getting to know Mr. Dogg

 What a fun week for me and my TV. Snoop Dogg is a great spokesperson and Paris is just the best background for the Olympics. Then of course I switch over to politics with fingers crossed as we watch all the grass roots support for Kamala. Go USA, go Kamala!

ear bud worthy

 Grandson Luke is a student at Stanford Law and before entering his second year he will go to Birmingham for a two week course with Bryan Stevenson, his hero. So yesterday I downloaded Just Mercy and I am loving this book already.

neighbors = so nice

 Heidi and Rob invited me to dinner AGAIN last night and it was just so nice and relaxing and I am so grateful for their hospitality and generosity. Once again, lucky me!

dinner at Dalida

 This is a hot newish restaurant right in the Presidio and last night grand daughter Samantha and Luke treated (!!!) me to a wonderful dinner there. That is thinly sliced octopus (with Sam) in the top photo and some outstanding little burgers in the middle. We also had colorful breads and salads and honey ice cream for dessert. This is mixed Mediterranean cuisine in a delightfully casual yet special setting and it was a wonderful evening. How fortunate am I? Very.

taking a political break

OK, I did watch some of the opening Olympic ceremonies and I will try to go to Paris often this next week. I will email Niece Jill who lives there to see how she is coping ~ maybe she left town? 

a little night music, please

 I happened upon a couple of freebie tickets to the SF Symphony last night and Neti joined me for a thoroughly delightful concert featuring Tchaikovsky and Samuel Barber.  And such fun watching all the music lovers in their colorful fashions.

why I'm a political junkie

 Now this is just so interesting. The Nikki Haley GOP voters were planning to support Kamala Harris but the former ambassador sent a "cease and desist" order to the group and we shall see how this all ends up. Deep breath...

back to the everyday

 Annabelle and I have a day to get organized and here she is atop the bread box in her back porch, keeping guard over her treat jars. She and I have been constant companions now for six years and I often wonder how I could have kept my sanity without her. She is not purrfect, but that's OK.

hope is restored

 Of course I watched and listened to Kamala Harris yesterday. She will be a fabulous president and her banter (filled with humor and mutual respect) with Joe Biden was lovely. The country is in good hands and yes, we have a lot of work to do. 

our hero

 I try to avoid daytime TV but yesterday was a great foggy Sunday and after the Blogmaid alerted me to turn on the news I spent the day glued to MSNBC and ABC. An amazing and dramatic day and what a selfless act by President Joe Biden. 

meeting the voters

 I meet Jack at 8am (or maybe 8:15) on Saturday mornings now. A routine that I won't really miss after the election is over. But for now I think it is important for me to try to help Mayor London Breed. Also I am learning to appreciate the Noe Valley Farmers' Market, a scene I used to avoid with my usual "I dislike crowds" kind of attitude. 

downloading the modern world

 On Thursday I had a lovely coffee with Terri who introduced me to Connections and Strands so I can play MORE games. Yay! Then yesterday I had lunch with Husbando's cousin Steve in Mill Valley and he raved about Copilot ~ my introduction to A1. "Get it while it's free!" And so we try to keep up with this mad/mad world.

take a minute

 I was in the neighborhood and I found parking near Golden Gate Park, so I stopped to just sit and unwind and appreciate this glorious space. We voted to ban cars on this stretch which some citizens utilized for commuting and now it is filled with grateful bikers, walkers, readers and folks like me who are a bit overwhelmed with politics currently here in the USA.

riding in a driverless car

 Yesterday I went to a Waymo presentation and after it was over I downloaded the app and took a ride with three others in one of these what-the-hell? cars. Google has been working on this since 2009 and they are ALL over SF now. These are all fully electric cars and "they" can see three football fields ahead which explains why I have seen them anticipate traffic problems far in advance. To my amazement I felt perfectly safe in the passenger seat without a human next to me. and what I like most is having choices when I eventually give up Ken, my 2000 Toyota.

a small public service

 I haven't actually tried this yet, but I will. You are welcome.

All I have to do is hold two fingers together (in this case, the point and middle) lengthwise to measure the stripes on the watermelon. If both fingers fit within the darker green area between two white stripes, that’s a sure sign I’ve got myself a perfectly ripe watermelon — sweet, run-down-your-chin juicy, and crisp. Not a mealy bite in sight.

this might be some sort of record

 Okay, this is the third time I've posted this poem. The first in 2007, the second in 2017, and I am not waiting until 2027. I need this now. Today.

TRY TO PRAISE THE MUTILATED WORLD

Try to praise the mutilated world.
Remember June's long days,
and wild strawberries, drops of rosé 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 a thrush lost,
and the gentle light that strays and vanishes
and returns.

~ Adam Zagajewski
(translated by Clare Cavanaugh)

a sold out performance

 Yesterday afternoon I met Neti, Pat, Jeanine and Inge up at the Z Space a few blocks away and we all really loved Who's Dead McCarthy, a Word for Word production and really well done. Three meaty stories by Kevin Barry featuring six talented actors. So reassuring to see every seat filled on a summer day in SF.

another lone gunman

 ...and another gun that should not be in the hands of civilians. I was glued to too much TV yesterday and it was really, really disturbing. And no, this was not Biden's fault.

fog relief

 To think that there was a time when I complained about our summer fog. Not these days when we hear and read horror stories about our way too hot planet. Yesterday Amy and I had a long and wonderful walk at Crissy Field. The tourists have returned and the natives never left. Lots and lots of happy dogs and wonderful memories too. 

I love PATIOS

 Another nice SF fog-free day, warm but not too hot. I met Gini for lunch at Starbelly yesterday and we had time to catch up on each others' lives and to complain just a bit about the whole aging process. I mean, what are friends for? 

I hate MALLS

 Bathroom construction has resumed in my garage and so I went to Home Depot at the West Lake Mall in Daly City yesterday. At least this is an outdoor shopping center so I got a pretty good walk in and had lunch and read my New Yorker. But confusion reigns and friends remind me that one day this home renovation will all be worth it. 

well, what next?

 This is a huge travel summer and local citizens are reacting in less than positive ways. The above photo is from Barcelona. I see both sides to this issue and have no real solution. We benefit so much from seeing how other people live, and yet. Here from NextDraft:

An Alaska tourist spot will vote whether to ban cruise ships on Saturdays to give locals a break. In Barcelona, they're way beyond that point. Way beyond. Demonstrators marching through areas popular with tourists on Saturday chanted 'tourists go home' and squirted them with water pistols. (The experience will probably get added to a visitor's guide as a way to stay cool during the Barcelona summer...)

random Tuesday thoughts

 I still love going downtown and how lucky am I to be a BART ride away? I snapped this beautiful building on Sunday while having a veggie sandwich at a small cafe before the theatre. Someone decorated each balcony with flowers and the stark black and white design is just plain eye-pleasing. The SF neighborhoods have all come back to life after the pandemic and now (finally) there is a busy and happy downtown vibe too. Recovery.

speaking of power

 Eva Peron was loved/hated and ridiculed, but she definitely helped the poor (especially women) in Argentina and of course she died way too young. This musical is not my favorite, but they did a fine job at the SF Playhouse to a packed audience yesterday. Evita by Andrew Lloyd Webber is a crowd pleaser and I did love the lavish costumes and dancing. Well done, everyone.

women warriors

 One of our goals on Friday was to check out the Warrior gift shop at Chase Center and to purchase and support our new women's professional basketball team before they become a reality next year. Great color and design for the Golden State Valkyries ~ this a huge gift shop with mostly Golden State Warrior merchandise, but we persisted, as women do. 

cool down by the Bay

 The Blogmaid and family were kind (as always) yesterday and we went to the Ramp for lunch and then enjoyed a good walk around the Chase Center with the happy tourist middle photo here. And this morning the fog has returned. Whoosh. 

and today is the 5th

 We had a pleasant indoor picnic up at Pat's yesterday because a big group had reserved the Grove and god knows we are adaptable. Sort of. Hot dogs, potato salad, etc. The fire works seemed extra loud last night without the billowing fog, but it's over and the house is still standing. Rejoice!

not just for baseball

 The blogmaid and I are bunting aficionados after so many home openers. So she spotted the 4th of July decor in the top photo (in Pumpkinville) and I snapped these two in Noe Valley while visiting Doug and Barb yesterday. Usually we have thick fog for the 4th, but not this year. It is still warm but doable. I am not a fan of noisy, dangerous fireworks, but you guessed that.

weird movie, cool theater

 It's unusually hot here in SF this week. Global warming, yup. The top photo here is the talented Emma Stone, then we have Margaret Qualley, Jesse Plemons and William Dafoe ~ all in a very strange movie Kinds of Kindness which Amy and I saw yesterday during Bargain Tuesday at the Alamo Drafthouse. Am I glad I saw this? Yes. Do I recommend it? Not really. 

ear buds & kindle

 I'm just starting Tom Lake by Ann Patchett and so far I'm liking it immensely. She is one of my favorite writers so away we go. On the new Emma's Bathroom front the water heater has been moved and everything is connected again and I can shower ~ a relief to everyone I'm sure.

yay ~ full book club meet-up

 Yesterday afternoon at Heidi's, two doors down from my house. These women are a treat to be with and this is a low pressure book club and it's OK not to have read every single word or chapter or even the book. We speak of many things and eat a TON of food and talk about all aspects of life and we bitch and moan and laugh a lot. The book? Quite wonderful ~ The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store and yes, I read and loved it. Especially the ending.