halloween 2010

Here we have the Beekeeper Blogmaid and her little RR Bee!
Happy Halloween and have fun with the tricks and treats.
There will probably be more dark porches this year because
so many people will be gnawing at their fingernails and
knuckles as they watch Game #4. I could see clumps of
people in front of their TVs as I drove home from work,
looking into windows. The bar on Stanyan Street has
lines out the door on game days. That's probably true
of many bars as some people can't get the Fox TV station.
Plus, it would be difficult to watch the game all alone.

The Rangers won last night, 4 to 2. Their fans were happy
and the next game is tonight, about 5pm our time. I
already feel some tummy tension. You?

i'm all Arlington, all day...

This is what I found on Google ~
Arlington is the biggest city in the country with no fixed-route public transit.

I confess that I had to ask Husbando where Arlington is and after
first saying "Houston" he settled on "the Dallas-Fort Worth area."
I am glad I don't live NEAR a big city where people have to ask
each other this question.

So the game is about 4pm our time which means we'll have it on
the computer in the back room at work. Not ideal by any means,
but there will be lots of us dashing back there with fake tasks
such as, "oh, I need to get some big flat bags," or maybe
search for cash register tape, even though there are rolls and
rolls throughout the stores.

And as bad as our Muni can be sometimes, at least it is a
fixed route. I think. OK, go Jonathan Sanchez, go Giants!

wow wow wow

OK, I know other things are going on. The election is next week and
Queen Meg and Conservative Carly are dipping in the polls ~ that
is good news indeed. We've already voted absentee, so we can
concentrate on the OTHER game.

I went downtown yesterday and every other person was wearing
orange and black. Giants' logos on the most unlikely people (I'm
sure they thought that about me), signs in store windows, lots of
banners and just a general excitement in the air. BART system
announcements clever and fun too. What a city.

We WON Game #2 last night! So unusual for us to score a bunch
of runs. The Blogmaid and I both felt a little sorry for the bull
pen meltdown, knowing exactly how the Texas fans felt, but
that's baseball, folks. Makes you stronger. Errrrrrr, makes
you meaner, too. Anyway, final score 9 to zip.

Off to Texas. I am reading a new book. Finished Freedom by
Franzen. Long but worth investing time and energy if you
skip over the bird stuff. Sorry bird lovers...

from Jon Carroll's column

...of yesterday. Well, we made it through the first game, we won
and it wasn't even too nerve wracking. Texas had their BEST
pitcher and we WON! I'm still having trouble believing it.
Yes, it's really happening. I love all the side stories: Bill in
Pumpkinville turning things around when he came home and
put on his panda hat, all the weed smokers shocking the
Texas media by being soooo open, the Journey song "Lights"
in the 8th inning and best of all ~ Tony Bennett singing not
only "God Bless..." but his "I Left My Heart..." Sounding
sweet and strong standing there smiling broadly in his SF
Giants jacket. OK, here's part of Mr. Carroll's column:

A while back I wrote that the Giants were "a team just good enough to break your heart." That was wrong. The Giants are, in fact, a team just good enough to make you writhe in pain, gouge your own eyes out with fish bones, foam at the mouth and cry out to the baby Jesus, then make the experience "not a problem" because, after all, they won. I have no idea who came up with the torture meme, but it is entirely apt. People who say baseball is dull should have affiliated themselves with the Giants this year around Aug. 1 and seen how unboring it can get. Warning: Do not operate heavy machinery. Children strongly cautioned. If you are taking medication for heart murmurs, tremors, projectile vomiting or sudden migraine headaches, please do not follow the Giants.

lovely new exhibit at the LOH

You'll want to visit the new Japanesque exhibit at the
Legion of Honor ~ it's here until January of 2011.
The Impressionists were greatly influenced by the
lovely, delicate Japanese artists and even though
this exhibit isn't the blockbuster show that Orsay Two
is, in many ways it's just as stunning.
And less crowded. And cooler.

Speaking of cool. The World Series begins tonight in San
Francisco. I need to put on the necklace and maybe the
Giants' earrings too. Isn't it all just too exciting?

great plottie b.day!

It was great to sit down with Doug and (the adoring!) Barb at
Lulu's for a delightful lunch of salads, pork sandwiches and
pasta. We had a lot to cover and a lot to celebrate on Doug's
actual birthday. Oh, and the dessert was delicious too. Doug
is even becoming a Giant fan for the next week, which is saying
a lot since he is a Dodger guy through and through. Happy,
happy b.day, dear friend!

holmes and watson live!

This time in modern London. We watched the new BBC Sherlock
Holmes last night on PBS Mystery Theater and it's great fun indeed.
There are 3 episodes to watch ~ Dr. Watson and Sherlock now
work with computers, cell phones, GPS devices, etc., but the
best part is watching their friendship develop. It's always about
people, except when it's all about baseball.

exhausting pennant win last night

My God, can we take another week of this? What excitement, it
is all too emotional and although that was not exactly a pretty win
in Philadelphia last night, it was all we needed to go to the World
Series ~ beginning Wed. night here in Frisco. Congratulations
to our "band of misfits", many of whom were picked up from
their soft sofas after being dropped by other teams.

After the game our seldom-used phone rang and rang with
friends near and far. And then I went to try to sleep with my
transistor radio so I could relive the game without being such
an obnoxious and horrible nervous wreck. The victory was
even sweeter the second time around.

And congrats to Texas ~ can't wait to get to know (and
dislike) your players! Whooooooosh, game on...

baseball in Bisbee?

(a v. cool email from my friend Mary...baseball is such a strange game
and it hooks us in different ways, different places in the country.)

I've been watching the baseball playoffs. - starting from the end of
each series. Funny, I didn't follow the season, then I sort of turned
on the t.v. and flipped by a game in progress and thought 'Oh. SF!
I didn't know they were in the playoffs!' and stopped and got caught

up in the drama that is baseball. So all of these faces and playing

styles are new and fresh and (wow) a surprise. I watched Phillie
beat the Giants - what a struggle! The Giants' pitcher looked like
a little gawky teenager (until he pitched that ball!) ; and the young
catcher Posey looked like he needed permission to be out after dark.
The Phillie pitcher Halliday looked like he was ready to kick
somebody's ass at any minute. I found out later that he was playing
in pain with a pulled groin. I'm looking forward to seeing the game
in Phily tonight.

My friend Nancy Reed (and part time Bisbee dweller) worked for
the Texas Rangers, so last night after she called me to tell me they
were playing, I watched them beat the Yankees. It was all over at
the end of the 5th inning. The Rangers had effectively out-batted
and then psyched out the Yankees ( Ranger pitcher Lewis leading
the psych assault); and then Cruz's homer later in the game was
just the icing on the cake. When I started watching the game, I
was just watching dispassionately, and didn't care who won - but
around the third inning I inexplicably started inwardly cheering
for the Rangers (it's that part in me that takes in scarred stray cats
with attitude).

So, now I'm hooked. I hope the Giants win in Philly - mainly
because I have developed a motherly feeling toward Lincecum
and Posey. What a pair!

So, its' Fall here in the mountains at the Border and I am watching baseball!

and now we need therapy

...after that dismal Giants' loss last night we watched Gabriel Bryne
(so nice looking, isn't he?) in the HBO series In Treatment and
this season is going to be even better than before. Last night the
patient was John Mahoney and soon we'll have Debra Winger as
an actress in her 50's with problems. Anyone who has been to a
therapist will quickly see that this show is exceedingly realistic.

Today it's raining and "they" say it will do so the entire weekend.
That's OK, we orange people will be in Philadelphia anyway. And
what's the weather there?

ike's, without the lines

Everyone in SF has heard of Ike's Sandwich Shop ~ it used to be on
16th Street and (I think) Sanchez, but they were kicked out due to
noise and neighborly complaints. Well, they have a temporary lunch
spot now on Market Street right next to where my friend Ken (the
person) manages the Books, Inc. store. We had lunch and celebrated
his belated b.day at Ike's. No line and we could sit down comfortably
and they take credit cards (except not Am Ex or Discover) and the
food and service were just fine, but I probably ordered the wrong
thing, a burger. I would NEVER stand in line for a sandwich (or
much of anything, really), so it was a treat for me to say that I'd
finally been to Ike's.

The Giants had a v. exciting WIN again last night. If we win
tonight we clinch and go to the World Series. Too exciting!

based on the truth

What fun this movie is! Pirate Radio tells about a ship in the
North Sea that broadcasts rock and roll to millions in Britain.
It takes place in 1966 and features Philip Seymour Hoffman,
Bill Nighy, Rhys Infan, Kenneth Branagh and some other
wonderful surprises. Oh, the music ~ I'm going to look for
this soundtrack when I have a moment.

Giants beat the Phillies 3 to 0 yesterday. A rare stress-free game!

walking and listening

I know, so old-fashioned, but I don't like things in my ears.
After my yoga class I figured I'd better get a walk in before
the game, so I trotted around in Giantswear listening to my
little $12 radio. People would stop and talk to me, I'd hear
car radios on the same station and a general overall feeling
of "oh boy, post season ~ we can do this thing!" Now it's
the bottom of the 2nd inning and I'm back home with TV
and computer and nerves of steel. And sunshine!

Note to faithful readers ~ I like little twinkly lights of any
color, any time of year. Pumpkins are acceptable in October
and maybe the first 13 days of November. OK, maybe until
the end of November, what with Thanksgiving and all.

Let's win this game, Giants. Please.

only two weeks away...

Here are a couple of Halloween bees in Pumpkinville. RR is
on the right and her hair was blue(ish) that day, so don't worry.
A lot of bees have blue hair. We have a rather large pumpkin
on our front porch and I need to dig out a little bit more decor
for the holiday. Then when it's over I start getting pissed off
about people who leave pumpkins on their porches way into
December. I hate that, truly I do.

The Giants lost to the Phillies last night. I do not care to
discuss the game today.

another detective series

Taggart takes place in Glasgow where the accents are sometimes
so thick that we spend a lot of time saying, "What was that?"
It is however, a nice way to relax with intricate plots and bleeding,
battered bodies after a stressful baseball game. I don't really
recommend it, mainly because the 4 detectives aren't warm
and funny the way they should be. Or maybe they are and it
doesn't translate too well.

In any event, the Giants beat the Phillies last night in game #1.
Unbelievable. Their best pitcher on their home turf. Wowza!

October and here we go again...

This was the shrine to end all shrines, back in '02 with the Blogmaid
reigning over this masterpiece at Apple. Notthat remembers making
little wooden splints for the various players with their various broken
bobblehead parts. I swore after the World Series that I would never
take baseball so seriously again, and yet here we are waiting
impatiently for the game tonight in Philly.

From a daily write of mine, 10/8/02:
I leap around during "Must Win" games such as the Big One
last night. I play Hide and Peak because I have radios on in my
office and in the bedroom. If the inning gets too much for me
I will get away from the TV and just listen to a radio. Last
night it was warm enough for me to try the outdoor position.
I could stand on the back steps and watch from the big plate
window. I could not hear the game and it was even more
effective than just listening and that's when Rob Nen struck
out Gary Sheffield!

You won't see silly behavior like that tonight. I'm so much
older and wiser now. Just another ball game tonight in
Philly. Cool and calm, a fan who has learned her lesson.

his 70th birthday

(I can't let this week go by without mentioning the fact that John
Lennon would have been 70 years old. This, to me, is still the
greatest and most moving of all songs/poems/stories about
loneliness. I'm still blown away when I hear it or read the lyrics.)

Eleanor Rigby (Lennon/McCartney)

I look at all the lonely people
I look at all the lonely people

Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice in the church where a wedding
has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window, wearing the face that she keeps in a jar
by the door
Who is it for?

All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?

Father McKenzie writing the words of a sermon that no one
will hear
No one comes near.
Look at him working, darning his socks in the night when
there's nobody there
What does he care?

All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?

Ah, look at all the lonely people
Ah, look at all the lonely people

Eleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with
her name
Nobody came
Father McKenzie wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks
from the grave
No one was saved

All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?

three for the price of two

Three nights, that is. Sea Ranch is having a Fall Special, so we will
save a little money in November here at the Glass House. Husbando
and Ginger are making all the arrangements so I can just sit back
and smile. I will assume that this nice weather will remain.

But let's stay in the present. I have two days off and I will head for
yoga this morning to stay calm. Tiapos tonight ~ time to begin the
writing because Round Robin starts on Sunday. Fingers to keyboard
and don't think too much. Write. Just write.

oh, Cormac, no wonder I avoid you...

From the author of The Road and No Country for Old Men ~
what did I expect? This is the first SF Playhouse production
of the season and it's a doozy. Hard to watch, expertly acted
and directed. The Sunset Limited is about a sad white guy
who doesn't believe in God and a black guy who rescues him
from suicide. They talk and talk. I can't really recommend it,
but I'm glad I saw it. Charles Dean and Carl Lumbly are the
stars and I bet they are exhausted after each emotional
performance. We "know" them both from previous local
theater productions and they are impressive indeed.

could it be?

Well, I'm ALL baseball now, we both are. Glued to our TV (me to
the radio in another room, bouncing back and forth to help
ease the tension ~ doesn't help) in the back room. The game
last night was exhausting, as usual, and I really didn't think
we would win until the very last moment. I have a special place
to stand and applaud Brian Wilson in the final inning and
once again I will take credit for his good work. It's the same
place I used to stand and clap for Rob Nen(n) and Rod Beck.
(May The Shooter RIP.)

Goodbye Braves, we go to Philadelphia for more stress on
Saturday. A few days off will help our blood pressure.

Nice day off yesterday, lunch with Gini at Samovar. It
is finally summer here in Frisco.

when worlds collide

There are a few of us at the museum who are waaaaaaaay too
interested in the baseball games and it makes for some strange
and secretive sneaking around and whispering "yes" or
"damn!" while we are doing restock and helping customers.
We ask the visitors wearing the SF logo if they have the
latest score and we rely on texts, backroom computers and
raised fists and eyebrows to get our messages across. It is
very stressful. The best part (other than the Win) was when
I sat on the bench by the fountain eating my lunch and
listening to Jon Miller and crew on my transistor. Perfect.

At the bottom of the 9th, our little exhibit store erupted with
"WE WON!" ~ customers and workers alike. High fives
and hugs and great joy. Tonight ~ 4:30 start.

a poem for Sunday, 10/10/10

One thing I love about poetry is how these relatively few words
can bring back an entire era ~ it's global and yet so very personal
at the same time. Beautiful, Ms. Meg.

1970

When I got my head stuck between the porch rails
I didn't know enough yet to hate my body, but I knew
a thing or two about smoking my father's cigars
with Patrick Dunn under the pines behind his house,

and puking while my brother rolled joints and stacked
45s on the record player in his room. My sister
turned me on to Carole King and JT, swore her friends
would die in Vietnam because her peace medallion

was flammable. She tried to teach me to dance, but
I was never graceful—it wasn't a surprise,
me wedged in that railing. How did they get me out?
Nixon was president; Martin Luther King

was dead. The whole country was in a fix,
my father said, though he never said a word
about the cigars. His heart was a shooting star;
I thought he could fix everything. My mother

believed she could fix his failing heart with home-
made tomato sauce and a Manhattan on the rocks.
My mother rose with the fish; she was unable to
cry; she put her hand to my father's cheek, then went

back to work. Uncle Frank called her a good German:
Arbeit Macht Frei, he said, and she nearly kicked him
in the shins. I loved Uncle Frank, but I don't want to
talk about him. Uncle Frank's dead. But let's say I do

remember how they got my head out of that railing.
It took a crowbar—took what seemed forever
because the adults had their loads on by then. That
night my best friend and I took turns wearing the wig

and high heels: we were knobby-knee glamorous, we
were nothing like our parents. Uncle Frank leaned
in the doorframe as we preened, fluttered, eyed
the dapper men, toasted each other with empty glasses.

Meg Kearney

Home By Now
Four Way Books

game two - sniffffffffffff

And it all started in such a satisfying manner with Pat Burrell's
home run early on. It was a long game ending with the Braves
beating our Giants by one run. I'm groggy and cranky this
morning as a result. The next game is Sunday in Atlanta
and the blogmaid and I will pretend that we don't care. The
Braves (and that damn tomahawk) do v. well on their own
turf. The Giants on the other hand...

The rest of my day off was a delight with walking, ironing,
errand-running and planning our next getaway: Sea Ranch,
I think. Today, being Saturday, is a work day.

dead whale watching

Yesterday the blogmaid, Claire and RR drove down to Pescadero
to see the big mother blue whale before she gets too smelly. It's
always amazing to see the big sea creatures up close and I know
you appreciate this photo as much as I do. Thanks, blogmaid!

The Giants won last night. Very tight game, 1 to 0. The chronny
had a clever headline: 14 K gold (or like that) for Timmy's record
strike-out number. Excellent. Let's do it again, but I would
appreciate a few more runs from our hitters, please. My nerves...

it's not my color, and yet...

This is a rather impressive photo of Giants' fans wearing lots of
orange at a recent game. Most people don't look exactly stunning
in this color, but that's what we crazy folks will do to get a Win.
The series starts tonight and we'll be glued to our TV as the Atlanta
Braves try to squish us with their best sinker ball pitching.

almost like being there...

Let's see, I could tell you about running around the deYoung
on FREE day yesterday (issuing orders and solving/causing
problems), or I could refer you to my friend Susan's blog.
She is enjoying every moment of her stay in Paris and you get
to see her apartment, her onion soup and hear her pretend
to be French. Susan is one of those writers who was born to
blog because the reader feels as though she's writing just to
you in a personal email, or even an old fashioned snailmail
letter. What fun for all of us, tune in!

back to the sunday report

Everything worked so perfectly last Sunday. I met Ginger in
the Mission and we walked for quite a few blocks, pretending
that we were in a foreign land. In many ways we were. Then
we had lattes at Cafe La Boheme and walked home to watch
the Giants CLINCH. There was much jumping up and down
from our supper table which featured simple food and a
small radio. Then the 3 of us headed to see Olive after the
very satisfying game.

She's a complicated woman ~ some find Olive mean and cold,
but I admire her honesty and humor. She was a teacher and
(I'm sure) a good one. A wife and mother too, but not so
successful here. This two act play really caught her essence
and although it was sad in many places, Olive's strength
sees her through. The play closes this week, otherwise I'd
push you to see it at the Z Space on Florida Street.

Giants win the NLWest!!!!!!!!!

Yes, today I can use as many exclamation points as I want!!!!
The Giants beat the icky Padres 3 to zip yesterday. Perfect
timing too, as we had a 5pm curtain and if there had been
extra innings we would have been torn. Now the Braves
arrive for the Thursday night game and only people with
strong hearts are advised to watch the playoffs. The photo
above is Brian Wilson, our closing pitcher.

I will tell you about the fabulous play (Olive Kitteridge)
tomorrow. My Sunday off was packed full and v. enjoyable.

got it?

Playoff scenarios

Despite losing Saturday, the Giants clinched at least a tie for the wild card to go with their already-clinched tie for the division. Four things can happen now:

-- If the Giants beat the Padres today, they win the division and will host either Atlanta or Cincinnati on Thursday in the division series. If Atlanta beats Philadelphia, the Braves win the wild card and the Padres go home.

-- If the Giants beat San Diego today and Atlanta loses to Philadelphia, the Giants win the West and the Padres and Braves will play a one-game playoff on Monday to determine the wild card.

-- If the Giants lose and the Braves win, all three teams finish 91-71. The Giants would play one game in San Diego for the West title on Monday, with the loser facing the Braves in Atlanta on Tuesday for the wild card.

-- If the Giants and Braves both lose, the Padres win the West while the Giants get the wild card and would begin the playoffs Wednesday in Philadelphia.

(Well, so much for my Sunday off. Imagine living some place that doesn't have major league baseball. How relaxing must that be? This "If" stuff (cut and pasted from the chronny) reminds me of unpleasant past experiences trying to put together a piece of furniture and reading the directions about 700 times.) Well, go Giants and Braves, I think.

did it hold up?

You remember that I loved this book and was just a tad worried
that I wouldn't like the movie. Well, you can relax, The Girl with
the Dragon Tattoo stands on its own. Very Swedish and yet very
universal. You probably know that women say WWLD? (What
Would Lizbeth Do?) when facing difficult situations in life. She
is one cool, fightin' warrior and this actress was perfect. Go
ahead and rent it, you won't be a disappointed. We actually
watched this Thursday night because...

Last night was work for me and then I came home to watch
the Giants (who really need just this one WIN) lose to the
San Diego Padres. But today they will probably clinch. What
is better than October baseball?

how cool are these shoes?

Sparkles, flowers and peace symbols! New shoes for RR who is
enjoying school and having her big sister, Claire, home from
Switzerland. These are Sketchers®, and I've heard that they
are also comfortable for those of us o. o. elementary school by
a few decades.