where does the butter knife go?

We are entertaining tonight and it's been eons because I usually don't
get two days off in a row. But yeah, I have them now. I get to stay
in my sweats all day and cook and the house is starting to smell
quite lovely. It's raining and splashing out there, but we are snug
here and looking forward to a delightful evening.

The fiction class last night was terrific. We are working on setting
the scene and describing emotion through details. I need to push
myself here and this class has energized me. But I do need a nap,
of course, so I can sparkle tonight.

not bored in Brooklyn

We are impressed with Bored to Death on HBO. We watch it
on Sunday nights at 9:30, right after Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Last night Ted Danson said that "Brooklyn is the new
Manhattan" and that led to one of those Seinfeld kind of
discussions ~ you know the ones, "so what is the old
Manhattan?" Lately Brooklyn is in all the news that counts:
the Great Plotniks' son and family live there, Karen H.
just bought a home there and now this new TV series.

But I ramble. This is a fun plot about a guy who advertises
himself on Craigslist as a private detective without a
license. So far he has solved every puzzle and we get to
see a lot of Brooklyn as he flies around, averting disaster.

let's speak of angels

Formidable. We watched part one and two of Tony Kushner's Angels
in America on our big new winter TV Friday and Saturday nights.
Emma Thompson is about the scariest and then most compassionate
angel ever imaginable. We saw the play twice and this is our second
time for this outstanding TV movie, but the message of love and
hope should be seen often. I had forgotten the line when Mary-Louise
Parker mentions San Francisco. So sweet.

Yesterday the Blue Angels canceled their noise-making event, but
much of the damage had been done with all the traffic problems
they created. We have been having lots of fog (marine layer) and
that's unusual this time of year. Maybe today they'll fly about
twice, or not.

mark your calendars!

One week from today ~ I'll be reading Halloween Hell and I'd
love to see you in the audience. It should be a lot of fun with
a couple of the other authors from Morbid Curiosity Cures
The Blues. Thanks always to Loren for her hard work getting
this book out, and to Jason for arranging the event.

Saturday, October 17th
Noon
4th Floor Event Space
Borders Union Square
Post and Powell
San Francisco

my teacher

I'm excited about the fiction writing class I start next Monday night. Here is a little information about the teacher that I borrowed from the wonderful Writing Salon website.

Junse Kim, like many Writing Salon students, didn’t begin to pursue a writing life until well after graduating from college. Before ever taking a writing class, he worked as a concert promoter, Peace Corps volunteer, managerial consultant, scriptwriter, nonprofit fundraiser, and “full-time” temp. He has since received a Pushcart Prize (for his short story Yangban), a Faulkner Award, and the Philip Roth Residence in Creative Writing at Bucknell University. His fiction and creative nonfiction have been published in the Ontario Review, ZYZZYVA, and Cimarron Review, as well as two anthologies: Pushcart Prize XXVII and Echoes Upon Echoes: New Korean American Writing.

catching up with the kids

Let's start with the youngest ~ Sam in Sacramento. One of Neti and Frank's grand twins. Mama Nicole is posting great photos on Facebook, so I borrowed a couple here.

Now meet Brother Ben. Both boys and their mothers and grand parents are coming for Thanksgiving here at Casa Verde this year. We are v. excited. Many photo opps!

Dancing Jen's gorgeous nephew Kingston is really 100% adorable, isn't he? And he has certainly captured the heart of his doting aunt.

She's almost six! RR (Ryan Rosemary) is adjusting beautifully to kindergarten and I love my morning emails from her blogmaid mother detailing how she is learning to read and write, meet new friends and enjoy her first real school year.

oh those school days

It's the afternoon of the First Day of School and these parents finally
have some FREE time and decide to have a little extra curricular fun.
We had a great time last night and enjoyed this one act play by Billy
Aronson immensely. It's playing at our favorite SF Playhouse on
Sutter Street, next to Powell ~ through Nov. 7th. Go!

two people, two tv sets

I know it's ridiculous, but we now own two 32" televisions. One in
the back room that has The View, but lacks insulation, and is way
too cold in the winter, and our new one here in the living room.
We bought it at Costco yesterday and had two experts come in
to fuss with all the hook-up wires and remote controls. It's really
impossible to watch old-style tv after being spoiled by the big and
clear picture on these whatchacallem tv sets. This is a Vizio and
so far we love it. Lots of helping the economy from us this year!

I'm only on page 8...

This will be a good one ~ a TV or movie too, I'm sure. City of
Thieves by David Benioff (The 25th Hour) is the story of two
young men searching for a dozen eggs in Leningrad during
the siege. If they fail on this mission, they lose their lives.

By the way, I LOVED The Girl Who Played with Fire and yes,
it was a little far-fetched, but that's OK. So will my Ellen book
when that finally gets written.

we watched the whole thing

And here I thought this would be the weekend Flix® that we
wouldn't like. He's Just Not That Into You has enough twists
and truths to keep us interested, plus all the hot movie stars
including Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Ben Affleck and
(from Big Love) Ginnifer Goodwin who is there on the phone in
the bottom right hand corner.

not enthralling at all

That little white chihuahua had a few too many scenes in Easy
Virtue and the movie was pretty boring. We didn't even get
half way, despite good reviews and a deep appreciation of
Kristin Scott Thomas. Plot? American girl impulsively marries
rich boy and his family does not approve. Avoid.

writers at work

Tiapos met here at Casa Verde last night and we had a fine time indeed.
This photo is of a generic writer person, no one we know. Husbando
has been "deep cleaning" the house, so I was comfortable offering
our space. We missed Mistress J and her writing and photos. Karen
and Eric wrote about their teaching experiences, Will had four fine
poems, Sarah's history with cheese was a delight, Doug is working
on the marvelous Mandela song and I read a little piece about our
tiny bathroom. Really, a wonderful evening. Lucky me!

the Eglu® by Omlet

During stressful times in our careers, my friend Ginger (who once
resided in Kansas) would mention that we should run off to
Mendocino and raise chickens. She has not yet read the article
by Susan Orlean in the Sept. 28th issue of the New Yorker, but
I will save it for her.

It's fascinating. Backyards across the country are filling up
with chickens! Many of us have never tasted a really fresh egg.
There are a lot of websites and helpful hints on the internet
and people love their chickens. Maybe we will see some on
the lawn at the White House one day.

The author ordered the Eglu® which was invented by some
college students in London. They had to do some sort of design
project and the mother of one said, "invent a better chicken
coup", and they did and now they are millionaires.

tres chic and yummy too

We had an outstanding dinner with The Great Plotniks here at
Le P'tit Laurent at Chenery and Diamond in Glen Park. It's been
a while since we've been out for a grown-up style dinner and
this was a delightful evening. Excellent in every way, many thanks
and nice to catch-up on all the news from near and far.

how smart they were (back then)

I know so little about the National Parks and Monuments, so
watching the new Ken Burns' series is eye-opening. They had
great foresight in Teddy Roosevelt's day, to save these
magnificent places from creeping/stomping commercialism
and the endless hunting and poaching from individuals and
organized groups. Makes me think that a trip to nearby
Muir Woods (above, poached from the internet) should
be planned soon.

larry, larry, larry

Last night was the second episode of the new Curb Your Enthusiasm
featuring Larry David (here with his roommate Smoove). I do believe
that there is such a thing as "Jewish Humor" and that probably
explains why a few perfectly nice people don't like this show. In
one hilarious scene, Larry is trying to remove one of those sturdy
(ahem) plastic casings on a new GPS device and as his frustration
and irritation grow, he uses knives, scissors, maybe a hammer.
Larry doesn't handle this situation well, as is his wont. It was a
very funny episode that should be shown in every product
marketing company in the world. Ban those plastic clam shells!

one quick review about...

Thirteen Conversations. We liked it. Thanks to the Fevered Brain
for recommending it. Alan Arkin (again), John Tuturo, Matthew
McConaughey and Clea DuVall. The "one thing" they discuss is
Happiness ~ allusive and puzzling, perhaps you've noticed?
I like this inter-connecting vignette kind of film, with a nice
strong ending. No Kleenex®, alas.

another Ellen moment

PHOTO #18 ~ Bernal Heights hill (the prompt and the photo, courtesy of
Jane Underwood, the Writing Salon Mistress.)

"I can do this", Ellen said as she trudged up the steep hill in Bernal Heights. She was meeting her professor for their second date after the awkward coffee and carrot cake at the Moonlight Cafe last week. After all, Ellen mused, I've climbed so many hills in my life, including this one. It was right here, near that scrubby tree, that Ellen had found and adopted Frooter, her beautiful grey kitty. How many years ago was that? Good grief, it had to be 20 years ago, it was right after the BIG earthquake and there was nothing to do the day after except walk. All businesses were closed, so she walked down Mission Street to 16th Street, then back up Folsom to the top of this very hill. For a moment she was lost in reverie ~ remembering how one little store would be perfectly undamaged and the shop right next door, demolished. How could that possibly be two decades ago? She remembered carrying Frooter home inside her red cashmere sweater and how he had scratched and clawed, ruining the garment and, for awhile, her life.

(Frooter, alas, had committed feline suicide, but that's a memory for another day, Ellen decided, as she continued her upward journey.)

Aaron was already standing at the top of the brown hill. Standing calmly beside him, nose and tail in the air, was a gorgeous red Irish Setter with long ears and flowing feathers. "Oh, oh", Ellen murmured, "I'm doomed".

two in a row

It's rare for me to have two days off in a row, and that's OK, but
when I do ~ such a treat! Yesterday was a little medical stuff
(all is well) and then Husbando treated me to lunch to celebrate
the fact that all is well. We went to Schmidt's Deli at 20th and
Folsom. This area is becoming very foodie, in a good way, except
for Cafe Gratitude, which I written about enough times to bore
even my staunchest reader.

Schmidt's features authentic German sausages with sauerkraut
(good) and potato salad (not great). It's a rather stark new
restaurant with reasonable prices ~ only $8 per plate. I had
the duck sausage and Husbando enjoyed the bratwurst. Mine
was the best, FYI. Cash only, in case you have a hankering for
superior hot dogs.

available now, by special order

I picked up a Morbid copy Tuesday evening at Books, Inc. in
the Castro. When I took it to work yesterday, people oooohed
and awed and said nice things about the piece. I work with
a guy who also used to work for the Halloween CHAIN, so we
had lots of horror stories to tell each other. The very best
part was opening the book to page 152 and seeing my name
in print. I love that feeling.

sisters in albuquerque

This was a sweet movie about Rose and Norah who open a
business specializing in cleaning up after crime scenes. I even
liked the boy child in Sunshine Cleaning. Amy Adams, Emily
Blunt and Alan Arkin, as their father. Good clean fun and one
almost-Kleenex®. (From the Flix®, of course.)

time to go shoe shopping!

mad about the play

Everyone has been raving about Brief Encounter at ACT and we join
the chorus of appreciation and awe. This is v. British and extremely
well acted ~ an adaptation of Noel Coward's 1945 movie. By now
you know it's the age old story of married love, alas Laura and Alec
are not married to each other. It's sweet and romantic and sad and
funny...and it's been extended until Oct. 11th. See it!

cribbage anyone?

Yesterday on part of my lunch hour, I toured the Inuit Art exhibit at
the de Young. There are only 80 pieces, but they are incredible. I loved
the adorable animals and ingenious carvings, especially the cribbage
boards. I imagine that there was is a lot of cribbage playing during those
long cold Arctic nights because there were about 5 different boards on
display. I believe I yawned when I first heard about this exhibit ~
wrong again!

jen, ken, buffy, stieg, mitchell, more!

That was one fine day off! First to Costco for a little shopping and
marital bickering, then on Muni (deodorant is so passé) to meet
Dancing Jen for lunch. I swear, that one block on Jackson between
Kearny and Grant is like being in China. About 20 little restaurants
and all of them busy. Busier even than Tam's in Pathetica. We
had a lovely lunch and discussed many important things.

I drove over to the Noe Valley Library for my reserved copy of
The Girl Who Played With Fire and since it was HOT, I stopped
for a small serving of luscious Mitchell's coconut ice cream.
Some days a woman has no choice.

Then to Books, Inc. for coffee with Ken. When I mentioned Morbid
Curiosity to the sales associate he said, "we're having an event
here!". I love that knowledge and promotion. So, Nov. 6th, at the
Castro and Market location. The book is actually available, at the
Laurel Heights Books, Inc, but I didn't have time to drive there and
pick it up. Next week. So Ken and I had coffee and mostly talked
about his recent trip to Berlin.

It was one fine day off indeed. Now to the deYoung for some sincere
customer contact.

heading downtown today

I do miss the mess and excitement of downtown SF, even though
I was getting a little tired of the sidewalks crowded with loud
18 year olds and the homeless asking me for help every half
block. So today I'll head down early for some smart shopping
(as the Fevered Brain would say) and then zig zag to Chinatown
for lunch with Dancing Jen. I'm looking forward to the day
because I'm still a city woman, even though I have grass stains
from being in Golden Gate Park. And I haven't seen Jen in an
age, so that will be a delight.

Destination is Z&Y on Jackson Street and although I have not
been here, the food is always better in Chinatown than in the
neighborhoods. There, that is my blanket statement for today
that I'll end up denying later, as per usual.

theater season begins

I just glanced at the Chronicle's "little man" who is falling out of
his seat with happiness for ACT's Brief Encounter. We will
be going Sunday night, and though there will be some driving,
Muni, parking, hurry-hurry issues, it's always exciting to start
our season of live theater. This year ACT offered $10 tickets
for all the previews (seats in the second balcony) and that
smart move was a huge success. We need young blood in the
audience and maybe this will help.

who has the blues? (not me!)

OK, it's time to tell you about Loren's book entitled Morbid Curiosity
Cures The Blues. What a lot of work she has done, and I only know
the half of it. One of the first pieces I ever wrote (when I started at
the Writing Salon) is in the book ~ it's entitled Halloween Hell and
it tells the sad/funny story of when I managed one of those temporary
Halloween stores in 2000, in the heart of crazy San Francisco. It
was one of the WORST jobs I've ever had, and baby, I've had some.
But at least I knew that this one would be over on October 31st.

The book comes out September 29th, and Loren will be doing a lot
of book signings. Smart woman, that's the only way to get a book
to sell ~ in the first 3 months when there is some buzz. So check
out this very cool link for the dates, I'll be at the noon event at
Borders (the big box!) on Saturday, October 17th.

Oh, and this is as good a time as any to thank Loren sincerely for
including me in this book. Her support for me and my writing
during the past 8 or so years is one of the main reasons that I'm
taking the fiction course. It's all very exciting. Very.

more fiction practice

I am a Round Robin substitute again this week. I'm thankful to Mistress
Jane for this opportunity and for the prompt above. I never know where
I'm going with these interesting photo prompts, and yes, it's great fun.

Photo #17 (moonlight cafe in the rain)

Ellen was meeting the man she met online at the Moonlight Cafe on
Cortland Avenue in Bernal Heights. It was one of those strange heavy
misty nights in San Francisco and she was unprepared for this, not
wanting to put her raincoat on in September. Everyone knows that it
doesn't rain between May 15 and October 15 in the City, and yet
here she was driving with her windshield wipers on, looking out at
the folks with their umbrellas. It was a warm and cleansing rain,
just what this dirty city needed.

Aaron Goldberg would be interesting, she hoped. It was her first
internet date and although she had heard horror stories about these
arrangements, she also knew of a few couples who had hooked
up via computers. "I'm better in email", Ellen thought to herself,
"especially the first time I meet someone".

Oh, it looked so inviting, the Moonlight Cafe, almost like a bistro
in Paris. And she could smell the coffee as she emerged from her
little red Smart Car. There weren't many customers and she could
quickly scan them to see if she could see a single older man
wearing a beret.

There he was seated against the wall. A tweedy type of guy
with a black beret who was reading the New York Times."Oh,
oh, he's too smart for me", Ellen thought, but then remembered
her promise of no more negative Ellen-thinking. "I'm OK just the
way I am", she muttered under her breath as she opened the door
and smiled over at Professor Goldberg.

sunday revisited

It could have been a gloomy day out at the Legion, but museum
goers want to see art on grey and almost-rainy days, so we were
busy and productive.

Then last night we watched State of Play with Russell Crowe,
Ben Affleck and Helen Mirren. You remember we saw the original
BBC series, but this was Americanized and we both enjoyed it.
Of course we seem to need MORE unnecessary violence, but
the writing and acting held it all together. Yes, rent it!

dejected giants (and fans)

There were too many joyful (and drunk) Dodger fans last night. It
was a rough night even for The Great Plotnik who loves those blue
scumsuckers. I enjoyed being with my friends and catching up on
all things not-baseball, and thanks to the blogmaid for getting us
these very expensive seats when she complained to the usher about
our loud blue neighbors who were spilling beer and being totally
obnoxious. Of course the garlic fries were excellent too.

Next year I'm resolving to go to more games, but I'll avoid the
Dodger games. Unless they are on a losing streak, of course.

Oh, thanks for the ride home (and the city parking experience,
ahem) last night Mr. and Ms. blogmaid.

baseball tonight

About the only good thing about last night's game was the little
girl with the panda bear on TV. For you non-baseball readers,
Panda is the nickname for Pablo Sandoval, an infield Giant
who sometimes actually hits the ball with the bat.

After work I'll meet the baseball e-mail group at the Jewel:
Mr. and Ms. Blogmaid, notthat, Dodger Doug and we hope to
see Sally too. Show me the Polish dog and garlic fries.

This morning there is thunder and lightening! It happens every
September, yet I'm always surprised. Then the rain?

mid-book review

Yes, I'm really enjoying Netherland by Joseph O'Neill.
Here is an example of his fine writing:

We were standing next to a painting of a horse's face, the very memory of which makes me want to go back and study it once again, for this horse's face, with its pale, dolorous nose set against darkness, seemed to promise to the person who studied it long enough some transcendental revelation. "You ever groomed a horse?" the ginger-bearded fellow asked, whereupon he was moved to recall his boyhood in Colorado, when he had spent more than one summer working on a dude ranch. He told me you brushed a horse with a variety of brushes, and that the coat of a horse will release small clouds of dirt, and that he used a special mane comb to comb the manes, but very gently, because hairs in a mane break so easily. My eyes were all the while directed at the painted horse, and only when my friend stopped speaking did I turn and see him stroking a tear from his eye.

the french touch

We play a lot of French music out at the Legion. Sometimes the
tourists will start singing along in their beautiful language.
Yesterday a dapper man wanted to take a photo of the CD
"I Love Paris" that we were playing. He said he was having
a great time in San Francisco and when I wished him 8 more
days of happiness here he said, "I'm working on it". He
found that very-American phrase to be amusing. So I taught
him, "whatever". Then about 10 minutes later he came back
and wanted to take MY picture and of course I said "yes",
figuring he is a fellow-blogger.

"Yeah, I'm going to France!", I said.
"Mai oui", he responded.

baseball this week

I'm beginning to obsess about the Giants and I don't know if I
need this in my life right now. I've been there before ~ the
sleep issues, cursing the bullpen, the if-onlys, the I-can't-watch-
this-from-here-I'll-go-outside and the "isn't this suppposed
to be fun?" kind of thoughts. Argh.

I read somewhere that the fans suffer these losses more than
the players do. I hope not, I want them to hurt too. Not that
we all don't make mistakes, but please, just do your job and
do it right.

We are going to a game on Saturday. Dodgers vs. Giants.
Could we possibly just win every game until the end of the
season? That's really all I ask.

first day of kindergarten!

Here she is ~ RR goes to school, Sea Crest Elementary. Lots of new adventures for everyone. The blogmaid knew I was waiting for commano material, so here you go. Thanks, what fun...

Answer to Jason: yes, I finished Hedgehog and loved it! Did you?

nose in new book

"She has her nose in another book", my mother used to say
with disdain. I don't think she realized how much pleasure
reading would give me as I grew up and beyond. Mostly she
read The Pasadena Star News and that says so much, too much.

Netherland by Joseph O'Neill has had some great reviews
and right from the get-go I'm liking it a lot. Love will come
later, I betcha.

end of summer

There's always something poignant about the Labor Day weekend, even
more so to me than January 1st. Here we have this beautiful old fig
tree in the park in San Mateo. Underneath you can almost see RR and
one of her livelong friends playing raccoon ~ gathering and organizing
nuts and leaves, etc. Thanks to the blogmaid for sending me this
pre-straightened photo to cheer me as summer moves into fall. Of
course NOW we get our nice, sunny weather here in Frisco. That's OK.

ellen, keith, et. al.

I'm feeling proud of myself this morning. I just signed up for a
10-week Introduction to Fiction Writing class at the distinguished
Writing Salon. It's a huge commitment of time and energy, but
I figure, if not now WHEN? Thanks to the museums I have the
money and thanks to you, my readers, I have the encouragement.
Your response to the times I fiddled around with Keith in Ellen's
garden were very rewarding to me, so belated heartfelt thanks.

It all starts in October (Monday nights) and I'm already excited.

needing a day off

I always want an entire day to myself after our writing group
meets as it did last night. Will's new poetry book is sitting
on our small square coffee table and the bright orange title
Wednesday After Lunch looks so inviting on the blue
background with the orange staircase in the center. I need
to sit and read and think today...

Any meeting with Suzy Parker is a treat and her piece last
night about her brother was magnificent. Then Mistress Jane's
biography and thoughts about photography and creativity,
Doug's haunting song about an immigrant from Mexico who
lives now in L.A., and Will's summer trip cancellation. But
really, this morning, Eric's thoughts about teaching first grade
fill my head. If we all really knew how teachers spend their
days and how much time they spend preparing and worrying,
maybe they would start to earn what they are worth. Good
stuff, great group, wonderful writers.

My paltry piece was about Cafe Gratitude ~ I don't care
for that place. Oddly enough, everyone had heard of the
restaurant, so that part was fun. OK, get ready for work!

ah yes, those accents

The Last Detective is yet another mystery series from Great
Britain. We saw the first one last night, after watching our
new Good Penny pitcher serve up a Giants' win in Philadelphia.
Dangerous Davies is a gentle copper who seems to get all the
bad assignments, because he is so nice. Of course he does more
than expected and has solved a cold case along with his guy
friend and this delightful big dog of his. Like the Fevered Brain,
we have trouble understanding some of the lines, but it seems
as the story rolls along, we decipher what they are saying with
ease. Well, maybe not all of it, but enough. Yes, rent it!

the first tuesday

Yesterday I worked out at the Legion of Honor for "free Tuesday"
and I prefer that to the deYoung on the first Tuesday of the month.
I saw 3 people from my old big box days, what a happy surprise!
The Legion is a quiet, classical museum ~ beautiful in that old
world style and I've had French tourists tell me that it is one of
the best and prettiest museums in the world. I am a big fan of
free days, especially when whole families come in to appreciate
the building and the art. Plus, yesterday there was sun. Imagine.

trouble in the burbs

This movie was about 359 times better than I expected. I thought
it was about a bad marriage in the 50's, but in fact it was about
a one-time great relationship with two v. bright people stuck in
suburban Connecticut. The acting was fabulous ~ Kate Winslett
and Leonardo DiCaprio and he is so much more than just a
pretty face these days. A potential Kleenex® film, but I was
too transfixed to cry, I guess. Rent Revolutionary Road now!

we love lil's

One of our favorite hamburger places is Liverpool Lil's out at Lyon
and Lombard, across from the Presidio. Today we had lunch there
to celebrate Ginger's b.day and catch-up on some news and gossip.
Then we walked a bit on colorful Divisadero Street and, behold, it's
starting to feel like nap time. Such a pleasant day off, but aren't
they all?

(A note of condolence to dear Susan who lost her sister, Vicky, last
night. I'm so sorry for you and for her family.)

deep (borrowed) thoughts on a sunday

from The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery:

In the split second while I saw the stem and the bud drop to the counter I intuited the essence of Beauty. Yes, here I am, a little twelve-and-a-half-year-old brat, and I have been incredibly lucky because this morning all the conditions were ripe: an empty mind, a calm house lovely roses, a rosebud dropping. And that is why I thought of Ronsard's poem, though I didn't really understand it at first: because he talks about time, and roses. Because beauty consists of its own passing, just as we reach for it. It's the ephemeral configuration of things in the moment, when you can see their beauty and their death.

Oh my gosh, I thought, does this mean that this is how we must live our lives? Constantly poised between beauty and death, between movement and its disappearance?

Maybe that's what being alive is all about: so we can track down those moments that are dying.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ROSES (the poem)

I send you here a wreath of blossoms blown,
And woven flowers at sunset gathered,
Another dawn had seen them ruined, and shed
Loose leaves upon the grass at random strown.
By this, their sure example, be it known,
That all your beauties,
now in perfect flower,
Shall fade as these, and wither in an hour,
Flowerlike, and brief of days, as the flower sown.

Ah, time is flying, lady - time is flying;
Nay, ’tis not time that flies but we that go,
Who in short space shall be in churchyard lying,
And of our loving parley none shall know,
Nor any man consider what we were;
Be therefore kind, my love, whiles thou art fair.

Pierre Ronsard

schedule switch

I opted to close the deYoung tonight, instead of working the 10 to
6 pm shift, which I hate. At least this way I can get a few household
tasks out of the way and we were able to watch Ted Kennedy's
impressive funeral on TV this morning. Not a perfect man, but
such a fine senator ~ now let's pass the health care reform to
honor him. Please.

It is HOT here and SF does not do well in the heat since we have
no AC. Well, the museums have great temperature control, so
that's one more pleasant thing about this job. I remember at the big
box the AC would break down just when we needed it most and
the customers would complain to us, as though we hadn't
noticed that it was 120º in the store.

thanks, fevered brain!

I bought The Lost Painting out at the Legion of Honor, based
solely on my friend Susan's recommendation in her All Of It
blog. I got hooked from page one, maybe because right now
the author is in Rome, but also the writing is just so terrific.
It reads like a novel, like a fine novel. Muni-worthy, for sure,
and I have 3 straight days of buses due to some outlandishly
large concert out at Golden Gate Park. Starting today.

from Will the Poet

(This is from an email that my Tiapos friend Will sent
yesterday. He knows that I get all sort of insane
about baseball, especially this time of year.)

RIDING THE BENCH

Look at those sad sacks harvesting splinters
in their asses at the end of the bench,
the pinch hitters and utility infielders,
the ones with the gawky body language
that says Holy Shit, how’d I end up
in the Bigs, where the fifth starter
throws fastballs in the 90s

and you feel fucking naked in front of the world
if you whiff or even shy away
from an inside fastball, even though
it’s hissing by your earlobe
like an adder sent to deliver
the kiss of death.

They were all stars in the minors,
so many days when they ripped the cover
off the ball, stole second standing up,
turned double plays so graceful
they were known as artists.

But this is their dream, to walk
in a dugout with the stars, to drink
at the same water cooler,
to leap to their feet
when this year’s Sultan swats one
deep, deep into the cheap seats
and they feel, down in their splinter-
punctured asses, that he’s rounding
the impossibly white, immaculate
bases just for them.

Forget the popcorn-littered masses
ginning up the soundtrack.
They only wish they could get that far,
sitting at the end of the bench,
suited up, waiting for their moment
to slap their slugger on the back
and look up at the scoreboard
towards the crooked numbers
that spell We win again.

Will Walker

I could do this!

Alain de Botton

, author of "How Proust Can Change Your Life" and "The Art of Travel," was Heathrow Airport's so-called writer in residence for the week. As reported in the New York Times, de Botton parked himself at a desk in a terminal at the London airport; as he typed away on a laptop, his words appeared on a screen behind him for passers-by to read. De Botton's reflections will be published in a short book, "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary," 10,000 copies of which will be given free to Heathrow travelers.

(from the Book Section in last Sunday's Chronicle)

remembering reflections

I loved this piece by Jackie Pansari entitled "Reflection on Japan".
There are little Japanese newspaper cut-outs at the bottom of each
glass piece. I simply fell in love and can't give any rational reasons,
so be it. This was at the Burchfield Penney Art Center and yes, I
did buy a couple of items in the gift shoppe.

My inner clock is goofy today, but I'm enjoying the peaceful early
morning hours before I head out to the Legion for a good work day.

buffalo ~ street hockey sunday

The StepRob and I had a few hours to explore downtown Buffalo and there was a big hockey event here with ex-stars and young players and bales of smelly hay and lots of fun, it looked like.

This is Ani DiFranco's Church of Revolutionary Music Babes (or whatever), but it's right downtown and is a big deal. Lots of churches and temples in Buffalo. The downtown is sort of dead, alas, like so many cities across the country.

A wonderful brunch at Betty's on Virginia Street. Even better than Bob Evans!

And then, the great surprise. Rob loves museums. Who knew? This is a
tapestry at the new Burchfield Penney Art Center and we found some
other wonderful art here too. I'll write about another piece tomorrow,
but I wanted to cover the very nice day I had with "the boy". We don't
have a chance to just hang out together and I think it was special for
both of us. Then dinner with Rob and his delightful wife, Sarah, and
early to bed for my 6am flight to SF.

Smooth JetBlue home and a slow de-packing afternoon and a few
little house tasks. I'm so glad I made this family-heavy trip, it was
cause for some trepidation beforehand, but well worth it.

a full day of family, food, beauty

We started the yesterday with a big family breakfast gathering at Bob Evans, a block away from the Red Roof. As of this morning I've had 4 meals here. Who was Bob Evans?

The granddaughter was fabulous and the bat mitzvah was fun and inspirational. There were two rabbis (one female, one male) and both stayed on topic (the g. dot Lindsay) and I thought the ceremony was extremely interesting. It was my first.

After lox and bagels, etc., five of us headed for Niagara Falls. Some rain, some sun and ALL outstanding. We just stayed on the American side, but what views.

I have been to Niagara Falls twice before, but never walked around the
park up here to see so many falls and vistas. We all needed to stretch
our legs and have some time to appreciate this wonder. My step, Nancy,
and I needed some moments for private chats and catch-up and we
found it yesterday, as we strolled and ooooohed and ahhhhhed. Lovely day indeed.

Last night was the party at the country club. Not too many photos, alas,
but there were about 50 young girls all dressed up in delightful finery.
They had their special room and music, glow-stuff, balloons, photo
booth ~ they roamed in groups of 10 or so, and when one of us would
venture into their dance area, they would all leave. It was great to
watch them and know that the g.dot would have this night and day
of special memories with her family and friends.

This morning ~ back to Bob Evans and then some quiet time before I
see Rob and family later. Many goodbye hugs and wet eyes as the rest
of them head for Pittsburgh, Chicago, Utica.