in honor of the end of 2008, i thought you might want to check out this great slideshow on flickr of end title cards.

happy new year, everyone!

fave things of 2008:


restaurants and foodstuffs:
- Spicy Thai chips from Kettle chips
- Barolo Restaurant, at the bottom of our hill here in Pacifica
- Hint Water (even though i know bottled water is evil, sometimes i need something with some flavor in it but don't want sugary soda, so this is the best)

memories:
- starting off the year with a little trip to Kauai, one of the highlights of which was the drive to (and time spent on) Polihale beach
- attending Ann & Andy's wedding in NYC in May
- taking my mom on vacation to Saugatuck
- finding out we're expecting a baby boy next April!!!
- big, huge dinner out at Zingerman's Roadhouse for Steve's birthday in October
- traveling to Europe in Nov/Dec
- baby showers thrown by my friends (Erin & Carrie) and family (mom & mother-in-law) in Michigan in December

we were joined by some fabulous new additions:
- Naomi Wolosin
- Calder Law
- Claudia Ryder
- Mercer Bora
- Maxine Rosaen
- Tyler Rogers
- Gretchen & Rhys Ransford (who came in just under the gun on New Year's Eve)

music i dug:
- Vampire Weekend by Vampire Weekend
- Attack and Release by Black Keys
- Accelerate by REM (especially Supernatural Superserious)
- the song "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz (yes, I'm cheesy)
- the song "The Way I Am" by Ingrid Michaelson (yes, I'm really cheesy)
- A Christmas Gift to You from Phil Spector (i had been wanting a copy of this for a few years, but it wasn't readily available on amazon.com, and then when we were walking through Heathrow at 7 am this december i saw it for sale and finally got it!)


fave books i read this year:
- Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl
- Who Moved My Blackberry? by Martin Lukes
- Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
- Moloka'i by Alan Brennert (favorite book this year)

-----------------------

i'm sure 2009 will be full of lots of great things and big changes for us -- and i'm excited about it. bring it on!

in honor of the holiday season, i wanted to share a couple of holiday videos to help get you in a festive mood:




and, although it's less of a holiday tune, there is the classic "o-mazing grace". don't stop before 2:12 -- it gets better.

omg, what a cute baby!. how in the world can it's mother not be in love?

i know these don't really go together at all, but i really dig these shoes from chanel:


and eskimo sweater from autumn cashmere:



...which just goes to show you that i'm waaaaaaaaaay too susceptible to things that i think are funny vs just stylish. if i could afford to have chanel shoes, i would have to get some sort of stylist so that i don't wear things like these together, since i'm sure it would look awful.

hooray for sharon! she was featured on TV for her business, the betty brigade. hopefully that will bring in even more business!

apparently, a man in florida assaulted his girlfriend with a sandwich. it doesn't say in the article what type of sandwich, but steve pointed out that it was most likely a club sandwich (ba-dum-pum)

if only this were real...

what a great campaign from the outdoor advertising association of america this is:



i just hope somehow that this works, and that our country becomes more unified than it's been in recent years. wishful thinking???

i have such amazing friends!
a couple of my long-time friends in michigan have offered to throw me a baby shower over the holidays, and a number of other friends have weighed in with suggestions and advice on what baby products to register for (seriously, unless you go and look, you'll have a hard time imagining how many types of strollers there are!)
tonight my friend courtney went with me to a local baby gear store (and she brought along her adorable and sweet-tempered three month old, calder). she walked me through every section of the store, giving me lots of great advice. hooray for friends!!!

my friend zal pointed out this video to me. it kinda creeps me out, but i got a real kick out of it nonetheless.
then zal said "that guy reminds me of my dad"...
it *definitely* creeps me out to think that the next time i'm up in the middle of the night with some weird pregnancy feeling (craving fried chicken, for example), i'll think of zal's dad.



also, if you want to see the most ridiculous banner ad ever, click here.

i was laughing out loud...


YouTube Contest Challenges Users To Make A 'Good' Video

i had a kinda crappy evening. this cheered me up:

steve just let me know about this breaking news: a stick has been inducted into the toy hall of fame. i've always known that kids love non-toys as much as toys, and it's true that sticks are generally pretty awesome toys, but the display they built to show a stick in the museum is a little bit silly.

check it out! my NYC roommate, tiffany, is in the NYTimes for her awesome recycling projects!
go, tiff, go!

well, thank goodness obama won. nice that it was a real mandate, too! i wish i'd been in grant park last night. my brother and his wife were there, and i'm anxious to see their photos. what an amazing night! soooooo many amazing images, but i like this one from tribune a lot:



i'm more than a little bummed about the results of california's proposition 8. i feel a bit guilty that i didn't help with it in any way (joan and kevin, who did a bunch of volunteer work on it, are totally my heroes).


on the plus side, keenan pointed out that bacon beat fries, which should have been a 'given', in my opinion.

welsh is a funny language. and this article about a mis-translation to welsh is funny too.

Dear Red States:
If you manage to steal this election too we've
decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own
country, and we're taking the other Blue States
with us. In case you aren't aware, that includes
California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington,
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, and all
the Northeast. We believe this split will be
beneficial to the nation, and especially to the
people of the new country of New California.
To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and
all the slave states. We get stem cell research
and the best beaches. We get the Statue of
Liberty. You get Dollywood.
We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom.
We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss.
We get 85% of America's venture capital and
entrepreneurs. You get Alabama.
We get two-thirds of the tax revenue, you get to
make the red states pay their fair share.
Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22% lower
than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of
happy families. You get a bunch of single moms.
Please be aware that Nuevo California will be
pro-choice and anti-war, and we're going to want
all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you
need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They
have kids they're apparently willing to send to
their deaths for no purpose, and they don't care
if you don't show pictures of their children's
caskets coming home. We do wish you success in
Iraq , and hope that the WMDs turn up, but we're
not willing to spend our resources in Bush's
Quagmire.

With the Blue States in hand, w e will have firm
control of 80% of the country's fresh water, more
than 90% of the pineapple and lettuce, 92% of the
nation's fresh fruit, 95% of America's quality
wines, 90% of all cheese, 90% of the high tech
industry, 95% of the corn and soybeans (thanks
Iowa!), most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all
living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the
Ivy and Seven Sister schools plus Stanford, Cal
Tech and MIT.
With the Red States, on the other hand, you will
have to cope with 88% of all obese Americans (and
their projected health care costs), 92% of all
U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100% of the tornadoes,
90% of the hurricanes, 99% of all Southern
Baptists, virtually 100% of all televangelists,
Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and
the University of Georgia.
We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.
Additional ly, 38 % of those in the Red states
believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale,
62% believe life is sacred unless we're
discussing the war, the death penalty or gun
laws, 44% say that evolution is only a theory,
53% that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61% of
you crazy bastards believe you are people with
higher morals then we lefties.
Peace out,

--Blue States

unfortunately we don't live in the city of san francisco, so we can't vote on proposition R. i'd be all for naming a sewage plant after george w. bush, but steve thinks they should have picked something that makes stuff dirty, not something that cleans waste. good point. it would have been much more accurate to pick something that leaves a situation worse than they found it.

i had to spend some time today sorting through some videos on youtube (i know, i have a weird job). here's a fun one that i found:

i love this!

this is an excerpt from an op-ed piece by aaron sorkin, imagining a conversation between obama and president jed bartlet (from the TV show 'the west wing'). bartlet tells obama:

GET ANGRIER! Call them liars, because that’s what they are. Sarah Palin didn’t say “thanks but no thanks” to the Bridge to Nowhere. She just said “Thanks.” You were raised by a single mother on food stamps — where does a guy with eight houses who was legacied into Annapolis get off calling you an elitist? And by the way, if you do nothing else, take that word back. Elite is a good word, it means well above average. I’d ask them what their problem is with excellence. While you’re at it, I want the word “patriot” back. McCain can say that the transcendent issue of our time is the spread of Islamic fanaticism or he can choose a running mate who doesn’t know the Bush doctrine from the Monroe Doctrine, but he can’t do both at the same time and call it patriotic. They have to lie — the truth isn’t their friend right now. Get angry. Mock them mercilessly; they’ve earned it. McCain decried agents of intolerance, then chose a running mate who had to ask if she was allowed to ban books from a public library. It’s not bad enough she thinks the planet Earth was created in six days 6,000 years ago complete with a man, a woman and a talking snake, she wants schools to teach the rest of our kids to deny geology, anthropology, archaeology and common sense too? It’s not bad enough she’s forcing her own daughter into a loveless marriage to a teenage hood, she wants the rest of us to guide our daughters in that direction too? It’s not enough that a woman shouldn’t have the right to choose, it should be the law of the land that she has to carry and deliver her rapist’s baby too? I don’t know whether or not Governor Palin has the tenacity of a pit bull, but I know for sure she’s got the qualifications of one. And you’re worried about seeming angry? You could eat their lunch, make them cry and tell their mamas about it and God himself would call it restrained. There are times when you are simply required to be impolite. There are times when condescension is called for!

whoa, now you can get zeppelin rides in the bay area!. pricing is a bit steep, but maybe eventually they'll come down a bit.

i'm so glad that i don't have to date. i am intrigued by this dating site, though. i mean, i knew there were hyper-specific dating sites, but i had no idea there was one so perfect for me!

whoa, now this is funky news: apparently female sharks can reproduce without mating!
that is nuts!

if there's one thing that makes me grumpy, it's airport security. and i've heard plenty of times that it's not making us a damn bit safer. this article, from the atlantic, is yet further proof that i have every reason to be annoyed by the whole charade. hmpf.

...

in other news, it looks like even pizza hut has moved ahead of domino's in the new technology space: pizza hut now has an online ordering application on facebook! (let me remind you all that the CEO at domino's at the time i was there said that online ordering "didn't make sense" for them at that point. loser!!!)

i'm fascinated by this eyeball test. how good are you?

life is good here, other than that i'm fighting off a cold. it's rare that i get a cold, and even rare-er that i admit it. however, i keep sneezing and sniffling, so it's hard to hide it. it's been so gorgeous the past few days that i've had to get outside even though i felt crappy.

speaking of gorgeous and outside, we went to a bit wedding on saturday (which was outside), in the gorgeous stern grove. steve did a reading (a rather unconventional reading!) and then we boogied till they kicked us out.

steve is traveling this week, so i'm holding down the fort. it's lonely here without him. thank goodness for the weather. somehow it seems kinda pathetic to be all alone in a fog-shrouded house, but it's not so bad to be home alone in a house with a gorgeous view when it's over 70 degrees and sunny.

very cool! now you can watch full-length episodes of fun things like MacGyver on youtube!

i get a kick out of this thing that the economist is doing: they've created a "global electoral college" to see how the election would turn out if the entire world was able to vote. you can see the current results here.

check this out! youtube is now in HD!

omg, i love this chart from dailykos.com:

one more thought on zingerman's: i figured out that they give you twice the food you need for three times the price. does anyone else feel like that ratio is pretty dead-on, or is it just me?

i had a great weekend this past weekend in michigan, seeing friends, spending a day with my mom, celebrating steve's birthday, and helping host a bridal shower for my friend sharon. everything went amazingly well except that there's never enough time to see everyone as much as i'd like. (sigh).

while i was there, i was able to pick up a loaf (actually, two loaves) of my favorite bread at zingerman's, their parmesan pepper bread. mmmmmm... i felt silly carrying it onto the plane on the way home (although i did have a random stranger tell me she was jealous of whatever was in my zingerman's bag), but i'll be glad to have it. yum!
i was looking through their gift catalog tonight (soooo many yummy things) and just noticed an extremely funky new bread that they're making (and which i didn't see when i was there): peppered bacon farm bread, with nueske's bacon (best bacon i've ever had). wow. i may have to order a few loaves of bread at some point. mmmm....

i love this mash-up map thingee that shows you where you can register to vote.

and then there's this video, in case you need a little push:

i don't know if you saw any of the coverage from the anti- sarah palin rally that happened in anchorage last week, but the photos are great. a good number of them have been posted here. i think this one is my favorite:

hello from chicagoland!
i've been traveling for the past week. i was in NYC first, and then made my way to the windy city. it's been a pretty darn good trip. i didn't get to see everyone that i wanted to see, but then again i'd probably need to be gone twice as long for that.
i've been traveling because i was helping teach a class for work, and so far my class has received the highest scores of the classes taught, both when i taught it in the bay area and when i taught it in NYC. cross your fingers for me that i'll also "win" in chicago. it's perfect timing too: performance reviews are going on right now.
i love chicago. i miss chicago, and i think it's an amazingamazing city. it's been a darn lucky trip, weather-wise, with it in the 70s and 80s the entire time i've been gone -- and that's much warmer than it has been back at home in pacifica!
of course, warm weather or not, i'm missing steve...

on a very different note, be sure to go here and watch the whole video. i'm a huge fan!

oooooh, these are hott:

i really enjoyed this, and thought you might too:



but if you're not familiar with that, ahem, trend, here's a more classic piece for you:




.................

on a separate note, i *really* hope u of m can pull it off today. they look like crapola this year.

ashton kutcher is pretty dang awesome. he's just launched a new web venture called blah girls, which i think is kinda fun so far (you can check it out here, and he's apparently just started assistant coaching a high school football team. gotta love a guy with lots of diverse interests!

i've always liked the writer sark, despite the cheesiness of her work sometimes. i thought this little interview with her was pretty good. i like that she thinks the whole suggestion of 'setting aside 10 minutes of time each day to write' is ridiculous. it's much more important to live life so you're inspired to write, than to force yourself into a particular amount of time to scrawl it down!

i wish i worked for google in europe. well, at least i wish that this week, since they're in rhodes, greece, celebrating the 10th anniversary and dancing the zorba.

i thought i was having a bad day, but apparently rose zory from carat is having a much worse day. this is by far the worst HR blunder i've heard of. has anyone else heard of a blunder like this before?

..........................

on a much better note, we're finally getting summertime weather here in NoCal. it was sunny and near 80 all weekend, which was amazing. we walked all of the way to vallemar station, about 2 1/2 miles away, twice over the extended weekend. not the best food i've ever tasted, but the walk there is really nice (along the shoreline and through mori point, home of the sf garter snake).
we also drove down to santa cruz on monday. we wanted to go to the boardwalk to ride the roller coaster, but it was crazy nuts busy.
what did you all do for the holiday?

here's my choice for the "what was she thinking?" award: apparently sarah larson cheated on george clooney. what a dumbo.

ooooh, i love it when i heard about improvements happening in my hometown! apparently a sketchy furniture rental store will move out and a festive belgian brew pub will move in on liberty street in a2.

okay, so this ad is dorky, but i do love ll cool j!

and in the last random thought for this post, i have been really enjoying my convertible lately, since it's finally summer-y-ish here in the bay area. nobody in the rest of the country seems to believe me until they see it, but it's ridiculously cold during the summer months (june until mid-august) here, with fog causing the high temperatures to only be in the low 60s sometimes. we're lucky it's been in the low 70s this week, and so the top on the convertible has been down...

now all i need is a super-fancy headscarf, like this:

i haven't seen 'the dark knight' yet (i am holding out until i'm the last one in the US). however, i heartily enjoyed this version:

my mother-in-law sent me this blog post about going back to school. i had never looked at it this way, but the writer has a point!
i am extremely spoiled: i work at a company with great perks, sit in a nice office in a gorgeous building, love my coworkers and am constantly challenged with new and exciting projects. this week i took advantage of one of our corporate perks and had a subsidized full-body massage for the first time at work. it was a little weird disrobing in the office (even though it was, obviously, in a very private room), but boy oh boy is that a great perk! i have to remember to take advantage of it all -- you only live once, right?

for those of you who believe youtube is the home of sketchy stuff on the web, and hulu seems more premium, well, i do have to hand it to them: they somehow get away with a squeaky clean reputation, yet they seem to be becoming a home for soft porn on the web.

i know you're all dying to see what life is like on the "inside" at youtube, so here's a fancyschmancy video. i have a superbrief cameo, and will be thoroughly impressed if any of you can find it!

...and this article is a great example of why i love nigella lawson.

it would be really neat to be able to buy this mackinac island property at a steal. i love the murals shown in the photos.
of course, i have no idea how and why and when i'd ever get there, but i've always had a soft spot for the island, and it's my mom's absolute favorite place. my family used to go there nearly ever summer and we'd spend the night on the island, which is somewhat rare. most "fudgies" (nickname for island tourists) don't spend the night, and while the island can be a bit hectic during a busy summer day, it's lovely at night. there are a couple of bars on the island that pretty much constitute island nightlife, and the pace of the island slows down a lot.
one summer near the end of college, i went up to mackinac with a friend of mine that had worked up there for a summer. she had a lot of friends that were still working summers there, so we stayed in employee housing (kinda a cross between barracks and dorm rooms) and did some partying with them.
i honestly don't remember much about that weekend other than the strange juxtaposition of being with friends at a place that i firmly associated with family vacations. i realize that's probably a pretty standard coming-of-age scenario, yet i was so aware of it at the time: "this is a coming-of-age moment: this place will always make me think of family vacations, and yet now i'm an adult, coming here on my own."
does anyone else here remember a moment like that, when the sense of a place changed for you?

as the kiddies would say, i LOLed:


Domino's Scientists Test Limits Of What Humans Will Eat

there was a great article today in the san francisco chronicle about pacifica, where we're living currently. they quote a number of people from our little corner of town, pedro point. in case you're curious, you can check it out here.

i'd be remiss if i didn't point out this article about greenland, with some pretty awesome photography. hooray for greenland!

having a bad hair or complexion day? maybe then you need one of these:

speaking of ugly, when i was in ann arbor briefly a couple of weeks ago (i took my mom on a vacation to saugatuck, and passed through on our way back toward metro airport), i noticed the nasty new addition to michigan stadium. i know it's no news to those of you in A2, but boy is that damn thing tall! it towers over main street! don't get me wrong: i know football has to be profitable to help pay for other athletic programs at U of M, but i'm still sad that they felt as though this was the best way to ensure that, since i've always loved the awe-inspiring entrance into the stadium from the street, when you realize how much of the seating is below the entrance level. the addition isn't going to be done untli 2010, but i'm already nostalgic.

speaking of ann arbor, i found this fun little article about all of the lists ann arbor has been on. man, i love lists!

i've spent most of today online trying to get caught up and move meetings so that i could attend an offsite on the other side of the country over the course of the next couple of days. and then my flight (leaving early tomorrow am) was canceled and now i can't get there in time without taking a 6 am non-direct flight. argh. i decided not to go (i was flattered to be asked, but not excited about the travel), and now i'm much more relaxed now than i was the rest of the day. i've been traveling too much anyhow, lately. perhaps this evening i'll have a chance to check out the new aerosmith version of guitar hero we just picked up!

i love this!

i've been on a bit of a whirlwind tour this past week.
i left the bay area last monday for NY, where i had a couple of days of meetings and was able to see ann for dinner (twice!) and andy for really fun cocktails at a place called elettaria (check out the cocktail menu here, and see if you can guess what i ordered).

i wasn't able to do much else before heading to chicago for more meetingsmeetingsmeetings. however, in chicago i got to have work-related fun, as a group of us went to a cubs game on wednesday night (cubs win!). it's so amazing to sit out in warm evening weather and watch the scene: crazypacked wrigley, rooftop parties adjacent to the park, and the green leafty neighborhoods all around the north side: heaven on a summer night!

thursday night i was lucky enough to see both some former co-workers and my brother-in-law kevin and his wife, whitney. we also hung out with them a bit on friday. i didn't realize that kevin & whitney hadn't been here together to visit us when we lived here. it was nice to just walk around with them: the city is so full of energy in the summer!

friday (as you know, if you read my last post), we drove up with kevin & whitney to madison. we went to celebrate silva & felipe's wedding (silva is kevin & steve's cousin) at the fabulous orpheum theatre, which is right downtown by the capitol. the event was pretty neat since the old theatre is full of ambiance, and silva & felipe had some really fun party ideas. they gave us all 3D glasses to wear and took group photos of us sporting them. they also staged a huge popcorn fight between their guests as another photo op (steve got me pretty good!). while i don't have those group photos (i'll try to remember to post a link when they are online), i did take quite a number of decent shots, which you can see on my flickr site, here.

on saturday we drove down to see my brother and his wife, who bought a house this spring in warrenville. their house is really nice and i can't believe how much decorating they've done. boy, steve and i are lazy! we hung out with them at an outdoor bar in naperville on saturday and then played wii (mario kart RULES!) and watched random things (mostly youtube!) on their mega-awesome media setup. sunday the four of us went to watch the horse races at arlington park. i am much better at picking winners than any of them, but i think everyone still had a pretty good time. it was gorgeous out, and we kept hearing people around us say "what a gorgeous day to be at the track" -- and we couldn't have agreed more.

sunday evening we stopped at hopleaf for beer and some snacks (yummy mussels and frites!) before parting ways with the newest mr. and mrs. pasky. the halls weren't quite ready to call it a night, so we took a nice long walk around downtown. we walked along the river, where they've put in a few more restaurants and bars, and then we walked down to millennium park, where we got a huge kick (as we always do) of watching kids play in the crown fountain. i'll admit that before it was finished, i thought the fountain was going to completely suck, but it's ridiculously awesome. there are always kids playing in it, going completely crazy when the fountain "spits". :)

today was workworkwork, but i had a nice dinner at an old favorite restaurant with a friend, while steve headed to las vegas. it sounds like he's partying up a storm tonight, going to see the musical love, and staying in a crazy-nice suite at the planet hollywood (cheesy, yes, but i guess the suite is awesome). i miss him, and i'm jealous of how fun that sounds, but i can't complain: i get another day in chicago tomorrow. hooray!

............................


on a completely different note, check this out: radiohead released a new video, made without cameras or lights. they used geometric informatics (which i *know* you're a huge fan of) and something called velodyne LIDAR. to quote from the site, "Geometric Informatics scanning systems produce structured light to capture 3D images at close proximity, while a Velodyne Lidar system that uses multiple lasers is used to capture large environments such as landscapes. In this video, 64 lasers rotating and shooting in a 360 degree radius 900 times per minute produced all the exterior scenes." lasers! sweet!

lots of restaurants close for some time period during the summer. i especially like hot doug's reason for taking a couple of days off.

i'm in chicago, which is pretty exciting since i haven't been here since starting at my new job (i was here last november for a re-org offsite at my previous company). the summer is amazing in chicago. there are immaculately maintained flowerbeds, tons of people walking around, boats on the water, and festivals all of the time. if i could live anywhere in the world, i'd rotate around:

april-may in new york
june-july in chicago
august-october in san francisco
november-march on kauai

anyone have other suggestions?

................................

right now i'm in the car en route to madison, wisconsin for a family wedding. steve and i are with his brother kevin, and his wife, whitney. kevin is pretty much one of the worst drivers i've been with. he's not used to city driving and tends to stop and let everyone in, or to hesitate just enough to freak out other drivers near him. this is completely frustrating steve and whitney, and so i'm trying to just keep quiet and get a bit of work done. however, it's a bit funny to listen to them going back and forth, since we don't get to see them often enough and have these sort of "family" moments.

this article about what a local gas station is doing to ease customers' frustrations about high gas prices made me laugh out loud. it also kinda makes me wonder if this was what it was like during the 70s when there were gas shortages. is there anyone reading this that remembers that era who would like to weigh in?

it's a day late, but hey, you can be patriotic anytime.
thanks, keenan, for bringing this one to my attention!

wow, it must have been a slow news day! the latimes wrote an entire article about how the printers at the youtube offices are named after wu-tang clan. (in case you're wondering, i print to methodman, and for color printing it's rza). very, very exciting!

omg, i love this!

big announcement from google last night, which could really impact people who plan and buy media (my old job).
it should be interesting to see how the media community responds and reacts to this.

according to this article in the wsj (which you may need to log in to read), there is a bit of a modern renaissance of the sport of jousting going on. weird! i kinda want to go and see a tournament, but it appears that the governing league is in need of a website overhaul, and they only have one tournament in the US planned, which is sometime in september in new hampshire. i hope i remember to check back and see when they set the date!

youtube recently launched a really neat new feature where they'll highlight short films from film festivals around the globe, with new films every few weeks. you can check out the program, titled 'the screening room' here. my favorite of the first four films is "the danish poet", which is supercute.

sorry i haven't written more! i have had about 10 things in draft format, so let me see if i can get them edited and up today. enjoy!

.........................

we just got a roomba, which is really fun. we have only used it twice so far, but the first time i couldn't stop watching it (which kind-of defeats the purpose of saving time) as it whirred across the floor. it seems to do so in a pretty random pattern, but then again, it's a ROBOT, so i'm sure it's just smarter than me and there's a sense to it.
the second time we used it, we programmed it to work while we were gone for the evening (for an amazing indian food dinner party at my friend derek's) and when we came back the roomba hadn't made it back to its charging station. we found it forlornly out of power in a corner, where it had tangled up in a cord. poor roomba! it's supposed to be able to avoid cords, but apparently it doesn't work 100% of the time.

............

this guy is obsessed with packing light. since it looks like i may be taking a four city 12 day trip next month, i should read his whole site for tips!

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i think you have to log in to see it, but this little humorous piece in the WSJ about yahoo spurning microsoft for google is pretty awesome. i think i like the afterschool special version the best.

...........

FINALLY! someone (actually, nerve.com) has put together a list of the best fake commercials of all time. now you can watch both recent classics like the "mom jeans" ad and the awesome "hey, you (the perfume of one-night stands"
i don't usually watch as much online video as you might expect, but this will be a great time-waster over the next few days.

as you know, we're big into safety here at the hall household. that's why we were relieved to hear that a flaming hackysack toy was banned by the good folks of south australia. which then made me wonder: can you get this in other parts of australia?

this totally freaked me out:

i don't remember how i found this artist's videos, but i am completely and utterly fascinated, and thought you might be too.

wow! these photos of a chilean volcano eruption aren't brand new, but they're still the coolest photos i've seen in awhile.

i just received this email from a local restaurant that i have been wanting to check out. i really like their other spots, so it made me happy that they can also send a witty email:


Anchor & Hope - the new fish house from the jackasses that brought you Town Hall & Salt House - is open. Maine lobsters, Dungeness crabs, steamed mussels, oysters & fish and much more. Print this and bring it with you and we'll treat you to one oyster. No, wait, that's too much. No complimentary oysters. A renovated 100 year old warehouse at 83 Minna Street between Mission and Howard & First and Second Streets.

Norm Smittka of the Seaside Gazette in Maine writes - "I've never been there but I give Anchor & Hype, sorry, Anchor & Hope - or whatever you call it - 8 stars because they were just really nice people on the phone."

Call 415.501.9100 or go online at www.opentable.com

Town Hall is located at:
342 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: 415.908.3900
Fax: 415.908.3700

For more information (dress code, parking, map, etc.) or to make reservations at
Town Hall:
http://www.opentable.com/restaurant_profile.asp?ID=2777&restref=2777

i just received this email from a local restaurant that i have been wanting to check out. i really like their other spots, so it made me happy that they can also send a witty email:


Anchor & Hope - the new fish house from the jackasses that brought you Town Hall & Salt House - is open. Maine lobsters, Dungeness crabs, steamed mussels, oysters & fish and much more. Print this and bring it with you and we'll treat you to one oyster. No, wait, that's too much. No complimentary oysters. A renovated 100 year old warehouse at 83 Minna Street between Mission and Howard & First and Second Streets.

Norm Smittka of the Seaside Gazette in Maine writes - "I've never been there but I give Anchor & Hype, sorry, Anchor & Hope - or whatever you call it - 8 stars because they were just really nice people on the phone."

Call 415.501.9100 or go online at www.opentable.com

Town Hall is located at:

342 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: 415.908.3900
Fax: 415.908.3700



For more information (dress code, parking, map, etc.) or to make reservations at
Town Hall:
http://www.opentable.com/restaurant_profile.asp?ID=2777&restref=2777

last week on our trip, ann and i were talking about our life goals, and the topic came up again today with another friend. i've had variations of my list for a long time, and these conversations have been the catalyst for me to see what versions of the list i can dig up, and try to write up a current version. do any of you, dear readers, have a "bucket list"? and what's on it?

separately, a (guy) friend told me today that he made a mix CD for a gal that he digs. i still have a box of mix tapes from good friends. megan stielstra made me a mix tape that introduced me to "wonderful tonight" by clapton, fred rice sang me songs he wrote himself, fred thomas had the best names for his mix tapes, aaron put on more than one song by genesis (even though he knew i didn't understand his love for them), and then steve made me a mix with "ain't that a kick in the head" on it, which still makes me think of the beginning of our relationship whenever i hear that song. i should dig out that box and find a way to enjoy some of those... and i wonder what i would put on a mix CD if i were making one today. i guess i'd have to assume if i'm making one today, it would be different for steve than it would for anyone else in the world. and it would be damn difficult to make him one, since we listen to mostly the same stuff anyhow! still, i did make him a mix CD once -- and it was all about how much i lovelovelove him, yet i tried to make it un-cheesy. i remember that i included "stickshifts and safety belts" by cake on it. and i know that the liner notes i made are still in one of our CD books, but the CD is long gone. i guess i could always re-release that as a playlist. however, call me old-fashioned, but somehow that seems a lot less romantic.

I'm so glad I'm home!
The flights were (thankfully) uneventful. There were no crying babies, there was minimal turbulence, and the most annoying thing was a guy in the row behind me that kept shuffling and reshuffling a pack of cards while I tried to sleep (seriously, who does that for over an hour?!?)
It was great to see Steve (of course!) and we were able to see a lot of other friends too, at Courtney & Chris's baby shower yesterday.
The only negative thing to report is that I think I caught a cold on my way home. I keep sneezing... I am fighting it valiantly, though. Hopefully Zicam will kill it before it gets worse. I am afraid that we'll have a repeat of my last cold, though: I was minimally affected for about 2 days, and then Steve caught it from me and was out of commission for 5 weeks. Ick!

I hope the Red Wings can pull it off tonight... I hope I don't jinx it by saying that!

I am going to my first personal training session tonight. I hope my trainer is hot.

Last random thought for this post: I love these shoes! I am in no way hinting that I am going to buy them (since they're way too expensive), but I so totally dig them!

Chillin' at EZE

I feel completely cheated: when I arrived in BA, I somehow managed to be on the one flight a day that's international, but arrives at the domestic terminal. And this terminal, where most international flights arrive + depart is *much* nicer! Sheesh!
My suitcase was overweight, which I suspected might be the case. I packed it so amazingly full that I hope they don't try to search it, since there's no way it's all going to fit in there again!
She kept trying to convince me to check a second bag. I suppose I could have somehow moved my carry-on bag contents into a shopping bag (good stores here give out nice canvas ones) and checked my current carry-on bag. Or I could have bought a cheap suitcase and then kept the carry-on with me. Either way, I have no desire to have another bag to lug around O'Hare when I arrive there at 5 am CT (3 am PT!).
She felt so bad aboit charging me that she moved my seat, so it turns out it was probably the best $50 I've ever spent: I went from a middle seat near the back to an aisle seat in what appears to be an exit row. Score! I usually prefer window seats, but since this is such a long flight I want the ability to easily get up and walk around every hour or so.
So now I'm chillin' at the gate, savoring how nice and relaxed I am, and what a nice week it was (well, except for Monday night). I'm sure I'll think of more to write later, but for now I'm going to watch the Argentina tourism video playing on the TV here (kind-of a weird place to show it, by the international departure gates, eh?)

it´s my last day, so i´m finishing up at my hotel and trying to map out my last walk around palermo. i have lunch reservations at a really well-regarded sushi restaurant, and then i´ll head off to the airport.
dinner last night was good, although the place was more of a neighborhood favorite than something worthy of mention in a luxury magazine article. i had lamb and potato croquettes to start (sooo, sooo yummy!) and then veal kabobs served with a multi-bean and peppers salad, sprinkled with a healthy dollop of feta crumbles. it was good, but after the beef at las lilas, it seemed like a disappointment. dessert was amazing, though. have i mentionned yet that the ice cream here is phenomenal? (i almost used the ¿ symbol, which i love having on the keyboard here!¡!¡!¡). apparently the italian immigrants to buenos aires have made quite an impact on the ice cream making, so you´ve got the happiest cattle in the world, and then amazing ice cream craftsmanship. yum!
anyhow, the best vanilla-with-a-hint-of-mint ice cream was served with a still-hot coil of middle eastern pastry (basically baklava), dusted with powdered sugar and crumbled nuts. omg, soooo good! i had to pretty much roll home from the restaurant.
one last thought before i log off; i started to make a list of likes and dislikes about BA. here it is, so far:

great things about BA:
- the ice cream is awesome
- cabs are plentiful and cheap
- most people speak English and don´t seem to mind
- these people know how to use cows. the leather and beef are as superb as you´ve heard.

not-so-great-things about BA:
- it can be hard to find a healthy meal, or any decent vegetables
- sidewalks can be pretty rough in some neighborhoods; cobblestones and rough pavement
- people aren´t very good about cleaning up after their dogs
- the only people in the service industry who don´t seem to speak English are the cab drivers

more later, from the airport!

Today I packed up and moved out of our palatial room at the Park Hyatt. I was sad to leave, but it is a bit nice to be anonymous again: everyone at the Park Hyatt kept asking how Ann was and if I needed anything, since they all know it's my first time here.

I walked a bit more around the Recoleta neighborhood today, but it was a bit cold. I stopped in the largest bookstore in South America, which is in a former theater and is quite gorgeous. There is a cafe where the stage used to be, sections of books on the balconies, and little reading nooks in the opera boxes. I browsed through the maps and globes, checked out the photography books, and then discovered a bunch of bi-lingual books about Patagonia in the travel section. I bought a couple of them and am wondering if they will displace Greenland from my fascination for a spell...

I walked down Ave Santa Fe for a bit. It's a huge shopping area, but not particularly interesting. Lots of local chains and mid-range stuff. I bought a pair of socks, since I'm out and I want to wear my new boots home instead of packing them.

I had lunch at Olsen, which is a hip Scandinavian restaurant in Palermo. It was wonderful, and I think it would do extremely well in NY, SF or Chicago (I can only vouch for places I've lived!), and found myself wondering what it would be like to run a place like it. It's in a really neat high-ceiling-ed building, with a greenhouse-y sort of ceiling. The main seating area (there is also a small balcony) is anchored by a mod and towering wood burning stove, which was in full force today since it's very cold here (in the 40s). All of the walls are a gorgeous warm honey-colored wood and the furniture is all Scandinavian modern.

I ordered the lunch special fish entree, which came sprinkled with small citrus segments and breadcrumbs, and atop minced broccoli. It was served with some of the best potatoes I've ever had (didn't I just mention yesterday that I love potatoes?), and I had the noodle soup with it, which had really tiny noodles in a light broth with teeny-tiny shrimps and spinach. Sooooo good on a cold day!

Since Olsen is known for their lengthy list of vodkas, I couldn't resist getting a bloody mary (okay, so I had two. I *am* on vacation!). I was relaxed, full and happy when I was done with lunch.

Palermo is a great shopping area, so I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around, and then I checked into my new hotel, Legado Mitico, which is a small boutique hotel in Palermo where each of the rooms is themed after a famous Argentine historical person. I am in the La Arrabalera room, which is decorated after a famous tango dancer. It sounded like it had the potential to be gaudy, but it's really lovely. I'll definitely take a photo.

Now I'm heading back to the Hyatt to get my luggage, where it's been stored for the day. I've got dinner reservations at a Moroccan restaurant that's supposed to be really good, so I'll write more after that.

Ciao!

The art exhibition was neat, but it would have been much more enjoyable if I wasn't alone. It's just not as much fun to be amazed about things when you're alone -- or to be snarky about how silly and pretentious something is!
I took a lot of photos, but now that I don't have a computer with me (I was using Ann's before) it is unlikely that I can download the photos off of my camera until I get home.
After the show, I went to the best steak restaurant in town, at least according to most of the guidebooks I've looked at and people we've talked to. All of them admit that it attracts a ton of tourists, but it was worth not caring about that: this dinner was the best steak I've ever had, by far.
I believe my parents read this blog, and they can tell you: I was not a huge steak eater growing up, and that really hasn't changed over time. I usually love the baked potato as much as the steak, and put lots of effort into carving the fat off of the end of the steak. I usually use my caveman knife grip (which Steve can probably imitate for you, if you haven't seen me do it. I really do need to learn to use my silverware properly...) to hack at the steak to get it into small pieces. Well, this was a completely different story: the steak was so tender it barely needed a knife. I read in one guidebook that you could eat it with a spoon, and while I'm not sure if that would be a good experience, I can see what they mean, since all you need the knife for is to gently suggest to the fibers of meat that they should fall apart. And although the baked potato was good (and it came with bacon on top of the huge pile of sour cream - of course), I didn't really want to waste stomach space on it or on the side salad I ordered (which was perfectly fine: lovely lettuce with tomatoes and onions on it, in a balsamic viniagrette that was mixed tableside).
I don't think the tables around me were tourists: they were all speaking Spanish (and yes, I realize that there could easily be lots of Spanish-speaking tourists in BA), and most were dressed in business attire. Because it's expensive for a steak restaurant here, I guess it probably makes sense that it's most popular with tourists or for business meals.
It doesn't matter to me who was at the tables next to me, or what the reputation of the place is: if you are in BA anytime soon, go to Las Lilas, and go hungry!
Goodnight, amigos!

Seriously - splurge + stay at the Park Hyatt

They have been so wonderful that I am now a walking endorsement. They know I'm alone here now and helped me make lunch and dinner reservations for the rest of my trip, and also gave me a ticket to the very-hip ArteBA exhibition opening tonight. I know very little about contemporary art and even less about South American art, but I am excited nonetheless.
Today I slept in, worked out, then figured out where I wanted the concierge to make me reservations while eating a room service breakfast. Very decadent and vacation-ish!
I shopped most of the afternoon, taking breaks to eat and people watch.
The exchange rate here is amazing, and for Argentine-made goods, they are tax free so you get a refund of (I believe) about 12% back at the airport. The leather goods are amazing, but after browsing a bit it starts to be clear that a lot of stores carry similar styles. Ann had advised me on a couple of places with stellar reputations -- and the leather was gorgeous -- but the bags were exactly the same styles. I realize that nobody I know at home will have the same purse or shoes, but that still sort of bothers me. I don't necessarily need one-of-a-kind (or the price that that sort of thing would require!), but want to feel like I scored a "find".
I did find a pair of classic, gorgeous black boots. They are lined in a spring-y pistachio color and fit perfectly. I will have to come up with a different shopping mission for tomorrow, maybe (very early) Christmas gifts.
I'm off to change outfits and go see some art!

What a crazy day!

Unfortunately, this morning started very, very early, with Ann trying to get to the bathroom in the dark and slipping on the very-slippery floor around 4 am. She hit pretty hard, so we ended up at the hospital, where x-rays showed that she had broken her jaw. Apparently the German Hospital is the best around, and yet they told us that treatment here is to wire the jaw shut for a couple of weeks, whereas in the US it's possible to get it fixed somehow via surgery.
Therefore, this afternoon was spent dealing with cancelling appointments and getting Ann on the next flight home. We had amazing service from the folks at the Hyatt. They sent someone with us to the hospital, cleaned up the room while we were at the hospital, arranged Ann's new return flight, and helped us get the x-rays and medication. They also took Ann to the airport and helped her get an upgrade to first class at no charge.
I am so glad I was here to help her out today (although I wasn't quite as helpful as the Hyatt staff!), but I feel bad too, since our lightswitches in the room are really confusing, and therefore she opted not to try to fuss with them when she got up in the night, so that I could sleep. I suppose she could have just as easily fallen in the light, but I can't help but think she would have somehow caught herself when falling if it had been in an illuminated room... Of course, then there's the chance she would have messed up her wrist, I suppose.
Ah well.
We were lucky to have such great help and good care at the hospital. I am sure Andy will take good care of her when she gets home tomorrow morning.
Now I am on my own in Buenos Aires for a couple of days. I debated heading home early, but was easily able to find a new hotel (with Ann, our rooms were at hotels that she was reviewing, but without her I had no reason to stay there). I've spent the evening figuring out my plan of attack for the last couple of days, walking around a nearby "mall" and getting dinner. I can so totally handle this!
Backing up a bit, let me tell you about our last day together, since it was really nice.
We moved hotels to the Park Hyatt and then Ann had an appointment. I caught up on email and was able to chat online with Steve. I also took advantage of the wonderful soaking tub in our room. This is vacation, after all, so I didn't want to rush around the entire time!
I met Ann up in Palermo for lunch. It's a very hip area, full of boutiques and cafes. We found a great health-food cafe (in the front of a yoga studio) and had a wonderful, healthy lunch, which we were both craving after all of the fancy, late dinners. Then we shopped, shopped, shopped (don't worry, Steve, I didn't go nuts!).
We had a great evening back in the Recoleta neighborhood. The Park Hyatt has a wine bar with its own cheese cave (!), which we just *had* to check out. After all, it was important research for the article! The brie made here is really lovely. I'm not a huge brie fan, but we've had their local version twice now and it's so lovely!
After a rest in the room, it was time to head to dinner (did I mention before how absurdly late they eat here)?
We went to a very small (10 tables), romantic (!), and lovely little place called Nectarine, where we had an amazing meal. Apparently most of the meat on the menu is from the owner's estancia (ranch). I took their recommendations, which were for a starter of homemade spaghetti noodles with greens (minced chard + spinach, I believe) and mini meatballs, and then had the entree of suckling pig, which was the yummiest, moist little medallions of pork I've ever had. I tried their riskiest sounding dessert, which was also a winner: mascarpone and basil creme on an olive oil crust, served with sweet potato ice cream that was topped with lime foam. There were pumpkin seeds sprinkled on the plate. It was risky, but it worked.
Then we passed out happily and soundly for about 3 hours, before the "incident".
I am going to enjoy the soaking tub here, since I have to leave these 5-star accomodations in the morning.
Buenos Noches!

Yesterday evening we were treated to a nice tasting of Argentine wines at the Four Seasons. I thought we were just getting tapas at an open restaurant, but instead we were the only ones in the breakfast room with a sous chef, a hotel manager and the sommelier. They treated us to a nice group of Argentine wines representing a larger range than either Ann or I expected.

After that we met up with our Argentine friends (Donatella and co) for dinner at one of the hippest places in town, Casa Cruz. I was throroughly underwhelmed by everything I ate, and since Donatella sent her food back, I wasn't the only one. The descriptions were intriguing and the ingredients were unusual, but in the end there were too many competing flavors in each dish. To me, the hip vibe didn't make up for it.

After that Ann and I went to the Confiteria Ideal, which is a famous place to go for milongas (tango social dances) and dance lessons. We are having lessons somewhere else on Tuesday, but this was still an impressive place to get inspired. There was an amazing mix of people; old and young, hipsters and those dressed bery casually; tourists and very obvious "regulars". We didn't stay all that long, but got to see a group of performances by a really awesome young couple, which I desperately tried to get a good photo of.

Today we had breakfast at the hotel, then went to their spa for massages (which were really great) and some downtime in the sauna and hamman, which is gorgeous and larger than lots of SF or NYC apartments.

We caught a cab to San Telmo, home of the city's most famous street fair and flea market. We had an unremarkable lunch at a French cafe and then walked through the packed streets, navigating between cheap handicrafts and awesome antiques, all to the tunes of local musicians.

It was pretty overcast today, and I didn't want to keep pulling out my camera in such a touristy area, so I didn't take any photos until we stumbled on a band composed entirely of accordionists and violinists. I bought their CD, so if you're curious, let me know.

After shopping around for several hours we went to La Boca, which is a colorful and touristy neighborhood that's a little rough-around-the-edges. We had a single drink there before heading back to the hotel for a brief respite, including a short workout at the gym.

Tonight we were supposed to have dinner at another hip joint, a sushi restaurant. However, I guess the place was closed, and so even though we had a reservation, Donatella beat us there and called to tell us that it wasn't going to happen and that we'd need to meet elsewhere. So we went to a place called Sucre, where we didn't have a reservation, and where the 6 of us (Donatella and her friend, Donatella's son and his friend, and then the two of us) didn't even get seated until after 11. I have no idea how the portenos do it!

I wish I could say that the Patagonian lamb I had was my best ever, but it was just so-so. Ah well, I guess we just haven't found our fave restaurant yet...

I wish I knew some Spanish!

Unfortunately I am a complete gringo, an annoying American that is trying to get by with a "por favor" and a smile.
We had to move hotels today, so we're now at the Faena. It's not really our cup of tea: the rooms are silly hip, with lots of white leather, gold trim and etched glass. And for some reason the floors are so polished that they are extremely slippery. The library bar has a nice and relaxed look to it, though, and the spa looks amazing. Tomorrow we plan to check that out.
We had a post-hotel-switch coffee at the famous Cafe Tortoni, which is bustling and touristy, yet charming. Ann had to run off to appointments, and I took my time, lingering over one of their specialities: (hot) chocolate and churros (memo to Steve: churros hate you, too!).
While I was waiting for the bill there seemed to be some sort of ruckus on the street outside, and I started to see marchers of some sort going by whenever the door opened. Once I was ready to go, there wasn't anyone marching by anymore, but I could see a large gathering of people down the street, on the plaza in front of the Casa Rosada (their version of the White House).
I just *had* to see what was going on, so I headed down to the plaza, where it became apparent that it was some sort of religious occasion, with the crowd's attention on a stage in front of the cathedral, and lots of banners representing what appeared to be parochial schools and religious clubs. After about a minute (what timing on my part!), a priest of some sort, wearing a red skullcap (does that make him a bishop? Archbishop?) came out and started some sort of service. Despite my many years of Catholic masses, I was only really able to follow things a little bit when they did the Lord's Prayer. Other than that, I have no idea if it was a religious holiday, a blessing of some sort, an ordination, or some other occasion. Nonetheless, it was fascinating to watch.
I started to get a bit chilly (it's overcast and 55-60 today, and I was only wearing a light sweater since I was planning to museum hop all afternoon), so I walked a couple of blocks off of the square and caught a cab to MALBA.
MALBA is the modern art museum that is based off of one man's collection, and focuses on South American art, which I know nothing about. It's relatively modest in size, so I've already cruised through about 2/3 of it, and then decided to get a bite and some coffee here in their cafe.
I really enjoyed the temporary exhibit of the Brazilian female artist Tarsila do Amaral. The works are all focused on her travels between 1918-1933, and there are some wonderfully vivid pieces.
I'm off to finish the rest, then to meet up with Ann for a late afternoon drink.
Ciao!

I slept like crazy last night. Or like the dead. Or like a log. I have no idea why there are so many bad metaphors for it, but there you have it: I slept well, and a lot.
Anyhow, I guess I must have needed the sleep. I had very vivid and bizarre dreams (I was living in some sort of artist-y loft space with a big group of people, and we were redecorating...)
Ann had appointments today, so I was on my own from (a rather late) breakfast until late afternoon. I started out by walking through a pseudo-mall called Design Buenos Aires that specializes in home decor, furniture and handicrafts. I was really impressed by a Chinese carriage that I thought would make a nice companion piece to our fez cabinet. Unfortunately I didn't have 12,000 pesos with me...
After that I found my way to the famous Cementerio de la Recoleta (Recoleta Cemetary), which is amazing and beautiful and eerie and unique. I took a lot of photos, which you can see on my flickr account. It had rained earlier in the morning and the light was perfect for cemetary wandering: bright, yet somber.
I then had some trouble finding my next location, the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (National Museum of Arts) and somehow took a bridge that made me pass right next to it. Luckily this put me right by the famous sculpture Floralis Genérica, which you can see in this lovely photo that I took:



The musuem itself was a bit strange. There was no huge and imposing entrance line mobbed with tourists, and no huge museum shop beckoning me. I was asked by a security guard to check my bag, and when I decided a few minutes later that I couldn't really do that (since my bag = my purse) and stepped out of that line, I was able to walk right in to the European galleries, which were amazingly quiet and gorgeous. It was more dimly lit than in North American museums, and the relative calm of it was exactly what I needed. I lingered through the Modiglianis, gaxed at some little known Picassos for quite awhile, and watched a group of kids wander through with some sort of schoolteacher. I kept wondering if I'd stumbled in through some side entrance and the crowds were elsewhere.

I ended up near a contemporary Korean art exhibit called "Peppermint Candy" which was amazing. I couldn't read any of the labels and they didn't have an English guide to the exhibit, but I think that actually added to my enjoyment. Steve would have loved it too, so I bought the exhibit book (which does have English translation). You can see some of the photos I took inside the galleries on my flickr site.

I was starving by this time (it was around 3:30 pm) and so I went to the closest place to get a bite, which was some sort of Maserati/Ferrari themed cafe. Weird. The pizza wasn't all that good, but the service was great and I enjoyed my sugar-cane-fueled Coca-cola.

I met up with Ann and Donatella around 4:30 at the hotel so that we could go and tour the workshop of the amazing silversmith Juan Carlos Pallarols (check out his website, even though they're still 'burnishing our Englih Site'). Through Donatella and another translating assistant, he told us amazing stories about meeting dignitaries like the Princess of Holland and the Prince of Japan, as well as the pope (who apparently uses a mirror from Juan Carlos to shave!). He showed us all around his workshop, including tools handed down through the past three generations (he is the sixth generation of silversmith in his family, and he is teaching his son and grandson). He is currently working on an altarpiece, and even let us hammer a piece of silver using one of his molds. He was such a lovely and sweet man, as were his assistants, who were patient with us while we toured around (and I took lots of photos). They even gave us sips of yerba mate (not exactly my cup of tea, heh-heh) from one of the gorgeous gourds he had made. What an incredible experience.

We wandered around San Telmo for a bit after that, then went out "early" (9 pm reservation) for dinner at what's reputed to be the best place in town to get fish. We had a lovely dinner and then were supposed to meet up with Donatella to go clubbing, but she didn't want to leave until 1 (apparently clubs aren't really even open until 2 am or so...), so stopped back at the hotel. We're both so absolutely spent that we were relieved when things fell through, so Ann got to have a Skype call with Andy, and I was able to postpostpost to this blog.

I realize that clubbing until 5 am is part of the BA experience, but I can't get excited about it at all. I'd much rather drink Malbec with dinner and then chill out...

Buenas noches!

I couldn't find Ann at the airport, and it turns out I was given incorrect information about our flight arrivals: we were in separate terminals. However, we arrived at the hotel about 5 minutes apart, so things worked out in the end.

We didn't really have time to fully freshen up before her first appointment, which was lunch with the publicist at the Faena Universe, which we're staying at this weekend. We had a nice lunch at their Mercado restaurant (yummy empanadas!), and then toured the Phillipe Starck-designed "fantasy hotel". I hope it's even slightly warm while we're there, since the heated pool looks fantastic. We are having treatments (and maybe also attending a yoga class) at their spa on Sunday, which should be wonderful.

After that we went to Comme il Faut, which is a tango shoe store. They sit you down, ask you a few questions and then keep bringing you amazing high heels until you find some shoes that you love. What fun!

We needed a nap between shopping and our 10:30 pm dinner date, so we had what I'd call a "disco nap" (which Steve rightly corrected me about: here it's probably more of a tango nap). And then... The parilla!

We met up with one of Ann's contacts, who is a glamourous, reed-thin 47-year old Kabbalah fan. She took us out with her friend and the friend's model boyfriend (at least 20 years her junior!). It was like being out with the Maya Rudolph imitation of Donatella Versace, her silent (Spanish-speaking only) sidekick and Derek Zoolander. And then they brought us huge hunks of meat and Malbec.

I wish I could say the steak was the best I've ever had, but I do get to eat some pretty good food in the US, and my steak was a bit overcooked (so was Zoolander's: he sent it back). The atmosphere was great, though, and the heavy meal and jammy red wine was just what I needed to make me sleepy. I think they were somewhat bummed that we didn't end up going clubbing with them afterward (to Jet), but Ann and I are both excited about some shut-eye in fancy beds vs filthy American Airlines seats.

Goodnight!

Buenos dias from Buenos Aires!

After about 19 hours of travel, I've arrived at EZE, which is unfortunately not one of the more scenic airports I've been to. My flight was on time, although my friend Ann, who I'm meeting here, is apparently not having the same luck and won't be in for another hour or so.

I debated going to the hotel to wait for her, but since it's an expensive cab ride and I don't want to sleep (clarification: I *do* want to sleep, but realize that I shouldn't, so that I can adjust to the 4 hour time difference), I'm going to just tough it out and wait here at the airport cafe, typing this blog entry on my thumbs (blackberry), drinking espresso and flipping through the magazines I brought with me.

I am surprisingly relaxed, since I have this little device with me and can keep tabs on both work and my personal email accounts. I'm looking forward to a week of exploring, including shopping, eating and hopefully some pampering with a spa treatment or two.

I started reading a biography of Eva (aka Evita) Peron on the way here, which is fascinating so far, even though the writing is a bit stilted and formal at times. I admit that I know nothing about Argentine history, and am excited to learn. I wanted to get a more comprehensive book on the history of the country to read on my trip, but there wasn't a single book on it at the Barnes + Noble near my office, and even Amazon.com only listed a couple. It's quite a stark contrast to the miles of books in the history section on most European countries. I suppose that shouldn't be a surprise since the European countries have longer histories as modern states. It made me want to learn more about non-European world history, which isn't an entirely new thing for me: most of my friends and family know of my love for maps, atlases and globes, as well as my past habit of getting really into learning about random and often remote geographical locations (most notably Greenland, but I've also had phases of fascination with India and Bhutan). I have a couple of amazing world history atlases that provide a perfect tantalizing merge of these two interests. I wish I'd thought to look for the Argentinean pages in these before leaving!

I've now killed quite a bit of time with this post, so I'm going to return to my fluffy fashion magazine so that I can hopefully finish it and discard it before Ann arrives.

Much love to you all!

i wish i had the time this weekend to make my own hermes purse. someday...

oh bummer: it looks like ken calwell is no longer CMO at domino's. most of you know what a huge fan i was. i wonder where he's off to. i hope he doesn't turn up as CEO somewhere. it doesn't look like it from the abrupt nature of it, but i don't want to get too excited, thinking that maybe he was shitcanned...

my friend andy sent me this link to a very helpful bacon flowchart. you may want to print it so that it's easier to refer to it on a regular basis.

tonight steve and i went to see stanton moore at the amazing yoshi's in san francisco. hooray for date night!

In case you were wondering... this week's tablehopper email list has a piece from eric rubin of the SF restaurant (and Tequilar bar) tres agaves who wants to make sure we full understand Tequila (with a capital T!):

"Unfortunately you will not receive any photos of people eating Tequila worms. It is illegal under CRT (Consuigo Regulador del Tequila) law to add any foreign objects to a bottle of Tequila. What is true is that mezcals are allowed to add foreign objects, hence agave plant larvae (aka Tequila worms), and also scorpions are found in some low quality products. Also, the word 'Tequila' is always capitalized as it is a proper noun. All denomination-of-origin products are capitalized; Camembert, Kobe, Armagnac, Scotch (technically only single malt), Tequila, Cognac, Champagne, etc. But not cheddar, rum, vodka, etc."


now you know!

i just had a pretty brutal bunch of crazy meetings, all in a row. what kept me sane was that a co-worker sent me an email after the meeting with "important meeting follow-up" in the title, and a link to this video in the email body:

our old friend tom seeley has a new side-gig to his teaching career: he's got a great new album of kid-friendly songs coming out this weekend with a concert at baldwin library in birmingham (michigan). apparently the album will be available on itunes very soon.
you can check out a nice article from the local paper here or his website here.

go, tom, go!!!

after working on various cleaning product brands for over two years, INCLUDING pine-sol, i found this hi-lar-ious!

I Couldn't Help But Notice Your Product Hasn't Been Endorsed By Anyone Yet

it has been a crazy past few weeks. we were lucky enough to get to witness two amazing weddings recently: steve's friend manish's "small" 350-person indian wedding, where he rode in on a white horse and the entire ceremony was in sanskrit; and my friend ann, who married awesome andy at an elegant party in greenwich village. hooray for weddings!

on our trip to those fab occasions we were lucky enough to see a group of friends in ann arbor, where we took over la shish and inadvertently completely trashed it (i guess that's what happens when most members of your group are accompanied by people under the age of 2). it was awesome to see everyone! it made me miss you all even more...

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i get asked quite a bit to share any youtube videos that catch my eye. here are the two latest (neither of which is very new...):

if you haven't seen this already, it explains quite eloquently why italian muslims are rare:




and if you are contemplating your next couples' dance routine, take a look at this wedding video:

a former borders.com co-worker emailed me today to let me know that it was 10 years ago today that the ecommerce version of borders.com officially launched.
for a total blast from the past, have a read here.

ahhh, the ups-and-downs of .coms...

mmmmmmmm... i love free gourmet food.

thank goodness we're not in japan, where they are experiencing a severe butter shortage.

on a very different note, i'm starting to get really excited about our quick swing through michigan and my trip to NY. it will be good to see whoever we're able to cram in! if you're around a2 on sunday night, we're meeting at charlie's (the former 'la shish') at 5 pm for an early dinner.

i wish i had enough money to buy this dinosaur skeleton, which apparently didn't meet the minimum price at auction. can you imagine how great this would look in our living room?

i had the nicest drive in to work this am: sunnysunny day, there were a bunch of eagles (or hawks, maybe) flying along sharp park road, and i heard pat benetar on the radio. :)

apparently a rare turtle that had been considered extinct was found in vietnam. i always get a kick out of these sorts of stories. there are photos of a few other rare creatures, including the giant squid, here.

hooray for explorers!

i got a kick out of this LA weekly analysis of coachella, including their use of YouTube data. i just wish i was going to the festival!
ah well, at least i got to attend a passover seder.

this event that the nyc parks are putting on sounds really neat: they'll teach kids to play old-timey games like stickball and double-dutch.

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the water is pretty rough here in pacifica this morning. it's the first morning that i can think of when there aren't any surfers in the water.

all i can say is hooray!

steve sent me this video, which is a great discovery commercial. now i have the song stuck in my head...

i just watched most of the comedy central show "root of all evil" with lewis black where they debated which is the root of all evil, youtube or porn. i really enjoyed it, and highly recommend checking it out on comedycentral.com. here is the final verdict in case you don't have the time to spare to watch the whole thing:

i've decided that my favorite feature on sfgate.com is the ship traffic log. ooooooooooooooooh, big ships!

steve's folks were here this weekend and we had a really nice visit. we had the most amazing weather! it was in the 80s and i got a bit too much sun driving around in the convertible and sitting out on the montara state beach (you can see some photos of the coastline here, but please note that we were not at the nude beach part!)

we did see some nude sunbathers from a distance, which i think freaked out steve's mom a bit. :)

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i really liked this little article about the internet being paid for by advertising (duh!), but mostly because it features a company one of my favorite new yorker magazine advertiser categories, horizontal corduroys.

this is what they would make me watch in hell:

This week, the TV network Great American Country (GAC), launched a new one-hour weekly series, Drafting Partners Wednesday night at 9p that matches up a NASCAR driver and a country music artist. Each learns about the other's profession, family life and both show off their favorite country music videos.

i LOLed at this today:

Goalie Clearly Living In Net