Prior to the start, the host anonymously picks an audience member who will determine the winner; the winner gets $50. Props to the co-founders for this method of choosing the winner. I really like it. So much better than applause which always makes some speakers feel good, while others feel bad. That feel-good/feel-bad applause is like being at a baby shower and everyone oohing and aahing at the most expensive gifts.
It also reinforced that there are people in the world who will like what you do, for being you, and telling your story. Others won’t like you, but I guarantee you someone does appreciate and enjoy your talent. The winner was not someone I would have chosen myself; I thought her story was annoying—my personal opinion.
The theme Monday night was Kitchen Confidential—food-related stories about restaurants, waitressing, catering. The stories were a hoot. I thoroughly enjoyed at least half of them. Porchlight has been around for almost ten years and I have been missing out. Definitely a good time.
Money Monday: Personal Assistant
Posted on June 27, 2011 // Leave a Comment
I know this sounds frivolous during a recession (yes I believe we’re still in a recession), but I hired a personal assistant. I have been talking non-committedly about this concept for years. Wouldn’t it be great to have a personal assistant? What a waste of money. That stuff I can do on my own, I’m just lazy. That is all true. I am lazy. I would rather spend time with my husband or friends on weekends than run to Home Depot or Costco.
I realized recently that all these errands have been seriously clouding my existence. I look at my never-ending To Do list and start having a mini meltdown. So I told myself to do some research. Research in the Bay Area = Craigslist. I scoured the ads, emailed a few people, and got responses that were completely out of my price range. $50/hour?! I can do it myself for $50/hour. Ridiculoso.
Well, God looked down on me and sent me someone who is so reasonably-priced and Fabuloso. This is the karma I’ve been talking about. I deserve this luxury.
You know all those errands that you just never get done because they’re not that important? My assistant is finally doing all that stuff. I own a painting that has been in a gallery for three years. I never picked it up because I’m stinking lazy. Now I can finally have it in my possession.
Look way down at the bottom of your To Do list and think how happy you’d be if those tasks finally got completed. I have two cocktail rings that have never been resized because the jeweler I go to is only open during work hours. Who has free time during work hours? I can finally wear those rings once my assistant gets them resized during his time. Which frees up my life to drink with friends, make travel plans, all the good stuff.
So because I am the coolest blogger in the city of San Francisco, I saved you time and money and found you a personal assistant who can do for you what he does for me. Let me know. He rocks!
Book Reviews: Award-Winning Novels
Posted on June 26, 2011 // Leave a Comment
I read two books recently that came highly recommended by Amazon reviews and the staff at Green Apple. What’s more, one of the books won the Nobel Prize and the other won the Pulitzer. They were so bad, I want my money back. I feel deceived. There must be something wrong with me that I slogged through these books.
Gilead, Winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize, by Marilynne Robinson
Every night I read this book, I didn’t have to take my Ambien. Such a sleeper. It’s comprised of a dying minister’s last words (almost like journal entries) to his very young son. Total stream of consciousness. Pulitzer Prize-winning novels should not be 250 pages of stream of consciousness! Here is a paragraph from the middle of the book.
“Young Boughton came by to see if you felt like a game of catch. You did. He was sunburned from working in the garden. It gave him a healthy, honest look. He’s teaching you to throw overhand. He said he couldn’t stay for supper. You were disappointed, as I believe your mother was also.”
250 pages of this shit. I hope Green Apple buys it back from me. I don’t want it taking up precious space on my bookshelf.
The Passport, Winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize for Literature, by Herta Muller
At least it was short. Less than 100 pages of metaphorical prose. It’s the depressing story of a working man trying to liberate himself from a sad life in a closed-off village. Here’s a snippet of what I had to endure to finish this book.
“Windisch hears the cuckoo’s call. It can smell the stuffed birds through the ceiling. The cuckoo is the only living bird in the house. Its cry breaks up time. The stuffed birds stink.”
I’ll tell you who’s cuckoo. The author’s cuckoo. Or I’m cuckoo for buying the book.
Gay Pride – New Strides
Posted on June 25, 2011 // Leave a Comment
I couldn’t let the weekend pass without sharing how happy I am that New York has approved same-sex marriage. It’s frustrating to live in the gay mecca and not have this right accessible to Californians. I will be elated once California follows New York’s lead. Extra reason to celebrate and more reason to move to NYC…as a couple of my friends have done! And left me here alone! Looks like the celebration was going strong in San Francisco on sunny Sunday afternoon. It took us almost an hour to get home after exiting the freeway.
Fashion Friday: Urban Outfitters
Posted on June 24, 2011 // Leave a Comment
I’m one of those investors who likes to buy stock in companies that I actually use their products or services like Target, Waste Management, Yum Brands. Ironically, I went to a top business school because that strategy has not fucking worked for me. Those stocks aside, I am a huge consumer of Urban Outfitters goods. Who doesn’t love all that shit at Anthropologie? Besides being one of their big customers, I was all over the fact that the CEO went to MY business school. Clearly the guy must have brains because he went to Chicago. Well, ever since I heard about their global expansion and Anthropologie stores hitting the Parisian market, the 100 shares of stock I own have been sorely beaten down. I am such an idiot! Make sure I don’t ever manage your stock portfolios. You will die a pauper.
As mad as I am about the stock, I have yet to cash in my shares (at a loss). I’m still holding on and still shopping. I was sniffing around the Urban Outfitters–Union Square store–two Fridays ago after work. You know how sometimes you just feel like shopping? I rarely shop in-person, I like to do most of my stuff online, but that Friday I felt like checking out some stores and trying things on. I found a few items–dresses and tank tops–and headed to the dressing room. In front of me was a blind woman, holding onto her husband. I tried hard not to be one of those people who stares so I said casually, “Excuse me. Are you in line?”
She said no and I continued to wait my turn. Her husband turned around. His face had been completely burned. One of his eyes was a dull glass marble. The husband and wife felt their way around the accessory section, touching the necklaces and sunglasses. My eyes started welling up on the spot. It seems the Urban Outfitters staff felt the same way. They asked how they could help and I could see the young girls running around the store fetching items, bringing them back to the handicapped couple, assisting them with checkout. They all had glum faces as the couple made their way out of the store.
So maybe the company doesn’t make money, but the staff that day had heart. Despite all the bitching and moaning as I watch the stock plummet, I was actually proud to own the stock that day. Go support your local Urban Outfitters store.
Beauty-Full Pictures of the Burn
Posted on June 23, 2011 // Leave a Comment
Ten years of scrolling through friends’ and photographers’ albums, I’ve seen some great shots of Burning Man. But these are the best I’ve come across. The photographer is kindly allowing me to post his pictures. They are so clear and colorful. They are works of art. His full album is here.
Check him out – Denver wedding photographer R. J. Kern.
Italian Honeymoon: Parting Thoughts
Posted on June 22, 2011 // Leave a Comment
I have a bunch of international friends vacationing in Portugal right now. Since I can’t be there to party with them, I thought I’d reminisce on my honeymoon.
Last I wrote, we were slurping gelato all throughout the Italian country side. We ended our trip on the Amalfi Coast with four nights in beautiful Positano which I think was the best of all those coastal cities: Capri (too wild), Amalfi (too touristy), Ravello (too sleepy). Before I dig into the last leg of our vacation, I made a few observations in my journal about the trip to Italy in general.
No eggs for breakfast. During our two week trip, I did not see a single egg at the breakfast table. Nothing scrambled, nothing boiled. Nada. Italians really like their carbs because there was plenty of muesli, yogurt, biscuits, toast. Nibbles of cheese, sliced meats. I am big on eggs. BIG. I like them in my salad, sandwiches, but most importantly, I like them with breakfast. 2 eggs over-easy, corned beef hash, buttered wheat toast, and hot cocoa. That is my weekend breakfast. No substitutions. Eggs for breakfast must be an american thing. And bacon, I think that’s an american thing too.
PJP2. Pope John Paul II. Oh the Italians are fanatical about their beloved Polish pope. Did the people of Italy get the memo that there is a new pope in the Vatican? I find it ironic, and also touching, that Pope Johnny who was the first non-Italian pope elected since the 1500s has his portrait plastered on hotel and restaurant walls across the country. Sidenote: I saw the Pope waving in his pope-mobile when I was in the Philippines back in my teens. I wish I could find that picture I took of him.
No ‘Do Not Disturb’ signs. Maybe it’s because I’m environmentally-spooked, but I don’t mind using the same bedding or the same towels. We use the same towels every day at home, right? I wanted to tack a sign onto our door telling the cleaning people not to waste their time or earth’s resources. I even snagged a cleaning lady on our floor and gestured NO CLEAN ROOM. NO CLEAN. IT’S OK. SI? She nodded, aye si, no clean. Lo and behold, we came back to a stripped room with new bedding, new washcloths, new towels. Aye, yay, yay.
I’ve already talked about my disappointment with Italian wines and how they don’t have a single non-Italian wine in the whole boot country. And no spices either, Sheesh. Can an all-american girl get some Sriracha, Cholula, or Crystal sauce to spice up my meal? Damn, I need to sweat when I eat.
In Positano, we had a lovely ocean view room at the adorably sunny Villa La Tartana. I made sure to give them a stellar review on TripAdvisor.com. It wasn’t one of those $400/night places either; I swear it’s the best value in all Amalfi. It was so nice to wake-up to the waves crashing, have breakfast on our balcony, then end our day with a bottle of wine watching the sunset. That is all I really hoped for during my honeymoon and it’s exactly what I got at the end of the trip.
Plus I finally got the food that everyone raves about when they talk about Italy. The seafood was divine: scallops, seabass, shrimp, mussels, sardines. I don’t normally think in terms of calories or what’s healthy, but when I’m stuffed, I’m stuffed. I’m not trying to win any competitive eating awards. But there was no holding me back. Stomach distended on the verge of belly ache, I plowed through like a bear preparing for hibernation. I’m never going to eat like this again! Bring it!
My very worldly, totally in the know friend aka Fredly gave the best recommendation for a restaurant on the island of Capri. It was away from the main thoroughfare. The waitresses only spoke Italian. We were introduced to the owner/chef in the kitchen who was cooking our order. We sat outside in the garden smack in the middle of fruit and vegetable patches. And the food? TO-DIE-FOR. We got another order of seafood linguini; it was that good.
To sum up the fairy tale, Italy does not have the friendliest people. Italy does not have amazing attractions. You see one duomo, you’ve seen them all. And that includes the Vatican. The art? What art? I’ll match your David with our Thinker in front of the Legion of Honor.
But that coastline with the vertical cities and fresh off the boat seafood? Unbeatable!
Shots from the Birthday Weekend
Posted on June 21, 2011 // Leave a Comment
No not alcohol shots. Photos! Since I don’t post as many pictures as I should, here are more from my birthday weekend in wine country on Saturday and having breakfast at the Red Door Cafe Sunday morning.
I do not know where or when this was taken. I might not even know that guy.
That is the mangy Nicholson Ranch dog who kept huffing the slimy tennis ball into my lap.
Blending in at the funky Red Door Cafe
Red Door Cafe threesome - I think that's the owner.
