Tuesday, May 31, 2016

theater Sunday


This is a clever one act play about young love, all set to music at ACT.
Cathy tells the story from the end ~ heart broken that the relationship
is over. Jamie starts from the beginning with new love, moving in
together, careers taking off and marriage. The Last Five Years is a
tender story proving once again how sweet and painful love can be.
Funny, too, as is always the case with l-u-v.

(Congrats to the Dubs who will now battle Cleveland and King
James for the title. We have nerves of steel after these last three
games, don't we?)

Monday, May 30, 2016

one fine movie!


We watched Spotlight last night, courtesy of the Flix® free program.
This is such an inspirational film that tells the story of the Boston Globe
reporters who exposed the whole mess of predator priests and the high-
up church men who protected them for years. Boston IS a Catholic city
and their battle for the truth is detailed and impressive. Excellence...

Sunday, May 29, 2016

do-or-die game


At half time the Dubs were losing and I told Husbando that we would have
more time now for the Flix® and HBO. We are brand new basketball fans,
hooked after last year's championship season, but still little knowledge of
the game and no tee shirts or caps (yet). Then the amazing 4th quarter and
even we of little understanding of this game, could see how the Warriors
play like a TEAM and how Chokelahoma was befuddled and angry. I
loved when Curry signaled with seven fingers ~ meaning the final playoff
game will be Monday night. Man, the OKC fans must be annoyed and
worried. So sorry.

Saturday, May 28, 2016

last Wednesday

grey at noon

sunny at 1:30

I neglected to report on the baseball game ~ we won! I met Ginger in our
cheap first row seats and we had a fine time talking and eating our crap
food: hot dog, garlic fries and ice cream. Expensive crap food makes it
taste better, don't you think? It was a wonderful day, as you can tell...

Friday, May 27, 2016

mummy scanning


Mummies and Medicine is the title of the small exhibit at the Legion
of Honor currently. I'm not one of those who is fascinated by the
ancient Egyptians' quest for eternal life, but some are, and they seem
to appreciate the interactive virtual dissection table and the two
mummies who are now in their afterlives ~ for about 2,000 years.
That part is amazing and of course school kids love all of this.

Thursday, May 26, 2016

unusual love story


Netflix is having a free DVD month and we watched The Danish Girl
last night. Beautiful acting in this loving movie about the first transgender
operation and all the heartache involved. How anyone can feel anything
but compassion for a person born into the wrong body puzzles me.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

part-time robin

IN THE NEWS (the prompt)

Must I listen
to this asshole Trump
every single day until the
November election?

I can’t bear it ~
the lies, the hate and god,
he is such a 
complete buffoon.

Americans should be
embarrassed by this
crude and dangerous
excuse for a man.

Is there a possibility
that he could be elected?
My stomach turns at
the very thought.


05/24/16

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

hypnotized


A friend at work sent me this link to an eagle's nest in Washington, DC.
The little ones are now teen agers, preparing to fly. There are two cameras
and one can spend a lot of time here. I guess the parents bring food every
afternoon (mostly fish, one kitten), but I have missed these sessions.
There is a lot of Q&A available on the web site, but go there at your own
risk, you will be amazed and delighted. For one thing, these are BIG
birds and I spend far too much time watching them do nothing.

Monday, May 23, 2016

1833 ~ Covent Garden


Red Velvet is tragedy (racism) and comedy (vain actors) and we enjoyed this
story based on fact. Ira Aldridge was a black actor who first played Othello
in London and was sent packing immediately. But he persevered and the
theater scene evolved and Aldridge went on to have a distinguished career,
touring Europe and helping to break the color barrier. Some of our favorite
actors: Carl Lumbly, Tim Knifing and Susi Damilano. At the San Francisco
Playhouse through June 30th. Oh, great set designs here too!

Sunday, May 22, 2016

ALL THE WAY


We stayed up later than usual last night to watch the two hour HBO
movie All The Way and it was excellent. Bryan Cranston becomes
LBJ and Melissa Leo dons a black wig and brown contacts to morph
into Lady Bird. Man, politics were just as rough back then and the
country just as divided as it is now. Anthony Mackie plays MLK and
Frank Langella is a right wing southern senator. Fascinating ~ catch it!

Saturday, May 21, 2016

more writers at work


Last night I went to Novel Continuation class ~ we started with 14 and
are now down to about 6 students. That's how it works. If this were easy
everyone would write a novel. Ellen plods a long, slowly, but I got the
reboot I needed and I will keep at this. I will, I will...

Friday, May 20, 2016

writers at work


Tiapos met at Suzy's house Wednesday night. We all like meeting there
because it is a charming, memory-filled home in Oakland and it is easier
for Chef Sarah (Napa) and Teacher Eric (San Leandro) to get there. I am
lucky because Doug drives and says he doesn't mind. Suzy's Floyd was in
the next room cheering the Warriors on, and every once in awhile one or
more of us would pop in to check out the Dubs. A lovely evening.

Thursday, May 19, 2016

gardener grand daughter



Yesterday we visited Ceci in her Napa home. She has a delightful garden
growing there (lettuce, tomatoes, corn, squash, carrots) and she fed us a
lovely lunch of FRESH salad greens and then this Thai soup that she made
with gigantic shrimp, mushrooms and chrysanthemum greens. Cooking
is so easy for her, such a talent. Every time we see her she reminds us
more and more of her mother and on the way home Husbando called
Nancy to report in on Ceci and her life. A happy day indeed.

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

the morning nap



We have a GREAT selection of brand new merchandise at the SPCA.
These two almost followed me home on Monday...

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

blogspot fixed (whoosh)



But of course not without some worry, cursing and threatening to toss all
my computers into the landfill. These are a couple of pix of downtown on
Sunday. After rhapsodizing about the beauty of Golden Gate Park on
Friday, I was surprised at how truly delighted I was to emerge from the
Montgomery Street BART station to once again be in the heart of my
city. I love the concrete, signs, buildings and even (what?) the people.
Husbando and I did a lot of things wrong, but settling in SF was not
one of them.

Monday, May 16, 2016

For my morning coffee

Yesterday I had a delightful lunch at the Golden Star. My friend Dancing Jen
gave me this very cool tile for my morning coffee and we talked of many
things. Today I am working with a technical blog issue, so I need to use
this iPad, but you can be sure that the daily blog continues.

Sunday, May 15, 2016

reflections

(One of my friends has been writing about the past, using old photos as her
starting point ~ painful stuff, especially when so many have died. This
poet finds her many selves in mirrors and walls of the dressing room.)

The Doubles
In the dressing room at Macy's,
I run into all my old bodies.
We are reunited when I hear them
shuffling in the walls, sense them
beneath the dirty carpet. Their hips
lurching out of drywall. Their breasts
swelling against the concrete floor.
I congratulate one on her thin legs.
We commiserate about side-boob.
We try on dresses from the junior's section
and laugh. Relive our proms, our red-haired
date who cried the whole night
about that other girl. We kiss. Arm-wrestle.
Bitch-slap. Wish we were never born.
When we part we look at each other longingly,
doe-eyed. The way two mirrors,
when you put them opposite, reflect
each other forever and ever. 

KARA VAN DE GRAAF
AGNI 
Issue 83

Saturday, May 14, 2016

leaving work


On the long walk to Ken car yesterday at 5:30pm, I stopped to appreciate
Golden Gate Park. Both museums are a pleasure to leave, not only because
of the people factor, but because their locations are just so special. When
I worked downtown I had to elbow and jostle crowds and mass transport
or traffic when I escaped, but these days it's all just brilliant color and
very fresh air.

Friday, May 13, 2016

playing tourist


After a morning of productive house tasks and catch-up work, I hopped
on the J Street Car and headed for Market Street. I was meeting my friend
Neti for coffee, but I was early on purpose so I could spend some time
just walking aimlessly and watching the tourists and regulars. I always
poke around Cliff's Hardware, of course, because they carry everything
you might or will never-ever need, then I just sat at Peet's, enjoying the
ambience before Neti arrived for some talk. She belongs to the SF Tennis
Club and there are men there who actually like this Trump Jerk. Yikes,
in San Francisco? I am already worried about November...

Thursday, May 12, 2016

one l-o-n-g day


Love these front row seats! I didn't get home until after 6pm yesterday
because our closer once again allowed a home run in the 9th inning and
the game was tied until the bottom of the 13th. We had so many chances
to win this game along the way, but that's baseball. It gave Ginger and
me a lot of time to discuss everything about our lives as we cursed and
cheered and kept sliding down to better seats in the sunshine.

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

watch them grow!

What can be more life-affirming than a jumble of puppies? Now they
are separated from mama for most of the day, and soon they will be
on the main floor (sales floor, in reality) and they will fly out to
their new forever homes. And since I feed the mother, I can assure
you that she is eating for eight.

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

downtown San Rafael



Lovely old houses and some new shopping on 4th Street. It used to be seedy
here, but we don't do seedy in the Bay Area anymore. Drat. Anyway, I
liked the abalone wall (so Mendocino) and the (strain-to-see) orange
and white cat in the bottom right window. Restaurants and coffee shops
make the trip across the bridge rewarding.

Monday, May 09, 2016

marin open studios



Joe and I drove over to downtown San Rafael yesterday because Bette
was exhibiting and I think that she is a fabulous artist. It was all smooth
and pleasant ~ easy, free parking, too. Then a latte, of course, and
back over the bridge to home and hearth. A very nice Sunday indeed.

Sunday, May 08, 2016

with benefits


I like being a step mother. These Mother's Day flowers are from Nancy.
I do want to wish a happy day to all the REAL mothers out there.
What a difficult job you have, but with (mostly) good results.

Saturday, May 07, 2016

back to streaming...


We started this last night ~ fabulous! Yes, that's Gerald Depardieu
looking better (less obese) than he has for some time. He plays the
mayor of Marseille, a beautiful city filled with intrigue and very
bad politics. Sort of a French Boss, remember that one? Man, the
Flix® spares no expense when they invest in a series. Impressive.

Friday, May 06, 2016

except for the ads...


We have watched episode #3 (6 total) of The Night Manager on AMC.
The commercial interruptions are annoying when we are used to
streaming, but other than that this is great fun and terrific acting by
Hugh Laurie and others. It's a John LeCarre spy story ~ exciting stuff.

Thursday, May 05, 2016

a night to remember


Last night Tiapos met at Jack and Jane's and yes, she was right there with
us in spirit. Jack asked us to select one of her exquisite photos and while
we were reading our pieces, he framed them for us! I tried to write a
mildly amusing piece about Ashland and I was determined not to cry.
But then, towards the end, we said goodbye to dear Randy who is moving
to NYC and we talked about Jane and how she brought us together and
gave us so much. Tears. There was a lot of laughter too, Will was such a
good sport when we read one of his old pieces that he couldn't send to Funny
Times because (errrrrr) it just wasn't funny. Good memories, good times.
Once again, thank you Jane and my fellow writers for enriching my life so much.

Wednesday, May 04, 2016

this cry of outrage



Here is a poem by my friend Will Walker. This piece hangs in the de Young
and I went to visit it again yesterday ~ inspired by Will.

AT THE MUSEUM

In with all the art, you start thinking about a poem,
maybe something about love, which everybody wants,
and death, which nobody does, and then you mix
them up, some wanting death, some hating love,
maybe adding on some love in death and some death

in love, and all the words are hovering, waiting
for something spontaneous, when you turn the corner
into the room wth the vast floating fantasia
in charcoal, a flotilla of tiny bits from a church
in Alabama torched by bigots, such a beautiful

strange display of hatred turned to something
like a prayer, achieved with infinite care and patience
and, you guess, a lot of strong invisible fish line
and some sort of unseen anchors way up
in the ceiling, as well as something durable

and efficient to hold the line and shards together,
my god, and fire, such an enormous, fierce holocaust,
love and hate and fire and death all floating
like a horde of tiny charcoal angels in a silence
that almost weeps. Every day, you think, it hangs like this

as patrons pass, and every night in the museum,
silent, empty, protecting this cry of outrage and loss
and pain. You can only stay a few minutes,
and then you move to the next gallery, carrying
your poem about love and death and fire.

~Will Walker

Tuesday, May 03, 2016

we need some cuteness



It's kitten season already. I'm a sucker for the black and whites...and grey,
orange, solids and stripers. Splotchy cats are beautiful too.

Then we have mom and her eight pups. They are at the stage now when she gets
solo time during the day, but here they all are awaiting breakfast. She is looking
world weary, no? Not yet ready for the public, but soon.

Monday, May 02, 2016

to the sea!



This has become a new pattern for me. The day after returning from a trip
I need to see MY ocean. Husbando and I had a lovely Sunday, as you can
see from the photos. Land's End in all its glory and lunch in Linda and Tom's
nabe. That is (of all things) deep fried sand dab and it was delicious. We
ate waaaaaay too much at The Sunset's Best Seafood Restaurant at 41st
and Taraval. We were heading to L&T's Thai eatery, but this place caught
our eye and we fell in to eat mu shu pork, chicken and cashew, fried seafood
combination plate and the yummy sand dab. Oh, and to watch the Warriors
on TV. A delightful Sunday for sure.

Sunday, May 01, 2016

Five hours of drive

But home is the reward! Perfect amount of time, location, friendship
and relaxation. Good weather too. Oh, and theater...