such violent times

 This is quite a production. Japan in 1600 and a mysterious European ship crashes on the shore of a fishing village and so does a very handsome man from England. I remember being a fan of the Shogun novel by James Clavell and am appreciating this epic series after two episodes.

luxury outdoor dining

 I met Neti for a walk around Stow Lake yesterday and then a gourmet hot dog/fries/Coke® lunch outside the boat house. A huge tree has fallen (middle photo, sorry you can barely see it) but the ducks were enjoying the sunshine and so were we. They have worked on the walkways there and now they are smooth and no more trip-and-falls for the over 70 crowd. Gorgeous.

beginning today

 I will start the wren, the wren today for our March book club. This novel has had glowing reviews and I will listen to it with my lovely ear buds and read it on my LindaKindle4. And yes, I am looking forward to this important assignment.

dragons, lions, noodles, rice

 Mr. nd Ms. Blogmaid and I had a very happy, sunny day in Chinatown yesterday. Lunch at my sister's place (Z&Y) and lots of walking and oohing and ahhhing. Even the fireworks were fine with us. So much color and joy for natives and tourists alike. A happy Lunar New Year!

my lazy Saturday

 It was a gorgeous day but I sat and read most of the day until Heather and Holly (Heidi too) came over for tea. I've almost finished this massive novel and Handy Jan is doing a great job working in Emma's Room in the garage. Annabelle does not care for Holly, alas.

big parade tonight

 Husbando and I went ONCE to the Lunar New Year Parade way back when. Yikes, the crowds. I prefer the little surprises like on this gated doorway on yesterday's walk. I will probably watch the parade tonight on TV, that's what Dragons do.Tomorrow a visit to Chinatown, or so we hope.

Thursday with three photos

 Top: a solo walk in the neighborhood. Middle: coffee with Luckey at the Proper Hotel in the heart of the Tenderloin. Bottom: dinner at Jen's with her two dogs as the sun is setting. We can see  my home from her back deck. Amazing San Francisco, we still love you.

the project begins

 Handy Jan is a workhorse! Yesterday I hit Lowe's to select the floor and paint while she removed all that fake wood and tossed everything into her huge truck which she miraculously backed into my tiny garage. A couple of complications, of course, but I'm pleased with her work and soon we know that Emma's Room will be a reality. Then the bathroom, but that will be a big undertaking.

many movies in one afternoon

 I've always wanted to see the Oscar Nominated Shorts before the actual ceremony, in a real theater, and so yesterday Amy and I spent the afternoon at Opera Plaza and that was a fine experience out of the big rainstorm that flooded parts of the city. Yikes. I believe most of these are available for streaming and so I recommend The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (above) and Red, White and Blue produced by Samantha Bee. Fabulous animated films too, including War is Over! inspired by the music of John and Yoko. We saw 9 or 10 films ~ well done! 

welcome back, Jon

 The most welcome return of Jon Stewart reminds me of going back to a favorite restaurant or vacation spot ~ not QUITE as wonderful as the first time, and yet still a good and positive experience. And as I mentioned to the Blogmaid, making fun of AGE is not as much fun when one is old as it was when we were young. So last night Jon attacked Tucker Carlson. Yay!

cold, exhausting, surprising

 Rough sleep after the finale of True Detective Night Country last night on Max. I bet all of America was watching. GREAT acting by Jodie Foster, Kali Reis, Fiona Shaw, John Hawkes and Finn Bennett. I am still mulling over this story ~ in a good way.

my writing life (continued)

 This week my partner was Anna, cousin of the Seahorse, who lives in Tully, NY. We had a lovely time catching up every day. There are days, quite a few, when I just don't FEEL like writing, but I just do it, usually. Of course some days I "call in sick" just to take a breather. Above ~ you remember Claire Keegan who wrote Foster, I know you do. She speaks the truth.

visiting from Brooklyn

 Niece Brit and her wife, Leah, are staying with Doug and Barb and last night we had a lavish and fabulous pot roast dinner with Doug's famous Hasselback potatoes. I was too busy laughing and talking to take photos of the food, but it was outstanding, as always. A long, fun evening and I'm just a tad tuckered out this morning...in a good way.

this Dragon wins!

 Stacie and Jen gave me a lottery ticket yesterday and I WON. $8 is nothing to sneeze at, right? I am actually a Dragon, which is pretty cool, I mean some are snakes. The Lunar New Year is colorful and fun and a very big deal in San Francisco where we have so many Asian citizens. Part of the tradition is to thoroughly clean house this time of year and I am joining in by tossing a bunch of stuff which has overtaken my office. So much for the paperless society. 

the box and the shelf and the refugees

 I still find comfort in poetry. Reading aloud helps. Of course I need hard copies so I often print a poem out and put it in the striped box. Every couple of weeks I will go through the box and today I select this one that seems appropriate. It is grey here and the news is rough. (The photo on the poetry shelf is my writing group about 20 years ago.)

TRY TO PRAISE THE MUTILATED WORLD

Try to praise the mutilated world.

Remember June's long days,

and wild strawberries, drops of rose wine.

The nettles that methodically overgrow

the abandoned homesteads of exiles.

You must praise the mutilated world.

You watched the stylish yachts and ships;

one of them had a long trip ahead of it,

while salted oblivion awaited others.

You've seen the refugees going nowhere,

you've heard the executioners sing joyfully.

You should praise the mutilated world.

Remember the moments when we were together

in a white room and the curtain fluttered.

Return in thought to the concert where music flared.

You gathered acorns in the park in autumn

and leaves eddied over the earth's scars.

Praise the mutilated world 

and the gray feather of a thrush lost,

and the gentle light that strays and vanishes

and returns.

~Adam Zagajewski

cards and candy

 A low key holiday but still nice to be remembered by friends. Hard to believe that it has been 20 years since then Mayor Gavin Newsom told folks at City Hall to issue same-sex marriage licenses. That took courage and today it is the law of the land. And as it should be...

Amazon dependence

 I send small gifts to my friend who lives in an assisted living facility in San Diego. I am not the only one who appreciates the speed and dependability of Amazon. I realize that some folks hate them, but for those of us who lived alone during the Great Pandemic of 2020, Amazon was a god send. The above was the proof of delivery yesterday and my friend was very happy. And, obviously so were many other residents.

over and out

 Well, that was a l-o-n-g game, but not too boring. The Niners lost, as you know. I didn't fall in love with any of the ads, nor with Usher, but it was fun for Kansas City and Taylor Swift fans and now we can look ahead to baseball and I think I will buy a couple of tickets today, just for the heck of it. Onward.

Super Tea Saturday

 Five women and one doodle dog (Holly) enjoyed tea yesterday. We didn't really need the fireplace, but it makes everything so much nicer. The young women (Lilly and Heather) are busy and stressed with their careers and social lives so it was good to have catch-up time. Heidi, Laurence and I smiled and listened and appreciated not being quite so busy.

100,000 match sticks

 let's skip to some important news today:

Richard Plaud, a Frenchman who has dreamed of building the world's tallest matchstick sculpture, made headlines this week when Guinness World Records rejected his huge model of the Eiffel Tower, saying Plaud broke the rules.

"It hurt me," Plaud told TF1 French TV news. News outlets reported on his disappointment that his work was rejected.

But after an official review, "it seems that we have been heavy-handed in the application of our rules in this case," Guinness World Records Director of Central Records Services Mark McKinley said in an email to NPR as Guinness announced the reversal.

outback excitement

 Last night I watched two episodes of The Tourist, a thriller from Australia. My favorite character is the woman police officer. In other news, I had the overused fireplace cleaned and serviced (yay) and received a doable estimate for Emma's Room. Also, sunshine!

chat and chew resumes

 Last night there were seven of us at Nicole's for pizza, turkey tetrazzini, cheese snacks and lots of spirited conversation. We women have opinions and we share them freely. A great gathering.

confession

 I've never REALLY watched the Grammys before. Who knows why, not I. But the Blogmaid urged me to give them a try, mostly because I love Trevor Noah, and so I did last Sunday night. What fun! Then I spent a good deal of time on Monday doing searches online and reliving all the gossip and glamour. and listening to some of the songs again. Hooray!

True Detective

 Sheeeesh, these two women (Jodie Foster and Kali Reis) are so intense in True Detective and this season 4 we also have John Hawkes, a favorite of mine, looking sad and mean. Some call this a horror mystery and yes, it is exhausting. On MAX, so stream away, preferably during the day.

the pho cafe

Neti and I braved the wind and rain yesterday to see My Home Moon, a brand new play by Minna Lee at the SF Playhouse.  Pho (pronounced FA) is a delicious Vietnamese soup, as you probably know, and this was all about cooking and ancestors and love and, oh yes, puzzling new technology. VERY well done ~ I highly recommend this play. 

 

atmospheric rivers galore

 When I first moved to SF in the late 60's it rained a lot. Just like now. Then we had the dreadful drought years ~  the rivers, lakes and reservoirs were almost empty. So in one way this rain feels really wonderful, but come on, it's no fun to be out in the wind and rain. Also there are a lot of idiot drivers going too fast for bad weather. So I stayed in yesterday again. OUT today. Yay.

that BBQ joint

 You know the one, the one we pass every time we drive on Divisadero? Well yesterday Pat Snyder and I finally got there for lunch and it was delightful and we will return. These are stock photos as I was too busy eating with greasy fingers to use my iPhone. Also we had a lot to discuss  and that was a perfect place to plot and plan and worry and laugh. Yum.

a salute to the simple life

 More rain yesterday so I filed my taxes. This is the 7th year that I have used TurboTax and I think it gets easier every year. I did call for help once and the nice woman said that they are already busy and we all know that citizens who get money back file early. Done.

rainy day essentials

 Swiss Miss, popcorn and a not so great TV movie. Also AirPods with the JK Rowling novel and here it is February and another day of rain. I am happy to have a snug/dry home and everything I need including the GOAT cat, laptop, Alexa and of course the fireplace.