where is the real Mary Ann?

I'm heading off to yoga to find my "center" (eeeeeeek) and to
cleanse my heart and mind. To stretch and chant and doze
a bit during deep meditation. My full-time job is great, except
that it's still retail and it's full-time stressful. But that's my
problem and yoga will help me solve that one again.

See that little round window up on top? That's the Temple
where our class will be, I hope. They have many softly
carpeted class rooms, but I like the top room the best.
Ommmmmmmm.

lost in sf (again)

A young writer moves to San Francisco, he doesn't have any
money and now he's going to find a job and write a spectacular
novel. Hmmmm, I know it's not a new plot line, but I'm liking
Going to See the Elephant after about 30 pages or so. I have
a rule that if I'm not hooked after 44 pages, the book goes
back to the library or I sell it to Green Apple. You have my
thumbs up here, but it's still in hard cover.

report from opening day

Despite a pompous and negative review from our local art critic
in the chronny (who also bashed the Chihuly exhibit), the museum
was busy and it felt so good to be running around solving (and
causing, I'm sure) problems in our many stores. The lines were
orderly, the customers happy and the retail workers tired by the
end of the day. It was nothing like the holiday season in the big
box in days of yore, thankfully.

I liked reading the comments on SFGate.com from the readers
who disagreed with the art critic and I especially appreciated the
person who mentioned all the jobs and tourist business created
by this exhibit. Sure there is a lot of hype, but lots and lots of
folks see and appreciate our museum for the first time and we
know they will be back. Now to get ready for Day #2...

but does it work?

I'm going to photocopy and snail mail an article in the New
Yorker (6/8) to Mistress Jane at the Writing Salon. Louis
Menand (writer and professor) has some interesting thoughts
about Creative Writing courses and the proliferation of
writing groups. Now, my thoughts.

In a life filled with happy memories, one of my outstanding ones
was to receive Jane's email inviting me to join Tiapos, a small
group of writers who met in her cottage in Bernal Heights. Me.
This was in 2003, February, as I remember. I was thrilled
beyond thrilled. We meet every other Thursday night, except
when too many of us are crazed by everyday life, and we all
try to bring a piece of our work. My writing friends give me
great pleasure ~ laughter, tears and lots to think about. I am
"high" when I come home from Tiapos, a good high.

Here, from Mr. Menand:
...presenting a story in a writing workshop is a little like
making a business presentation in a corporate workplace.
Such a presentation is, on some level, a "presentation of
individual excellence", a means by which we observe and
test ourselves. It helps us measure how we are doing in
the human race.

So true.

pumpkinville graduation day

Here is RR back in Nov. 2007, Day #1 of pre-school.

RR's final week of pre-school ~ note subtle growing-up changes.

A special hairstyle (requested by RR) for one of the many days of celebration.

It is my duty (and distinct pleasure) to record RR's triumphs here
on commano. In September she starts kindergarten and that will
bring new fun and adventure for all of us. The last time I was in
Pumpkinville, the blogmaid drove me over to her new school and
I pronounced it "beautiful". I guess that counts as a blessing?
Happy Graduation Day, dear RR!

an early preview

Tuesday was my day off, but I went in for a special employee walk-
through so I can better discuss the Boy King with our customers.
I'm not one of those people with boundless knowledge (or interest)
in ancient Egypt, so the more I learn the better.

Yes, it's worth the hype. It is an amazing collection from that tomb
that was discovered back in 1922. The signs are easy to read, unlike
at the Asian Art Museum where one has to bend way down, and
the lighting is excellent. There are 10 rooms filled with tomb toys,
although I missed the final room due to a Fire Alarm. I'm thinking
it was a fire drill for all the new employees, but I don't know that
for sure. In any event, I can honestly say now that the exhibit is
worth the money and time you will invest at the de Young.

we are all animals

We love the early 7pm curtain time at A.C.T. on Sunday nights,
and this was special because we souped first with the dear
Plotniks across the street at Thai Noodle (or whatever). I
do think Edward Albee is one of the best playwrights ever
and we even enjoyed The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? Of
course we were all looking forward to going to The Zoo.

Albee wrote the first act of At Home At The Zoo recently
and I, for one, think it is perfect. The woman behind me
didn't like it, preferring the second act which was written
back in 1958. (I glared at her.) Ann and Peter have one
of those "marital discussions" before Peter heads to the
park where he meets Jerry. I will now direct you to the
fabulous Plotnik review for more and better reflections.

back to those trees

There is a v. good blog that I found by someone who lives around
Civic Center and I borrowed this photo and it is linked. There
is the usual SF ultra-eco worry that this is bad for the trees, but
the artist should know a bit about Sycamores and how much art
they can handle. The artist is Patrick Dougherty.

Yesterday I spent several fine hours sanding the back deck. It was
about a year ago that our endless house painting project began
and the next door neighbors are now working (loudly) on their home.
Thankfully they are exceedingly nice people, so we forgive. I'll
get photos one day of all their ladders and tools.

Today I tour Tut.

make mine a museum

Notice the tree sculpture above.

African American celebration at Civic Center ~ can you smell the BBQ?

The Asian Art Museum, this used to be the Public Library.

One of the many benefits of my job is that we get free admission to
other museums. Yesterday we thought we'd be early to the Lords of
the Samurai exhibit at the Asian Art Museum, but the joint was
already jumping. Lots of families enjoying the warrior costumes,
swords, paintings and pottery from the Hosokawa family ~ a 600
year old lineage (with lots of storage space, it appears). I highly
recommend this exhibit which will be here until Sept. 20th.

We also poked around at the Juneteenth festival and then across
the street and the Farmer's Market. On any given Sunday there is
more to do in San Francisco than seems possible, and yet every
venue is packed. Of course the sunshine helps everything.

I will report on the fabulous Edward Albee play tomorrow, after
I can steal some phrases from The Great Plotnik.

a first (twice)

Meet my father, David Russell Williams. I have never scanned for
commano before, but my almost-perfect new Epson allows me to
do this. I have no idea who he is handing this lemon/egg/ball to,
could even be my brother, but the kid looks far too nice for that
to be the case.

My father died when I was in college. My writing group points
out that I never write about him. Could this possibly still be
too painful? Yes, I fear it is. I adored him. I write about Mother
Dear often ~ we had problems galore. Maybe I'll dig up a photo
of her someday too.

Anyway, happy Father's Day. I'm cooking lunch for Husbando
and taking him out for duck noodle soup tonight before ACT.

new blog on the block

I would like to introduce Claire, step daughter of our blogmaid
and loving step sister of the adorable RR. One of these days
I'll link her over there on the right, in the meantime, enjoy
her wonderful blog. She is spending the summer in Switzerland
and she writes often, so you'll be busy reading about her
incredible, happy life as a softball pitcher, tourist, friend and
lucky, lucky twenty-something. Thanks for so many great
postings, Claire, and keep writing!

send me a postcard!

I've always bought postcards at museums. It's such an inexpensive way
to remember the visit, or send to a friend. The photo above is not OUR
postcard collection, but we do sell many, many every day, at $1.00.
Yesterday my job was to move the big back stock of postcards, organize
and physically lug them to another storage place to make room for
more Tut. I had some deep thoughts during this move ~ artists who
name their works "Still Life" or "Untitled" aren't trying hard enough,
and we truly have enough ocean scenes to choke all horses everywhere.
Today to the Legion where life is always easier...

more on the outdated vacation

Article:Summer vacation: boo!:/c/a/2009/06/15/DDKI186DCP.DTL

Article:Summer vacation: boo!:/c/a/2009/06/15/DDKI186DCP.DTL

(Any post with 6 comments deserves the original column that caused the controversy, and thanks.)

Summer vacation: boo!

Jon Carroll

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

I was struck this morning by an article by Conor Clarke in the Atlantic. It is titled provocatively "Why we should get rid of summer vacation," and it can be found here: links.sfgate.com/ZHJC, for my Internet friends. In it, Clarke quotes an article from the Washington Post:

"Both President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan have called the traditional school day and school year outdated and inadequate for the demands of 21st century life. Students in countries that routinely outscore the United States on international tests go to school for as many as 230 days each year, 50 more than kids typically attend here. 'Go ahead and boo me,' Duncan said in April to Denver students. 'I think schools should be open six, seven days a week, 11, 12 months a year.' "

The main argument, of course, has to do with academic achievement. Most industrialized nations have school years longer than those of the United States. In Japan, it's 243 days of school; in South Korea, it's 220; in Israel, it's 216. Both Scotland and Thailand average 200 days of school per year. The United States weighs in at 180. Consider how many more things can be taught in those 63 extra days, or even those 20 extra days.

And there's no longer any rational reason for our extended summer vacations. Citing numerous studies (available as links on the Atlantic Web site), our endless summer is "a response to (1) inadequate farming schedules; (2) the mid-20th century's lack of air conditioning; (3) the mid-20th century's fear of summertime disease transmission; and (4) the no-doubt timeless desire to mimic the summertime vacation habits of the rich."

That last item is subtly important. Most students of low-income families backslide during the long summer months, forgetting stuff that they learned the year before, while children of higher-income children retain their skills, in part because their parents can afford to give them enriching experiences that keep their little neurons sharp.

So there's another unexpected reason for the educational gap between rich and poor: the long summer vacation.

Clarke also gets into an economic history of the long vacation (and, incidentally, the reason school years start in September), but that's a separate essay and it can be found here: links.sfgate.com/ZHJD.

I have my own reasons for agreeing with Clarke's thesis. Summer vacation is particularly hard on single mothers, or on families where both parents have to work full time. There are camps, of course - oh Lord, are there camps, math camps and Mandarin camps and soccer camps and drama camps and dance camps and, for all I know, worm appreciation camps. The camp business is a growth field - and not, as I understand it, a particularly well-regulated one. There are, of course, some laws, but there's hardly anyone around to enforce them. Worrisome, one might think.

And the camps cost money, an astonishing amount of money. There are scholarships available, but then there are forms to fill out and documents to file, and that's the last thing a single mom wants to do at the end of the day. Of course, relatives help, but relatives also have day jobs and vacations of their own to take.

And why are there camps? Because the summer is so very long.

And here's another thing: My granddaughter Alice likes the Charles L. Dodgson School for Valiant Children. She and I had sushi, just the two of us, the night before the last day of school. (She always orders the same thing, tekka-maki and seaweed salad, but I still think it's cool to eat raw fish next to a beloved 8-year-old. Dunno why; do anyway.)

Alice is not a dramatic child, but she did say, "Tomorrow is going to be the saddest day of my life." Now, I could have pointed out that no, it wouldn't, that life has more and larger unpleasant shocks for her. I could also have pointed out that she felt that way at the end of first grade too, and that third grade would have its own wonders, in addition to a lot of her old friends.

But that's not the point. For her, and I suspect for a lot of kids, school is actually the better time of year. It's structured, it's challenging, it's a place for friendships to grow and blossom. What with the fragmented and often half-crazed week-by-week uncertainty of summer vacation, a lot of kids would rather take a pass, except for those two weeks at the lake, if there are in fact two weeks at the lake.

No more teachers, no more books, no more teacher's dirty looks. Except I like my teacher and, candidly, I like reading, especially about horses.

(and pardon the SFgate plug on top, I couldn't get rid of it!)

like daughter, like father

I really love this photo of RR and her papa. They are watching Scooby
Doo, according to the blogmaid. Yesterday Jon Carroll had a column
in the chronny arguing that school should be longer everyday and all
summer too. I'm sure the teachers hate that idea, but it certainly makes
sense in this day and age. President Obama has mentioned this before
as a way to get the kids better educated than they are currently, at
least compared to other countries.

fog riddled day off

Happily I worked 6 in a row and today is so relaxing that I'm not
even giving commano a "hello" until now, 1 pm. Weeds Season 4
arrived from my close Flix® friends. There is no sunshine and
that means afternoon movies are legal here in Casa Verde. But
first I'd better walk over to Big Lot's and check out the fashions
and some of the strange 4th of July decorations that we can't
live without. I heart Big Lot's...

a little reminder

When I Googled this book (Abide with Me) that I am about to
read, I was amazed at the amount of Christianity that permeates
the internet. Nonbelievers who live in San Francisco tend to
forget how the rest of the USA operates. Lordy. You will
remember that the ultra-talented Elizabeth Strout also wrote
Olive Kitteridge.

Cell phone update. Husbando called the number yesterday
and reported that it sounded "all official and governmenty",
so perhaps this is NOT yet another suburban hoax?

leave us alone

(Thanks to Ginger in Pleasanton for this PSA.)

REMEMBER: Cell Phone Numbers Go Public next month.
REMINDER.... all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls.

.... YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS

To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone:

888-382-1222.
It is the National DO NOT CALL list. It will only take a minute of your time. It blocks your number for five (5) years. You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number.

HELP OTHERS BY PASSING THIS ON TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS... It takes about 20 seconds.

orientation includes humor!

Yesterday they played this delightful old Steve Martin-as-King Tut
video for the 100 or so new hires. What fun. I'm sure we'll see it
again on Monday during the actual King Tut orientation. After a
lot of questions/answers/presentations, we took a two hour tour
and I needed that. The museum is constantly changing and the mind
forgets some of the many, many wonders. Plus I saw something new
in the sculpture garden that I will report on later. New to me, not
to the garden, that is...

she keeps writing

One of the most important things I've learned over the years
at the Writing Salon is that I can always, always find something
to write about. Today I have nothing, the well is dry, but I
will write anyway.

Dinner at the Cliff House ~ a Fixed Price ($34) special. Neti
and I had chicken, Husbando the salmon and Frank a pasta.
Probably the latter was the best choice. Superb salad and
dessert included. Exquisite bread, but that's to be expected
in SF where we DO bread.

A feeling of excitement at the deYoung as they set up the
Tut exhibit and the store. I'm impressed with the organization
from The Top which didn't really exist at the Big Box. Of
course they have to plan these things years in advance and
there are many, many details. Today? Orientation for the
100 new hires and I will attend too, an all day event.

celebration dinner

This is the fabulous Cliff House. One of those rare places where
the food is excellent and the view The Best. Even if it's cloudy
and grey elsewhere in the city, there will probably be a remarkable
sunset here. And last night it was busy as we celebrated Neti and
Frank's wedding anniversary. I forgot my camera, so I borrowed
this photo from the internet and there are a bunch more there
of assorted gorgeous sunsets.

My first day of FT work was very nice because I got to help set-up
the new Egypt store. I do enjoy merchandising even though I need
a LOT of guidance. The day sped by.

I not only wear the Italian jacket often (truly), I've reached the
stage wear I wad it up and put it under my seat at the theater
or scrunch it into my locker at work. Oh, "that old thing".
Thanks for asking. I do still really love it, by the way.

off to work we go

Today is the first day of my new full-time job. This is not my briefcase
because I prefer a canvas bag and a little lunch box. I read in the
chronny that it's TRENDY to take one's lunch to work now ~ I think
I started this trend about 20 years ago. I'm not even nervous, just
ready to learn a few new things and maybe help increase sales some.

It was perfect having four days off in a row before I start this adventure.
I did some cleaning, organizing, reading, writing, walking and napping.

There is a light rain this morning, beats the hell out of forest fires.
Now where is my newly fashionable Thermos®?

that's MY stamp

A young woman inherits a stamp collection from her mother,
but her sister says it's hers. Throw in three more untrustworthy
characters and we have a fine mystery/comedy at the Magic
Theatre. Mauritius was written by Theresa Rebeck and it
is very, very good. See it!

i have seen the future

...and there are no cars.

Dancers and drummers, though.

Lots of bikes and free bike rentals.

Old fashioned low tech family fun.

These Sunday Streets (no cars from 10am to 2pm) events in SF are a
huge success and yesterday's was the first one that we were able to
attend. It was mostly on Valencia and 24th Street, so of course we could
walk from home. You can see that it was a really nice day and such a
pleasure not to have to contend with cars. So many bikers, skaters,
walkers and even people sitting out on chairs, watching the colorful
activities. I envision more permanent no-car streets and Sunday
events like these.

Where the residents parked remains a mystery ~ this is an area with
lots of autos. But, it can be done, and should.

poppy in london

Sally Hawkins plays Poppy, a school teacher who is always in a
good mood, almost annoyingly so, in my opinion. Still this Mike
Leigh comedy Happy-Go-Lucky is worth seeing because there
are some great and touching moments. I do wonder, however,
how the streets can be so empty when Poppy is taking her
driving lessons. I don't remember London being like that...

deserves another

This is the author of Case Histories and also the woman that the
Writing Salon Mistress J mentioned earlier this week. Kate
Atkinson does not enjoy the publishing/promoting part of
writing, even though she is extremely successful. I would guess
she cashes those hefty checks easily, however. I started One Good
Turn last night and am loving it.

I gave up on Angels & Demons ~ such trite and tedious writing.
Not to sound like a snob, not me...

breathe deeply

View of The Great Highway from Sutro Park.

Sutro Bath ruins and our magnificent ocean.

This reminded me of Mendocino.

I never knew about this tunnel until yesterday. It's very cool, but I
wouldn't try it during high tide. Ginger and I had a good walk and
talk and solved most of the world's problems in a couple of hours
yesterday. Mr. Sutro had a huge mansion up at the top of His park
and he could look out over his vast Bath empire, as well as the
Pacific Ocean. This is one of the prettiest walks in the city and it
always amazes me how we can find such quiet spots so close to
the hustle and bustle of city life. Lovely.

ellen gets dressed

Chapter 3 ~ it's slow going here, readers.
Thanks for your patience.

"I can't handle this stranger-in-my-garden situation without coffee",
Ellen muttered to herself as she hurried to the kitchen. She filled the
teapot with water, put a filter in the old Melitta® coffee maker and
ground some dark French roast beans before spooning them into the
cone, At that moment her big orange cat wandered in with a light
genteel meow."What good are you, Salmon? There's a man out
there and you are supposed to be my watch cat. You flunked that
test". But she scratched him behind his ears to let him know that she had already forgiven him.

Ellen put her favorite blue Mermaid mug on the counter and raced to
her bedroom to throw on her jeans and a red sweatshirt. She brushed
her hair and tied it back in a severe bun, removed her furry bunny
slippers and put on her best sneakers. "I may have to run like hell
soon", she thought to herself, "those flip flops won't do".

The teapot was beginning its shrill whistle and as Ellen poured the
boiling water into the coffee maker she realized that this was the
first time she had moved around so quickly since her husband had
died. "What a slug I've become", she thought, "it feels good to pick
up the pace here". As always, the smell of the coffee was pure
heaven. As an afterthought she set out the black deYoung coffee
cup and filled it almost to the top. "I wonder if Keith likes cream or
sugar in his coffee?" Then Ellen quietly opened the back door
to her garden...

prounced lard-waz, of course

Our table.

We met Neti and Frank here on Noe and Henry Streets for a
delightful dinner. It was like stepping into a small Parisian
Restaurant only no cigarette fumes and way less money. It
was packed, too, imagine that, in this economy. You will need
reservations at L'Ardoise (the chalkboard) Bistro and a big
appetite. We recommend the butter lettuce salad and either
fish or steak ~ and always pomme frittes. I'll include my parking
karma with this post, but that's good for a one-time-only dealio.

a civilized inventory

The big box inventory horror show was always an overnighter and
just for that reason alone it was agony because we had to use so
much staff. That left the whole week without adequate coverage
and it was pretty nasty all the way around.

Yesterday at the deYoung it was a pleasure because we were so
well prepared. Maybe 2 "sku checks" total and I was home by
3pm. Lots of bagels, donuts, coffee and pizza too. Viva la
differance (sp?)...

Blogmaid ~ yes, Angels and Demons revolves around the
CERN. You might want to reserve this illustrated book from
your very own Pumpkinville Library. I didn't know about
Maureen, wowza.

a little after the fact

I promised Santa Barbara Ginger that I would read Angels & Demons
when we were wandering around Rome. That would be two years
ago (plus). I ordered the illustrated copy from the library and it is
a lot of fun. Terrible typical Dan Brown writing, but he can surely
hold my interest with his fast-paced plot and the visuals are terrific.

Other than that on my Sunday off, we met our friends Ron and Judy
for dinner at Ristorante Milano on Pacific. They took OUR parking
place, but I forgave them and we had a lovely evening.

Today is inventory day at the museum. Jeans and comfortable shoes!