important press conference

Prepare for some incidents and adventures ~ Ginger and I are off to
Phoenix in about an hour. Over-packed and I've already had too much
coffee. First game is tonight with Texas, in their stadium, so I'm
wearing the 2010 World Series shirt in case they forgot that we won
that and we would like a repeat now in 2012.

arthur and marilyn

Last night we watched My Week with Marilyn and it was truly
delightful. Innocent young man who works for Olivier falls for
the most famous Hollywood star when she comes to London to make
a movie. Excellent acting and a charming story. Rent it!

back to North Beach

Lunch at the new Original Joe's ~ delish!

Espresso at Caffe Trieste

I'm one of those strange people who crave calf's liver from time to time,
especially if it's grilled perfectly and covered with onions and bacon.
This was one of the best ever ($22) ~ Husbando had the burger ($11)
and pronounced it fabulous. We were early (11:30 am) and requested
the back counter so we could watch the chefs at work. By the time we
left, the restaurant was packed and I didn't get to see what the Mayor
was having for lunch. Sorry!

We walked after lunch, reminiscing and appreciating this special
area of the city. It has that "everyone is Italian" kind of feeling with
a colorful mixture of young and old. Caffe Trieste still draws the
only-in-SF poetic crowd with a few awe struck tourists, of course.
Still the best espresso in town, in our most humble opinion.

another belated holiday

Today we celebrated Valentine's Day and I treated Husbando to
a delightful lunch at the new Original Joe's in North Beach. We
couldn't do this before because of the tedious dental business, so
now we are making up for lost calories. I'll give you a few more
details in tomorrow's post, but I do want to mention that our Mayor
Ed Lee was also having lunch and we are all fortunate that I didn't
use my iPhone camera to substantiate this fact. As long as we've
lived here, our mayors have always been very visible and it was a
good omen to see the current one out and about today.

finally

Tonight we celebrate St. Pat's in a low key manner ~ corned beef
from Roberts, cabbage from Maria's, potatoes from Costco and
of course the most important part, our dear friends who will (we
hope) bring dessert. Then, at last, I can put all these shamrocks
and green accessories back down in the basement and drag up
the Easter decor. We do festive here in Frisco...

some jpgs of the jpg exhibit

Oh, what fun! I only saw a few of the many stunning Jean Paul
Gaultier designs yesterday, but honestly, this exhibit is going to be
a big, big hit. It is at the de Young and will be until August 19th,
but I think you'll want to see it more than once. I bounced in three
times yesterday, just because I couldn't stay away.

good to go!

This chirpy tooth should have his fingers crossed, but for now I too
am all smiles because my dental ordeal is over and I can start eating
real food again. But gently. Even though I disagree with my dentist
politically, he is the kind of perfectionist who is just as determined
as I am to hang on to each and every tooth for as long as possible. I
told him I might as well have him co-sign on my 401(k) and he
mentioned "bailouts" and I said "enough" and we parted amiably
and I so don't want to see him again for about 6 months. And yes,
I smiled all the way home...

the true sign of Spring

We had so much sun and bloom during the so-called Winter months,
that this is my first official sighting of the new season. Best price? Big
Lot's on Mission ~ $1.00 a package. Guaranteed to last 1/2 day. Maybe.

jean paul arriving soon

The Gaultier exhibit opens on Saturday, and I worked out here
in Wilsey Court yesterday explaining why, despite all the signs and
publicity, the exhibit wasn't open yet. Many disappointed people.
This is going to be a HUGE show, I think, and Himself will be
at the Friday night party. This poster (which I love) looks so much
like a sci fi novel cover and I spent a bit of time studying it. In
one Paris street art book I spied this cryptic line ~ please feed
the models. Indeed.

no can do

I was trying to save these for vacation escaping next week, but I made
the mistake of reading the first few pages and now I am totally
hooked and filled with awe and admiration for Ms. Collins, the author.
The Hunger Games is all about plot and everything I've learned
about how to keep a story moving along applies here. The premise
is ground-breaking, the heroine delightful and I can see why this
movie will be such a hit. And, this is a perfect e-reader book, so
if only I can read slowly and still have some left for the trip. On
the other hand, do I want to be furiously reading my LindaKindle®
during a baseball game?

vacation memories...

(This poem by Richard Blanco makes me nostalgic. Every summer
our family went to San Clemente and for a week or ten days we all
got along beautifully ~ sunburned, tired and mellow.)

Looking for The Gulf Motel
Marco Island, Florida

There should be nothing here I don't remember . . .

The Gulf Motel with mermaid lampposts

and ship's wheel in the lobby should still be 

rising out of the sand like a cake decoration. 

My brother and I should still be pretending

we don't know our parents, embarrassing us

as they roll the luggage cart past the front desk

loaded with our scruffy suitcases, two-dozen

loaves of Cuban bread, brown bags bulging
with enough mangos to last the entire week, 

our espresso pot, the pressure cooker—and

a pork roast reeking garlic through the lobby.

All because we can't afford to eat out, not even

on vacation, only two hours from our home 

in Miami, but far enough away to be thrilled 

by whiter sands on the west coast of Florida,

where I should still be for the first time watching 

the sun set instead of rise over the ocean.

There should be nothing here I don't remember . . .

My mother should still be in the kitchenette

of The Gulf Motel, her daisy sandals from Kmart

squeaking across the linoleum, still gorgeous

in her teal swimsuit and amber earrings 

stirring a pot of arroz-con-pollo, adding sprinkles 

of onion powder and dollops of tomato sauce. 

My father should still be in a terrycloth jacket

smoking, clinking a glass of amber whiskey

in the sunset at the Gulf Motel, watching us 

dive into the pool, two boys he'll never see

grow into men who will be proud of him.

There should be nothing here I don't remember . . .

My brother and I should still be playing Parcheesi, 

my father should still be alive, slow dancing 

with my mother on the sliding-glass balcony

of The Gulf Motel. No music, only the waves
keeping time, a song only their minds hear

ten-thousand nights back to their life in Cuba. 

My mother's face should still be resting against

his bare chest like the moon resting on the sea, 

the stars should still be turning around them.

There should be nothing here I don't remember . . .

My brother should still be thirteen, sneaking

rum in the bathroom, sculpting naked women 

from sand. I should still be eight years old 

dazzled by seashells and how many seconds 

I hold my breath underwater—but I'm not.

I am thirty-eight, driving up Collier Boulevard,

looking for The Gulf Motel, for everything

that should still be, but isn't. I want to blame

the condos, their shadows for ruining the beach
and my past, I want to chase the snowbirds away 

with their tacky mansions and yachts, I want 

to turn the golf courses back into mangroves,

I want to find The Gulf Motel exactly as it was

and pretend for a moment, nothing lost is lost.

Richard Blanco
Looking for The Gulf Motel

University of Pittsburgh Press

subdued shamrockin'

I hope everyone had a sane and happy yesterday. I worked out
at the LOH, but I am off today and there is sunshine and some
noodle soup of some kind calls to me. And yes, I need to walk!

We'll celebrate St. Pat's next weekend after this dental nonsense
is over. I need to remember the quote in today's newspaper:

Pain is inevitable, Suffering is optional

nice to meet you, Albert

This arrangement caught my eye on Thursday

...it depicted this painting by Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902) entitled
Sunlight and Shadow and as many times as I've wandered about
up there on the second floor, I had never seen it. The artist was
an American who studied art in Europe and we have other works
by him that I have admired. So thanks to flowers, I know this one too.

flowers are my friends (again)

I so appreciated the Blogmaid's email this morning because in a
show of solidarity she didn't buy flowers for her home. But now I can
release all of you ~ I had an hour to myself yesterday before the
museum opened and I was not only impressed with the flower
arrangements, I realized that some of them made me really study
the piece of art more and I saw things differently and better. In
one instance, I had never even noticed a Bierstadt entitled Light
and Shadow and I'll show you that tomorrow along with my
amazing insights (joke). So I'm pro-flower, anti-people and that's OK.

a few flowers

Yes, I am getting jaded. These are the only flower photos I got.
Right about now I need a day off, but alas, back to the many,
many customers. And parking? Forget it...

people and flowers

This is the annual Bouquets to Art week at the deYoung. When I
work today they will close the museum for an hour as they set up
for the event tonight and I'll be able to walk around and get more
photos of the blossoms and artistic arrangements. But yesterday,
mostly I saw people and more people and it was a pleasure to
come home in the early afternoon. I am getting jaded, alas.

HBO does it again

We were enthralled with this movie about the 2008 election, based
on Game Change the book. What I came away with was how very
fortunate we all were to escape having a Vice President as stupid
and unstable as Governor Palin. Man, she was in WAY over her
head and I even felt sorry for her in some places because she was
so ridiculed by the media and the (ahem) left wing. Fine, fine
acting by the three pictured above who became their characters.

Jewish migration

There's a new deli in town and it's in the heart of the Mission
district, which, as we all know is exceedingly Latin American,
mostly Mexican. I often walk this colorful part of 24th Street and
never hear a word of English, which I love, by the way. Then
enter the Wise Brothers, a very Jewish restaurant. Maybe
because it's brand new, or maybe because SF doesn't have many
GOOD Jewish deli's, but this place is always crowded with
lines out the door.

Signs of gentrification already? Oh, yes, but so far no chain stores,
although I'd like a Starbucks. You do know that was the first company
to offer benefits to part-time workers, don't you?

Changes ahead. Just leave your cars at home and take BART or
Muni. Or walk, it's so "in" these days.

as requested

FRANK'S WAFFLES (an ex-husband of a friend-of-a-friend back in
the dim dark past. These are lighter and fluffier due to the sour cream)

Sift together:
1 cup flour and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Mix together:
1 lb. container (the smallish one) sour cream, 4 egg yolks and the flour mixture

Beat the 4 egg whites with a little salt until they are firm and impressive

Fold the egg whites into the flour mixture and then into your waffle maker

Serve with coffee even if you are having these with dinner. It's a rule...

walking with Ruby

...and her mom, of course. We are so fortunate with the weather
and it's always wonderful to walk and talk with Tanya. We go
up to Holly Park and then down to Cortland and always stop
for a latte. Ruby is 7 weeks now and already changing every
time I see her.

Mostly yesterday I walked a lot and made sour cream waffles
for dinner. Temp. crown hangs in there and you are soooooooo
right about chocolate pudding, Linda. Thanks everyone for your concern.

back to Wednesday

It was almost a perfect day ~ meeting my three Borders friends
for lunch in North Beach, walking up Grant Avenue to Columbus.
I stopped to shop for scarves here at this great little store that
Nancy, my step dot, discovered on her recent visit. You can
find a huge selection of scarves and most are $4.99 each. I
bought an orange Pashmima for baseball games and a black/brown
jungle print for you know, whatever. As you walk up Grant it's
on the left hand side of the street ~ check it out!

But then during lunch, I broke a tooth and have been dealing with
my dentist a lot lately. This was a cavity from 1987, and the one
last week probably the same vintage. This morning I am making
applesauce because I have to be VERY careful about what I eat
until the new permanent crown is applied in two (drat!) weeks.

Yoga this morning and, as usual, I need it mentally and physically.

violent and fascinating

This is a film about West Germany's Red Army Faction, a far left-wing
group of (sorry to say) terrorists during the late 60's and 70's. We had
vague memories of some of the events depicted, but we were so involved
in our own demonstrations against the government and Vietnam, that
I don't think we paid all that much attention to other countries. Baader
and Meinhof were two of the founders of the movement and I will say
that women played an important part, we can kill and be killed in the
same horrific way as men. Not exactly progress, but interesting from an
historical point of view. Do I recommend the film? Oh, yes.

ah, Irish poets of a certain age

Elderly Craftsman at his Bench

At my worn workbench, in my bent body,
I am disturbed occasionally by an alien fantasy.
Always the same; the detail surreal and distinct:

a soft arm reaching toward me
out of nowhere,
the fingers closing and opening.

I believe now that it is an appeal
from serious efforts, like my own, reaching
unfulfilled from somewhere in the past,

and have learned to put my work to one side;
to relax; and think my way back
into the depths beyond their origin;

appealing to their source to call them back.
Tell them there is no peace here.
And comfort them on their return.

This restores a serviceable calm,
so that I can attend to my work again.
Hoping there will be a like thoughtfulness
for me and my concerns when the time comes.

Thomas Kinsella

Fat Master
Peppercanister Books, through Dedalus Press, Dublin, Ireland

joy ride

Yesterday I attended a 2 hour meeting out at the deYoung and I
hopped on the #33 Muni and secured a great seat on the view
side of the bus. Remember when I thought I'd take the bus
everywhere? Well, when I'm not in a rush I still do and will,
but a half hour Ken car trip takes about an hour across town,
especially in rush hour. Anyway, this was a fine time to see
the beautiful Twin Peaks and head on down onto Haight Street
and out Stanyan to Fulton and Golden Gate Park. I know you'll
enjoy my iPhotos and this time the crooked is the scenery, not
the photographer.

free floating thoughts

(today's Round Robin 10 minute write)

This morning I awoke thinking about the people in my life who are
no longer here. And yet they are here, maybe. I hope they float above me
like in this wonderful Billy Collins' poem:

The dead are always looking down on us, they say,
while we are putting on our shoes or making a sandwich,
they are looking down through the glass-bottom boats of
heaven
as they row themselves slowly through eternity.

Parents, brother, friends and even my foes. Are they in one
large boat or do they have individual dinghies? I think Michael will
secure his own boat, just as he was able to have a single room when
he was in rehab. Just demand it in your gentle way, dear friend.

Are my parents with my brother and is he having yet another loud
fight with mother? Will my father be reading the newspaper, smoking and
pretending to ignore them? That kind of mutual mother-son anger could upset
a small boat and then what?

Bill's brothers ~ floating and rowing together or apart? They didn't have
too much in common, but I imagine they would like to be partners in a
little boat. Can we change boats when we want to? Hop on with a friend
for awhile, work things out with an enemy? Be alone for awhile so we
can slip over to France to see a niece or have a latte with a friend in
New York? Will our Kindles, iPhones and computers work in the
glass-bottom boats? Alas, I already know the answer to that one

let's play Moneyball!

Here we see Brad Pitt as Billy Beane talking to his assistant Peter,
which is a serious, meaty role for Jonah Hill. I know that even non-baseball
people appreciate this movie, but Husbando and I loved it. That ratty
old Oakland stadium never looked better and for the first time in my
life I really rooted for the Athletics. And now we know why Art Howe
hated the movie, but Philip Seymour Hoffman who plays him is superb.
Honestly, this is one of the best films of last year, in my opinion. Rent it!

baseball, Brooklyn, friendship

What's not to like? My friend Susan recommended this book
and I bought it the next week and started it yesterday. Last Days
of Summer is the story of a boy who hero worships a 3rd baseman
for the New York Giants and it takes place in the 1940's, so
there's lots of nostalgia here. Author? Steve Kluger and so far,
very good.

twin peaking

The rain stopped yesterday ~ ah, the air was so very clear. After
working on Neti's new computer we took a brisk walk around
her Twin Peaks neighborhood and talked about, you know,
whatever. Then I scurried home to get ready for the writing
group which was meeting at our home and today I have Post Tiapos
Stress Disorder. Too much coffee, too many things to think
about and then my resolve to keep writing and please try for a
few more words a day. OK? But first, yoga this morning to calm me.

his, mine, ours, theirs

Our close friends know that Husbando and I aren't exactly GREAT
with money and there have been some actual disagreements (!) over
the years about how to spend/save/waste the stuff. We have always
had separate checking and saving accounts and one general VACA
savings account that we both put money into (equally). It is not a
perfect system, but the best we could work out since neither of us
will budge on certain things. Men can be so stubborn.

Yesterday we did our taxes and all in all, it was a pretty smooth
day. Turbo Tax® is fabulous. This is our second year and it was
soooooo much easier because the program picked up all the
boring information (numbers, addresses, more numbers) from
last year and it would flag some details that would have probably
been forgotten, such as the Union dues I had to pay at the museum.

We have e-filed and await our small but important refunds. And
we are still speaking to one another in civil tones.