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!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
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!
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!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
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!
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!
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!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
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!
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!
Sunday, May 25, 2008
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...
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...
Saturday, May 24, 2008
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!
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!
Friday, May 23, 2008
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!
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!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
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!
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 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!
Friday, May 16, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
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!
tonight steve and i went to see stanton moore at the amazing yoshi's in san francisco. hooray for date night!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
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!
"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!
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!!!
you can check out a nice article from the local paper here or his website here.
go, tom, go!!!
Friday, May 09, 2008
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
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:
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...
............................................................
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...
for a total blast from the past, have a read here.
ahhh, the ups-and-downs of .coms...
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
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?
Monday, April 21, 2008
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!
hooray for explorers!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
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.
ah well, at least i got to attend a passover seder.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
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.
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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.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
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!
Monday, April 14, 2008
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.
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.
Friday, April 11, 2008
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.
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.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
ann was here from NY last weekend to visit, and she helped me find some much needed hip but work-appropriate new clothes. i am still in need of some new things that work well at my new-ish job, though. i wish it were warmer here in springtime, so that i could justify lots of cute little dresses like this one:
sooooo cute!
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on a very different note, i'm still adjusting to life in the 'burbs, and thought i'd share some random thoughts i've been having about it tonight (can you tell steve's out of town? i'm an insomniac and spending my late-night-hours on the computer?).
i am a bit sad about leaving the city, and don't like the idea of driving back and forth to go in for events or to see friends, but i feel a little swell of happiness when i drive home. i come around the bend in the highway and see the ocean over the highway's curves, pass the pacifica city limits sign and then curve around again and see pedro point in the distance. that makes me happy.
i like the silly little white oval bumper stickers i've seen a few times that are take-offs on the european country stickers, and have "PCFCA" in them. cheesy, but i dig it. (and yes, i tried to find an image online to show you, but had no luck).
i try to get at least a minute in the morning with our view, especially on days when i know my evening plans will keep me out after dark. i am trying to drink less coffee, so my original plan of having a cup of coffee while relaxing with the view in the am has been altered, but i still try to at least stop for a few deep breaths before racing out the door to the office in the morning...
the little shopping center down in linda mar (at the bottom of the hill and then across cabrillo highway) isn't unique at all -- there are strip malls like it all over the country. however, i think being at the very southernmost point of civilization (just north of devil's slide and a bunch of parkland) somehow makes the merchants and employees there all super-friendly, as though they're darn glad you came this far and are there at their little store. the donut shop proprietor gave me a free donut when i walked by (gee, just what i needed), the radio shack employees wanted to talk to me for FAR too long about our video game/tv hookup (hey, um, dude, i just needed some cables), the safeway employees seem to always want to chat (one bagger talked to us for several minutes about her experience eating apple bananas in the past), and the little old man at the hallmark store (wearing a hallmark store apron!) wished me lots of luck with the shower when i bought bridal shower invitations. i think there is such a thing as small town charm, since most of my in-city retail experiences were more akin to waking up bored/sleepy/annoyed salespeople and trying to charm them into helping me.
similarly, i'm entranced by our local paper, the pacifica tribune, which comes out on wednesdays. perhaps after living here awhile it will lose it's charm on me (somehow i never found my tiny town's newspaper charming when i was growing up) but for now i get a kick out of it when it arrives on our doorstep each wednesday.
goodnight, all, from our home on top of the hill!
sooooo cute!
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on a very different note, i'm still adjusting to life in the 'burbs, and thought i'd share some random thoughts i've been having about it tonight (can you tell steve's out of town? i'm an insomniac and spending my late-night-hours on the computer?).
i am a bit sad about leaving the city, and don't like the idea of driving back and forth to go in for events or to see friends, but i feel a little swell of happiness when i drive home. i come around the bend in the highway and see the ocean over the highway's curves, pass the pacifica city limits sign and then curve around again and see pedro point in the distance. that makes me happy.
i like the silly little white oval bumper stickers i've seen a few times that are take-offs on the european country stickers, and have "PCFCA" in them. cheesy, but i dig it. (and yes, i tried to find an image online to show you, but had no luck).
i try to get at least a minute in the morning with our view, especially on days when i know my evening plans will keep me out after dark. i am trying to drink less coffee, so my original plan of having a cup of coffee while relaxing with the view in the am has been altered, but i still try to at least stop for a few deep breaths before racing out the door to the office in the morning...
the little shopping center down in linda mar (at the bottom of the hill and then across cabrillo highway) isn't unique at all -- there are strip malls like it all over the country. however, i think being at the very southernmost point of civilization (just north of devil's slide and a bunch of parkland) somehow makes the merchants and employees there all super-friendly, as though they're darn glad you came this far and are there at their little store. the donut shop proprietor gave me a free donut when i walked by (gee, just what i needed), the radio shack employees wanted to talk to me for FAR too long about our video game/tv hookup (hey, um, dude, i just needed some cables), the safeway employees seem to always want to chat (one bagger talked to us for several minutes about her experience eating apple bananas in the past), and the little old man at the hallmark store (wearing a hallmark store apron!) wished me lots of luck with the shower when i bought bridal shower invitations. i think there is such a thing as small town charm, since most of my in-city retail experiences were more akin to waking up bored/sleepy/annoyed salespeople and trying to charm them into helping me.
similarly, i'm entranced by our local paper, the pacifica tribune, which comes out on wednesdays. perhaps after living here awhile it will lose it's charm on me (somehow i never found my tiny town's newspaper charming when i was growing up) but for now i get a kick out of it when it arrives on our doorstep each wednesday.
goodnight, all, from our home on top of the hill!
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
you know i very, very rarely do this, but please consider supporting this petition to urge senators to co-sponsor the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008.
thanks!
thanks!
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
i love the featured videos on youtube.com today. hooray!
i also really love onmilwaukee.com today, especially this great piece of journalism about scott baio commissioning a bronze chachi bust.
i also really love onmilwaukee.com today, especially this great piece of journalism about scott baio commissioning a bronze chachi bust.
Monday, March 31, 2008
this article makes me want to go to molokai more than ever. rustic, non-touristy, one of the best islands in the world according to natgeo: what's not to like?
Friday, March 28, 2008
it's been a long week!
i was lucky enough to get to LA this week to see a few former colleagues and dip my toe back into ad agency land, which felt good. i wasn't sure how i'd feel walking back into my former company's office down there, or visiting a former colleague who is now one of my firm's esteemed clients, but it didn't feel too awkward being on the opposite side of the table.
last night i checked out a thai restaurant in our new little town. the panang salmon curry was yummy and they're open late, so that's good. i was a little miffed that they don't take american express (a little pet peeve of mine) but i'm generally happy with my discovery.
see, living in the 'burbs isn't so bad -- we even have ethnic food!
i was lucky enough to get to LA this week to see a few former colleagues and dip my toe back into ad agency land, which felt good. i wasn't sure how i'd feel walking back into my former company's office down there, or visiting a former colleague who is now one of my firm's esteemed clients, but it didn't feel too awkward being on the opposite side of the table.
last night i checked out a thai restaurant in our new little town. the panang salmon curry was yummy and they're open late, so that's good. i was a little miffed that they don't take american express (a little pet peeve of mine) but i'm generally happy with my discovery.
see, living in the 'burbs isn't so bad -- we even have ethnic food!
Friday, March 21, 2008
okay, so i have no idea which one of you signed me up for the newsletter from the richard nixon library and birthplace foundation, but i unsubscribed, so the joke is over.
on a very different note, i tried a new indian restaurant (not new overall, but new to me) last night and was thrilled to find lamb hyderabadi on the menu. for those of you in michigan that get cajoled into accompanying me to shalimar for chicken hyderabadi every time that i'm home, i don't think this gets you out of that obligation, but it is the first time i've found a similar dish elsewhere.
there's a great article in today's wsj about how youtube has become an important force for showing what's going on in countries around the world, sometimes causing the site to be blocked by foreign governments. that sort of worldwide clout/power definitely makes yt an interesting thing to be a part of right now. i can't really think of another internet site with that sort of political power. thoughts, anyone?
on a very different note, i tried a new indian restaurant (not new overall, but new to me) last night and was thrilled to find lamb hyderabadi on the menu. for those of you in michigan that get cajoled into accompanying me to shalimar for chicken hyderabadi every time that i'm home, i don't think this gets you out of that obligation, but it is the first time i've found a similar dish elsewhere.
there's a great article in today's wsj about how youtube has become an important force for showing what's going on in countries around the world, sometimes causing the site to be blocked by foreign governments. that sort of worldwide clout/power definitely makes yt an interesting thing to be a part of right now. i can't really think of another internet site with that sort of political power. thoughts, anyone?
Thursday, March 13, 2008
we're definitely making progress getting our house unpacked and set up. i had the bookclub gals over tonight (and steve hosted the boys) and everyone was impressed with the place, and i was excited to be able to give everyone tours. and -- even better -- everyone stayed late (after 11 on a work night!). hooray!
things are definitely going well.
i'm starting to get the feel for what i'm doing at work, and to feel like my co-workers are my friends. i do feel like it's going to be a bigger challenge than my previous job, but i guess that's what i made the move for.
as for the rest of life, we took a road trip to LA last weekend and drove highway 1 in the convertible, with the top down the whole way. i really needed that time and space to clear my head, get focused and relaxed, and to spend that time with steve. our digital camera went kaput, so all i have are videos, which are pretty lame. however, i can say without any reservations that everyone should drive hwy 1 in a convertible in their lifetime. definitely, definitely, a highlight.
yes, things are going well.
things are definitely going well.
i'm starting to get the feel for what i'm doing at work, and to feel like my co-workers are my friends. i do feel like it's going to be a bigger challenge than my previous job, but i guess that's what i made the move for.
as for the rest of life, we took a road trip to LA last weekend and drove highway 1 in the convertible, with the top down the whole way. i really needed that time and space to clear my head, get focused and relaxed, and to spend that time with steve. our digital camera went kaput, so all i have are videos, which are pretty lame. however, i can say without any reservations that everyone should drive hwy 1 in a convertible in their lifetime. definitely, definitely, a highlight.
yes, things are going well.
Monday, March 03, 2008
i really enjoyed this video showing the history of 20th century wars as performed by the food of each country. fantastic!
Friday, February 29, 2008
saveur magazine rules! their current issue's cover story is all about BUTTER, and their homepage this month has a link to a slide show of "30 great butters" -- YUM!
hooray! it's our anniversary!
eight years ago i became the luckiest gal ever, since i found a perfect partner for me.
steve makes me laugh, he makes me take vitamins, he makes me dinner -- he makes me happy!
when we were first dating, my friend melissa told me that when we were in the room together, there was so much excitement between us that it felt like there were 5 people there instead of just us two. i hope that bubbling-over excitement never dies. i am so completely in love...
eight years ago i became the luckiest gal ever, since i found a perfect partner for me.
steve makes me laugh, he makes me take vitamins, he makes me dinner -- he makes me happy!
when we were first dating, my friend melissa told me that when we were in the room together, there was so much excitement between us that it felt like there were 5 people there instead of just us two. i hope that bubbling-over excitement never dies. i am so completely in love...
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
steve just pointed out this
optical illusion, which is really freaky, but cool.
.........................
we spent all weekend unpacking our new place, and are really, really excited. the house is amazing and the view is spectacular. you should all come visit us here in pacifica very soon!
optical illusion, which is really freaky, but cool.
.........................
we spent all weekend unpacking our new place, and are really, really excited. the house is amazing and the view is spectacular. you should all come visit us here in pacifica very soon!
i ab-so-lutely loved tina fey's segment about hilary clinton on SNL's "weekend update" from saturday. if you didn't see it, check it out now. nbc has taken down the copies that were posted to youtube, unfortunately. hopefully
this link to NBC's site will work. their site pretty much sucks, so no guarantees.
let me know if you laughed like i did!
this link to NBC's site will work. their site pretty much sucks, so no guarantees.
let me know if you laughed like i did!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
what an exhaustingly fun weekend! i got back from a business trip to NY on thursday evening, and my brother arrived right after work on friday for his first trip to california as an adult. i felt a heavy burden to show him what i love about this amazing corner of the golden state.
we picked up our new car on saturday morning, and drove it (mostly top down) all around the bay area all weekend. we went down to half-moon bay, up to tiburon, over to sonoma, and all around the city. we climbed up telegraph hill, bought italian pastries in north beach, took the alcatraz tour, walked by at&t park, ate at the ferry building, and visited the local brewpub.
tonight i caught up on all kinds of things around the house, including catching up on reading the newspaper, and emails. below are some things i've particularly enjoyed lately.
i've been meaning to post a link to this store, which you should all check out. nifty!
be sure to refresh this site about what obama's done for you lately several times. after all, you don't want to be unaware of all of his goodness!
speaking of politics, i've read two op-ed pieces that i really identified with. since the newspaper sites are a pain to link to, i'll paste them here.
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
here's dave egger's piece from the sunday nytimes about how san franciscans seem to feel about the recent super tuesday results:
______________________________________________________
Losing to Idaho by Dave Eggers
Published: February 17, 2008
WELL, it was fun to be part of it. At long last, the California primary was scheduled early enough that the opinion of the country’s most populous state would be heard. There were near-record crowds at the polls, and everyone seemed happy to be there at all, like a bunch of distant relatives finally invited to the wedding. And what did our groundbreaking state do with its chance at making history? Nothing all that interesting. As the Obama wave swept across the country, we watched from the beach.
California (or much of it, anyway) prides itself on the leading edge of everything — technology, environmental policy, prevalence of bumper stickers, the continent itself — and yet, in choosing Hillary Clinton by 52 percent to Barack Obama’s 43 percent, the state proved itself more conservative than, for example, Kansas.
It was hard not to detect, at least here in the Bay Area, the sense of disappointment in our state after the subsequent primary results. To be out-progressived by Alabama, Maryland and North Dakota? Painful. If Mrs. Clinton won by nine points in California and Mr. Obama won by 62 points in Idaho, does that make us 71 points more conservative than the “Great Potatoes. Tasty Destinations” state? (No disrespect is meant toward that beautiful state, or its flabbergasting former slogan.)
The odd fact is that in this year’s contest, Mrs. Clinton is actually the most conservative choice. Not conservative in a policy sense, but conservative in that with her, voters can be very sure of what they’re getting. There is almost no risk, no element of mystery.
With Mr. Obama’s newness comes a certain element of chance, and Mr. McCain, though he leans ever more doctrinaire, is still erratic enough that on the Internet he can be found singing — to a classic Beach Boys tune, mind you — about bombing yet another sovereign nation. So a vote for Mrs. Clinton, as capable as she is, is a vote for the known over the less-known, the establishment over the insurgent.
Which makes it all the more exasperating for Californians, who assume that every new idea originates here, to watch the Obama revolution begin in Illinois and proceed happily everywhere — Delaware! — without us.
Delaware, whose slogan is “It’s Good Being First” can now boast of being 20 percentage points more first than California. Utah, which once sighed, “This Is Still the Right Place,” came out 57-39 for Mr. Obama, making it 27 percentage points more correct than the Golden State.
The Potomac primaries just rubbed it in. Virginians went Mr. Obama’s way, 64-35, making them 38 points braver than Californians. Maryland, whose state tourism office used to advise visitors to, really, “Seize the Day Off,” voted for the Illinois senator 60-37, making their state 32 points more, let’s face it, daring than ours.
Heading South, it got worse. South Carolina was 37 points bolder than California, Georgia 44 points more future-embracing.
What’s our excuse? Er, we kept it interesting? After all, if Mr. Obama had won in a landslide here, we wouldn’t have the pleasure of this continually fascinating race, no?
O.K., you’re not buying that, so it’s time to accept responsibility. It wasn’t our fault! It was theirs, down there!
Northern California went Mr. Obama’s way by significant margins. Guess who voted for the establishment, for the past? Los Angeles.
Almost a third of Mrs. Clinton’s votes came from that county alone. So don’t blame us. It was them.
We’re with you, Idaho! With hope and change! The future! Great potatoes! Tasty destinations!
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
and, on a more serious note, here's an op-ed piece that elizabeth wurtzel wrote about hillary for the wall street journal. i have been so torn about how to feel about the two democratic candidates, and i identified with this quite a bit.
______________________________________________________
Hillary Agonistes by Elizabeth Wurtzel
Published: February 15, 2008
I've been told that I no longer need to do yoga, take up Pilates, or study Kaballah, and I can even stop listening to Bruce Springsteen. Apparently 45 minutes at a Barack Obama rally -- preceded by two hours and 45 minutes of waiting in the snow outside to get in -- will be all it takes to change my life. Forever. An open mind, a free spirit, a loving heart, a renewed appreciation for democracy -- and possibly even thin thighs -- will be mine for keeps, if I just take in the junior senator from Illinois at a high-school gymnasium in Waukesha or a Nascar track in Pocono or an arena in Dallas. In less time than it takes to get through a single session of psychotherapy, Mr. Obama can cure me.
Meanwhile, back in Hillaryland, all I'm promised is Hillarycare.
[Hillary Agonistes]
Of course, that's not fair. Like most Democrats this time around, I feel embarrassed with the richness of both presidential candidates. The first flush of Obamarama, this latest blush of Clintonism -- either would suit me fine. But it's obvious where the real heat is: If candidates were reading material, Barack Obama would be pornography -- he's got everybody aroused, fired up and ready to go. He's turned on the body politic as no one else has in my lifetime. And it's great fun. It's good for politics, it's good for democracy, it's good for America, it's good for messianism. Young people are excited, old people are nostalgic, middle-aged people are invigorated. People are so enthralled with Mr. Obama just because it's so easy to be enthralled with him.
Which is to say, there's no accounting for charisma. Some people are simply gifted, and the only way to respond is to clear the way and let them do their magic. But this collective cathexis that created Obamamania is obviously a deep desire for authenticity, and he is the natural repository of our hidden hopes.
Mr. Obama is what the future looks like: a biracial child of divorce, schlepped halfway around the world by a conscientious but confounded single mother, abandoned by a wayward but winning Kenyan father, international but somehow still all-American, a party-hardy Harvard Law graduate. That is, an ordinary extraordinary guy, the dreamiest of all our dreams. If only every kid from a broken home could turn out to be such a fine gentleman! How can we not love him? With a million other things he could be doing, Mr. Obama actually wants to lead us. Us? What did we do to deserve him?
That's how lucky Barack Obama makes us feel.
And then there's the whole Hillary Rodham Clinton situation. What can I say? She's been called the anti-Christ, but her problem right now is that she's the anti-Obama.
There is a special kind of hate that people -- particularly women -- reserve for Hillary Clinton that is unique in contemporary politics. It's nothing like the disdain liberals feel for W., which is only to be expected, and has no special edge: Liberals believe President Bush is an undeserving doofus who made a big huge mess, that's that. But the hatred for Hillary Clinton is visceral and venal, a lot of it is female and feminist, and some of it is simply off the charts.
A young woman I respect in northern California describes Hillary as "grotesque." A middle-aged successful artist I know -- herself a bit of a virago -- thinks she's "evil." And my mother, who is admittedly a Republican, is capable of going on and on about how Hillary is in it all for herself, that she'll do anything to win, that she'll kill to push her agenda through, that she's just a disgusting human being, that the sound of Hillary's voice is enough to send her racing for the remote control to turn off her beloved Fox News. The New Republic points out that many Democrats describe Hillary Clinton as "mendacious, brutal, willing to bend (or break) any rule in pursuit of power." And they're on her side.
This special anti-Rodham anger is especially troubling because it's impossible to separate from sex or sexism. Hillary Clinton reminds me that it's possible that all powerful women are, as my friend puts it, "grotesque." They are exaggerated humans, extreme cases, everything to everybody.
Hillary is grotesque because she has gotten to where she is, indeed, by playing it every which way -- by being a career woman when that made sense, a wife when that was advantageous; working on her husband's behalf when that seemed the way to the top, then working for herself when the coast was clear; standing by her husband despite infidelities because she loved him, while belittling Tammy Wynette for offering the very advice she was ostensibly taking; pooh-poohing the prospect of having teas and baking cookies instead of having a profession, and then becoming first lady and having teas as a profession for a full eight years. Yes, Hillary Clinton will do anything, bless her heart: That is how you amass power as a woman. We hate her, because she exposes the sordid business of having it all for the grotesque thing that it actually is.
Might she have played it differently? Of course, it's possible. No one can quite explain how it is that a woman who now campaigns on the virtues of electronic health records and streamlined financial-aid forms once gave the 1969 graduation address at Wellesley College that fantasized about "a more immediate, ecstatic and penetrating mode of living." Once upon a lifetime ago, Hillary Clinton could have been Barack Obama! When did she become a technocrat? How is it that Mr. Obama beat her at her own game?
Obviously, Hillary gave something up by marrying Bill. In their particular partnership, Bill is inspiration, Hillary is perspiration, that's the way it goes. She lost her voice, and no, she did not get it back in Manchester, N.H. on Jan. 10. She's been in the business of enabling charismatic men for so long, Hillary Clinton doesn't quite know how to facilitate anything but power itself.
Still, Hillary has won big states like New York, California, and even Sen. Ted Kennedy's native Massachusetts -- and by large margins. Because, finally, the ladies turn out for her, as they did for that surprise win in the New Hampshire primary.
Pollsters say that women are the most important element of the electorate, and hate her though we do, in the end, we can't help ourselves. We see Hillary, we see Barack, and we see our own version of hell: Here is this amazing woman, top of her class, implausible marriage to impossible man, works as hard as the day is long, masters all the forms and spreadsheets of governing, even manages to raise a pretty darn good kid -- and then along comes this guy, this groovy Obamarama, with his pleasing mien, his high style, his absolute fabulousness, and he wants the top floor, corner office that she earned.
And women -- women have seen this movie, women have heard this story, women know the drill, have had their manicured fingers ready to ring that particular fire alarm for years now. Women, finally, will say no to that. Real women don't care what Caroline Kennedy and Maria Shriver with their easy words and easy lives have to say about any of this. No one with a job takes advice from someone with a chef.
Right now, it looks like Barack Obama will be the nominee. Hillary Clinton is unlikely to win any more primaries for a few more weeks, and at that point, it may be too late for this championship season. But pundits count her out at their own peril. That woman is a force of nature. One of these years, Hillary is going to the White House. If she has to win every single vote one by one, she'll do it. If she has to take hostages, hold a gun to the head of every voter as he enters the booth, she'll do that too. She may even cry.
Never underestimate Hillary Clinton.
we picked up our new car on saturday morning, and drove it (mostly top down) all around the bay area all weekend. we went down to half-moon bay, up to tiburon, over to sonoma, and all around the city. we climbed up telegraph hill, bought italian pastries in north beach, took the alcatraz tour, walked by at&t park, ate at the ferry building, and visited the local brewpub.
tonight i caught up on all kinds of things around the house, including catching up on reading the newspaper, and emails. below are some things i've particularly enjoyed lately.
i've been meaning to post a link to this store, which you should all check out. nifty!
be sure to refresh this site about what obama's done for you lately several times. after all, you don't want to be unaware of all of his goodness!
speaking of politics, i've read two op-ed pieces that i really identified with. since the newspaper sites are a pain to link to, i'll paste them here.
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
here's dave egger's piece from the sunday nytimes about how san franciscans seem to feel about the recent super tuesday results:
______________________________________________________
Losing to Idaho by Dave Eggers
Published: February 17, 2008
WELL, it was fun to be part of it. At long last, the California primary was scheduled early enough that the opinion of the country’s most populous state would be heard. There were near-record crowds at the polls, and everyone seemed happy to be there at all, like a bunch of distant relatives finally invited to the wedding. And what did our groundbreaking state do with its chance at making history? Nothing all that interesting. As the Obama wave swept across the country, we watched from the beach.
California (or much of it, anyway) prides itself on the leading edge of everything — technology, environmental policy, prevalence of bumper stickers, the continent itself — and yet, in choosing Hillary Clinton by 52 percent to Barack Obama’s 43 percent, the state proved itself more conservative than, for example, Kansas.
It was hard not to detect, at least here in the Bay Area, the sense of disappointment in our state after the subsequent primary results. To be out-progressived by Alabama, Maryland and North Dakota? Painful. If Mrs. Clinton won by nine points in California and Mr. Obama won by 62 points in Idaho, does that make us 71 points more conservative than the “Great Potatoes. Tasty Destinations” state? (No disrespect is meant toward that beautiful state, or its flabbergasting former slogan.)
The odd fact is that in this year’s contest, Mrs. Clinton is actually the most conservative choice. Not conservative in a policy sense, but conservative in that with her, voters can be very sure of what they’re getting. There is almost no risk, no element of mystery.
With Mr. Obama’s newness comes a certain element of chance, and Mr. McCain, though he leans ever more doctrinaire, is still erratic enough that on the Internet he can be found singing — to a classic Beach Boys tune, mind you — about bombing yet another sovereign nation. So a vote for Mrs. Clinton, as capable as she is, is a vote for the known over the less-known, the establishment over the insurgent.
Which makes it all the more exasperating for Californians, who assume that every new idea originates here, to watch the Obama revolution begin in Illinois and proceed happily everywhere — Delaware! — without us.
Delaware, whose slogan is “It’s Good Being First” can now boast of being 20 percentage points more first than California. Utah, which once sighed, “This Is Still the Right Place,” came out 57-39 for Mr. Obama, making it 27 percentage points more correct than the Golden State.
The Potomac primaries just rubbed it in. Virginians went Mr. Obama’s way, 64-35, making them 38 points braver than Californians. Maryland, whose state tourism office used to advise visitors to, really, “Seize the Day Off,” voted for the Illinois senator 60-37, making their state 32 points more, let’s face it, daring than ours.
Heading South, it got worse. South Carolina was 37 points bolder than California, Georgia 44 points more future-embracing.
What’s our excuse? Er, we kept it interesting? After all, if Mr. Obama had won in a landslide here, we wouldn’t have the pleasure of this continually fascinating race, no?
O.K., you’re not buying that, so it’s time to accept responsibility. It wasn’t our fault! It was theirs, down there!
Northern California went Mr. Obama’s way by significant margins. Guess who voted for the establishment, for the past? Los Angeles.
Almost a third of Mrs. Clinton’s votes came from that county alone. So don’t blame us. It was them.
We’re with you, Idaho! With hope and change! The future! Great potatoes! Tasty destinations!
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
and, on a more serious note, here's an op-ed piece that elizabeth wurtzel wrote about hillary for the wall street journal. i have been so torn about how to feel about the two democratic candidates, and i identified with this quite a bit.
______________________________________________________
Hillary Agonistes by Elizabeth Wurtzel
Published: February 15, 2008
I've been told that I no longer need to do yoga, take up Pilates, or study Kaballah, and I can even stop listening to Bruce Springsteen. Apparently 45 minutes at a Barack Obama rally -- preceded by two hours and 45 minutes of waiting in the snow outside to get in -- will be all it takes to change my life. Forever. An open mind, a free spirit, a loving heart, a renewed appreciation for democracy -- and possibly even thin thighs -- will be mine for keeps, if I just take in the junior senator from Illinois at a high-school gymnasium in Waukesha or a Nascar track in Pocono or an arena in Dallas. In less time than it takes to get through a single session of psychotherapy, Mr. Obama can cure me.
Meanwhile, back in Hillaryland, all I'm promised is Hillarycare.
[Hillary Agonistes]
Of course, that's not fair. Like most Democrats this time around, I feel embarrassed with the richness of both presidential candidates. The first flush of Obamarama, this latest blush of Clintonism -- either would suit me fine. But it's obvious where the real heat is: If candidates were reading material, Barack Obama would be pornography -- he's got everybody aroused, fired up and ready to go. He's turned on the body politic as no one else has in my lifetime. And it's great fun. It's good for politics, it's good for democracy, it's good for America, it's good for messianism. Young people are excited, old people are nostalgic, middle-aged people are invigorated. People are so enthralled with Mr. Obama just because it's so easy to be enthralled with him.
Which is to say, there's no accounting for charisma. Some people are simply gifted, and the only way to respond is to clear the way and let them do their magic. But this collective cathexis that created Obamamania is obviously a deep desire for authenticity, and he is the natural repository of our hidden hopes.
Mr. Obama is what the future looks like: a biracial child of divorce, schlepped halfway around the world by a conscientious but confounded single mother, abandoned by a wayward but winning Kenyan father, international but somehow still all-American, a party-hardy Harvard Law graduate. That is, an ordinary extraordinary guy, the dreamiest of all our dreams. If only every kid from a broken home could turn out to be such a fine gentleman! How can we not love him? With a million other things he could be doing, Mr. Obama actually wants to lead us. Us? What did we do to deserve him?
That's how lucky Barack Obama makes us feel.
And then there's the whole Hillary Rodham Clinton situation. What can I say? She's been called the anti-Christ, but her problem right now is that she's the anti-Obama.
There is a special kind of hate that people -- particularly women -- reserve for Hillary Clinton that is unique in contemporary politics. It's nothing like the disdain liberals feel for W., which is only to be expected, and has no special edge: Liberals believe President Bush is an undeserving doofus who made a big huge mess, that's that. But the hatred for Hillary Clinton is visceral and venal, a lot of it is female and feminist, and some of it is simply off the charts.
A young woman I respect in northern California describes Hillary as "grotesque." A middle-aged successful artist I know -- herself a bit of a virago -- thinks she's "evil." And my mother, who is admittedly a Republican, is capable of going on and on about how Hillary is in it all for herself, that she'll do anything to win, that she'll kill to push her agenda through, that she's just a disgusting human being, that the sound of Hillary's voice is enough to send her racing for the remote control to turn off her beloved Fox News. The New Republic points out that many Democrats describe Hillary Clinton as "mendacious, brutal, willing to bend (or break) any rule in pursuit of power." And they're on her side.
This special anti-Rodham anger is especially troubling because it's impossible to separate from sex or sexism. Hillary Clinton reminds me that it's possible that all powerful women are, as my friend puts it, "grotesque." They are exaggerated humans, extreme cases, everything to everybody.
Hillary is grotesque because she has gotten to where she is, indeed, by playing it every which way -- by being a career woman when that made sense, a wife when that was advantageous; working on her husband's behalf when that seemed the way to the top, then working for herself when the coast was clear; standing by her husband despite infidelities because she loved him, while belittling Tammy Wynette for offering the very advice she was ostensibly taking; pooh-poohing the prospect of having teas and baking cookies instead of having a profession, and then becoming first lady and having teas as a profession for a full eight years. Yes, Hillary Clinton will do anything, bless her heart: That is how you amass power as a woman. We hate her, because she exposes the sordid business of having it all for the grotesque thing that it actually is.
Might she have played it differently? Of course, it's possible. No one can quite explain how it is that a woman who now campaigns on the virtues of electronic health records and streamlined financial-aid forms once gave the 1969 graduation address at Wellesley College that fantasized about "a more immediate, ecstatic and penetrating mode of living." Once upon a lifetime ago, Hillary Clinton could have been Barack Obama! When did she become a technocrat? How is it that Mr. Obama beat her at her own game?
Obviously, Hillary gave something up by marrying Bill. In their particular partnership, Bill is inspiration, Hillary is perspiration, that's the way it goes. She lost her voice, and no, she did not get it back in Manchester, N.H. on Jan. 10. She's been in the business of enabling charismatic men for so long, Hillary Clinton doesn't quite know how to facilitate anything but power itself.
Still, Hillary has won big states like New York, California, and even Sen. Ted Kennedy's native Massachusetts -- and by large margins. Because, finally, the ladies turn out for her, as they did for that surprise win in the New Hampshire primary.
Pollsters say that women are the most important element of the electorate, and hate her though we do, in the end, we can't help ourselves. We see Hillary, we see Barack, and we see our own version of hell: Here is this amazing woman, top of her class, implausible marriage to impossible man, works as hard as the day is long, masters all the forms and spreadsheets of governing, even manages to raise a pretty darn good kid -- and then along comes this guy, this groovy Obamarama, with his pleasing mien, his high style, his absolute fabulousness, and he wants the top floor, corner office that she earned.
And women -- women have seen this movie, women have heard this story, women know the drill, have had their manicured fingers ready to ring that particular fire alarm for years now. Women, finally, will say no to that. Real women don't care what Caroline Kennedy and Maria Shriver with their easy words and easy lives have to say about any of this. No one with a job takes advice from someone with a chef.
Right now, it looks like Barack Obama will be the nominee. Hillary Clinton is unlikely to win any more primaries for a few more weeks, and at that point, it may be too late for this championship season. But pundits count her out at their own peril. That woman is a force of nature. One of these years, Hillary is going to the White House. If she has to win every single vote one by one, she'll do it. If she has to take hostages, hold a gun to the head of every voter as he enters the booth, she'll do that too. She may even cry.
Never underestimate Hillary Clinton.
Friday, February 15, 2008
youtube theme song
my favorite line is "it's as easy as pizza pie!", although "youtube, metube, hetube, shetube" is catchy too!
i also really like that his wife walks into the kitchen in the background, totally ignoring him and the camera. since he's been writing songs since the 20s, i'm guessing she's learned to block out pretty much everything.
my favorite line is "it's as easy as pizza pie!", although "youtube, metube, hetube, shetube" is catchy too!
i also really like that his wife walks into the kitchen in the background, totally ignoring him and the camera. since he's been writing songs since the 20s, i'm guessing she's learned to block out pretty much everything.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
i laughed out loud when i read this article about a high-speed chase in poughkeepsie. this guy's parents must be even bigger fans of george lucas and billy dee williams than i am!
oh yeah, here's another video that we enjoyed recently:
oh yeah, here's another video that we enjoyed recently:
Sunday, February 10, 2008
i'm in NY tonight, and it's crazy windy and *freezing* (wind chill below zero). i just bought a convertible yesterday, and it's so cold where i am just about 30 hours later that i didn't even leave the hotel for dinner. (luckily room service was reasonably fast and pretty yummy).
i am sooooo excited about my car!
we're not actually picking up the car at the dealer until we move in a couple of weeks. it's a little odd, i know, but we only have one parking space and we're both traveling until then, so we'll just have to look forward to it for a little bit longer. we are excited about it, though: we're already planning our first road trip, to my friend jason's wedding in LA the second weekend in march. we're likely to drive the faster route on the way down and then take time coming back (i have to confirm that i can take monday off still). if anyone reading this has driven between SF and LA, let me know of any suggestions. we're thinking of stopping overnight in morro bay on the way back. we bought a couple of guidebooks to the california coast and have been reading up on options.
we're also really getting excited about our upcoming move (less than 2 weeks away!). we decided to make the move to the house in pacifica. it's got tons of room, the views are amazing, the kitchen and bathrooms are gorgeous, and we're really excited about having some outdoor space (it's got a patio along the driveway, two balconies and a huge deck). you can see some pictures here.
we have a bunch of things we will need to pick out to really make the most of our new place, so we've been doing some research. we don't have a yard at all, but i want to have a garden, so i'm probably going to get a couple of earthboxes. (if any of you have used them, let me know. we saw one at an event awhile back and were impressed, but would love to get some personal testimonials). we also need to purchase some sort of patio furniture and a grill (which steve is really excited about -- he's even considering getting a smoker). and then, since we want all of you to visit, we are going to buy a good bed for the guest bedroom. we're a bit overwhelmed, but it's darn exciting.
i guess i should stop thinking about our exciting super-california-ish life and settle into east coast winter hibernation for the night, since it's really late here on the east coast. hopefully i can ignore the howling of the wind outside my hotel room and get some sleep...
i am sooooo excited about my car!
we're not actually picking up the car at the dealer until we move in a couple of weeks. it's a little odd, i know, but we only have one parking space and we're both traveling until then, so we'll just have to look forward to it for a little bit longer. we are excited about it, though: we're already planning our first road trip, to my friend jason's wedding in LA the second weekend in march. we're likely to drive the faster route on the way down and then take time coming back (i have to confirm that i can take monday off still). if anyone reading this has driven between SF and LA, let me know of any suggestions. we're thinking of stopping overnight in morro bay on the way back. we bought a couple of guidebooks to the california coast and have been reading up on options.
we're also really getting excited about our upcoming move (less than 2 weeks away!). we decided to make the move to the house in pacifica. it's got tons of room, the views are amazing, the kitchen and bathrooms are gorgeous, and we're really excited about having some outdoor space (it's got a patio along the driveway, two balconies and a huge deck). you can see some pictures here.
we have a bunch of things we will need to pick out to really make the most of our new place, so we've been doing some research. we don't have a yard at all, but i want to have a garden, so i'm probably going to get a couple of earthboxes. (if any of you have used them, let me know. we saw one at an event awhile back and were impressed, but would love to get some personal testimonials). we also need to purchase some sort of patio furniture and a grill (which steve is really excited about -- he's even considering getting a smoker). and then, since we want all of you to visit, we are going to buy a good bed for the guest bedroom. we're a bit overwhelmed, but it's darn exciting.
i guess i should stop thinking about our exciting super-california-ish life and settle into east coast winter hibernation for the night, since it's really late here on the east coast. hopefully i can ignore the howling of the wind outside my hotel room and get some sleep...
Friday, February 08, 2008
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
things that make me happy today:
- the crazy cloud formations as i drove to work this morning
- my new turquoise flats
- thinking about buying a convertible!
- the vampire weekend cd that just came out
- seeing old friend zac last night
- the crazy cloud formations as i drove to work this morning
- my new turquoise flats
- thinking about buying a convertible!
- the vampire weekend cd that just came out
- seeing old friend zac last night
oooh... i've always wanted to make my own butter. this could be a good dinner party-ish activity idea! (keenan, when can you come and visit?!?)
Sunday, February 03, 2008
we had fun watching the super bowl, which (for the two of you reading this that didn't watch it) ended up being a good football game for once in the past several years.
however, for me the commercials are the big draw. my faves this year were:
- the 'shaq as a jockey' vitamin water spot
- the e-trade baby ads (especially the one with the clown)
- tide's talking stain
- the t-mobile "fave five" spot with dwane wade and sir charles, which is going to have us saying "do you like popsicles?" quite a bit
- diet pepsi's "nod" spot was just okay, but it's worth seeing for the ending
- the coca-cola "it's mine" spot using macy's parade balloons (soooo beautifully done!)
however, for me the commercials are the big draw. my faves this year were:
- the 'shaq as a jockey' vitamin water spot
- the e-trade baby ads (especially the one with the clown)
- tide's talking stain
- the t-mobile "fave five" spot with dwane wade and sir charles, which is going to have us saying "do you like popsicles?" quite a bit
- diet pepsi's "nod" spot was just okay, but it's worth seeing for the ending
- the coca-cola "it's mine" spot using macy's parade balloons (soooo beautifully done!)
Friday, February 01, 2008
hooray! northern california is where the jet pack is born! now if only they could get it under $100k and allow me to fly it to work...
we totally need to go and see it in action at the "pacific coast dream machines" event, in april.
we totally need to go and see it in action at the "pacific coast dream machines" event, in april.
i'm going to continue my personal policy of not writing about my job, but i did want to comment (more for my own self-awareness than due to any delusion about it being of interest to you readers) about changes in my diet due to my new job:
- i now have a preference for glaceau smartwater (it definitely tastes better than crystal geyser or aquafina)
- i am eating breakfast every day (and am trying without much success to limit myself to belgian waffles twice a week)
- i am eating many more veggies at lunch
- sitting next to the "microkitchen" causes me to pretty much require hunting through its offerings every afternoon for a snack
hopefully i won't gain weight!
- i now have a preference for glaceau smartwater (it definitely tastes better than crystal geyser or aquafina)
- i am eating breakfast every day (and am trying without much success to limit myself to belgian waffles twice a week)
- i am eating many more veggies at lunch
- sitting next to the "microkitchen" causes me to pretty much require hunting through its offerings every afternoon for a snack
hopefully i won't gain weight!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
i'm really impressed by this guy, who plays songs on musical instruments made out of produce. i think my favorite is "angels we have heard on high" on a broccoli ocarina:
Thursday, January 24, 2008
we looked at a couple of new cars last night. we're very interested in getting a convertible, and checked out the volvo c70 and the volkswagen eos -- both of which are retractable hard-tops. it definitely feels like being in a transformer! here's an ad for the eos, which we like better (and which is $10k cheaper):
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
i've always been a john battelle fan, but i have to say that i didn't particularly like his post yesterday. let's just wait for the earnings and see...
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
silly little things i'm really into:
- little tiny packets of glide floss so i can stick a couple in each purse and or in pants pockets and never again be caught with stuff between my teeth!
- yummy wallaby yogurt, which we have at work
- john masters organics. i have been using the hydrating mist since my skin is freaked out by traveling back and forth from warm climates to cold ones, and i lovelovelove it.
- little tiny packets of glide floss so i can stick a couple in each purse and or in pants pockets and never again be caught with stuff between my teeth!
- yummy wallaby yogurt, which we have at work
- john masters organics. i have been using the hydrating mist since my skin is freaked out by traveling back and forth from warm climates to cold ones, and i lovelovelove it.
new year, lots of new stuff.
steve and i spent the first week in january on kauai. i was pretty near my breaking point after the holidays, so the timing for this getaway was perfect.
when we were in kauai the weather was much different than during our previous trip (last may). last may we thought the waves were really rough down on the south side by our hotel and so we traveled up to the north side of the island quite a bit. the north side has really amazing snorkeling, so we did quite a lot last time.
this time the north side was rainy, and so we never went north of lihue. we spent most of our time on the far southwest side of the island, which is the driest and sunniest. we were total beach bums, and spent lots of time just reading on the beach and playing in the waves. we were a lot less adventurous than our last trip, and didn't do any hiking, kayaking or snorkeling.
however, we did go to polihale state beach, which is amazing. the reason i mention this after mentioning whether or not we were adventurous is that the road to polihale is really, really scary if you're driving a rental car (and i'm sure it was against our contract). i tried to find a description online, and all i found as "Polihale State Beach Park is found at the end of the road in West Kaua‘i, with access over several miles of potholed canefield roads" from aloha-hawaii.com. the road is about 4.7 miles, and took steve about 30 minutes each way. we were really afraid of damaging the undercarriage, and did hit bottom a couple of times. there are, however, lots and lots of websites that voice the opinion that it's one of the most beautiful beaches, and it was wonderfully deserted when we were there.
our vacation ended on a bit of a rough note, with the connecting flight from honolulu to oakland severely delayed. we had planned it to be a bit of a close call, with scheduled arrival in oakland (about 30 minutes from our apartment) around 11 pm the night before i started my new job. instead, we arrived around 2 am, and by the time we got our baggage, found our car service (steve had brilliantly arranged for a car to pick us up at that hour!) and made it home, it was 3:30 am. argh! i had orientation at 8 am over an hour away the next morning! needless to say, the photo on my work ID (taken shortly after 8 am) is not one of my better looks.
my new job is going well. i like the people and the environment, and the perks are phenomenal (as has been mentioned in many, many articles). it's definitely a start-up sort of role, where i'm developing process and making strategic plans, which is a different from my previous position. i will get to hire and grow the team, which i enjoy, and i like that i'll be less focused on solving escalated problems, and more focused on future thinking. i'm in NY this week for training, and should have more of a feel for things after this week.
since changes seem to snowball, it looks like we'll be moving. rents are going up in our building and we've decided that although we like the open layout of our place, we'd prefer a more traditional setup, so that steve can close the door on his office at the end of the day, and so that overnight guests have an actual door on the room they're staying in. we spent this weekend looking at a few different places, and it looks like our best bet is a really different option for us: living in a 3 floor house on a mountainside in pacifica, sandwiched in-between a state park and the beach. we weren't looking to leave the city, but when we looked in our price range in the city, the options weren't all that exciting, and steve pointed out that "living with a view of the ocean is something that a person should do in their life if at all possible" (not an exact quote). i can't disagree, but i am worried that we'll miss city life a bit, and that our friends won't visit as often as we'd like. luckily we have lots and lots of room for sleepovers... we should know tomorrow if we have the place or not, and if so we'll move sometime in mid-february.
i'm extremely tired tonight, since (in a bit of a repeat) my flight to NY last night was really, really delayed. i didn't arrive at JFK airport until 3 am, and got to sleep around 4:30. i had about 4 hours of shut-eye before heading to the NY office (thank goodness they didn't take my picture again this morning!). i really need to stop doing that on sunday nights!
steve and i spent the first week in january on kauai. i was pretty near my breaking point after the holidays, so the timing for this getaway was perfect.
when we were in kauai the weather was much different than during our previous trip (last may). last may we thought the waves were really rough down on the south side by our hotel and so we traveled up to the north side of the island quite a bit. the north side has really amazing snorkeling, so we did quite a lot last time.
this time the north side was rainy, and so we never went north of lihue. we spent most of our time on the far southwest side of the island, which is the driest and sunniest. we were total beach bums, and spent lots of time just reading on the beach and playing in the waves. we were a lot less adventurous than our last trip, and didn't do any hiking, kayaking or snorkeling.
however, we did go to polihale state beach, which is amazing. the reason i mention this after mentioning whether or not we were adventurous is that the road to polihale is really, really scary if you're driving a rental car (and i'm sure it was against our contract). i tried to find a description online, and all i found as "Polihale State Beach Park is found at the end of the road in West Kaua‘i, with access over several miles of potholed canefield roads" from aloha-hawaii.com. the road is about 4.7 miles, and took steve about 30 minutes each way. we were really afraid of damaging the undercarriage, and did hit bottom a couple of times. there are, however, lots and lots of websites that voice the opinion that it's one of the most beautiful beaches, and it was wonderfully deserted when we were there.
our vacation ended on a bit of a rough note, with the connecting flight from honolulu to oakland severely delayed. we had planned it to be a bit of a close call, with scheduled arrival in oakland (about 30 minutes from our apartment) around 11 pm the night before i started my new job. instead, we arrived around 2 am, and by the time we got our baggage, found our car service (steve had brilliantly arranged for a car to pick us up at that hour!) and made it home, it was 3:30 am. argh! i had orientation at 8 am over an hour away the next morning! needless to say, the photo on my work ID (taken shortly after 8 am) is not one of my better looks.
my new job is going well. i like the people and the environment, and the perks are phenomenal (as has been mentioned in many, many articles). it's definitely a start-up sort of role, where i'm developing process and making strategic plans, which is a different from my previous position. i will get to hire and grow the team, which i enjoy, and i like that i'll be less focused on solving escalated problems, and more focused on future thinking. i'm in NY this week for training, and should have more of a feel for things after this week.
since changes seem to snowball, it looks like we'll be moving. rents are going up in our building and we've decided that although we like the open layout of our place, we'd prefer a more traditional setup, so that steve can close the door on his office at the end of the day, and so that overnight guests have an actual door on the room they're staying in. we spent this weekend looking at a few different places, and it looks like our best bet is a really different option for us: living in a 3 floor house on a mountainside in pacifica, sandwiched in-between a state park and the beach. we weren't looking to leave the city, but when we looked in our price range in the city, the options weren't all that exciting, and steve pointed out that "living with a view of the ocean is something that a person should do in their life if at all possible" (not an exact quote). i can't disagree, but i am worried that we'll miss city life a bit, and that our friends won't visit as often as we'd like. luckily we have lots and lots of room for sleepovers... we should know tomorrow if we have the place or not, and if so we'll move sometime in mid-february.
i'm extremely tired tonight, since (in a bit of a repeat) my flight to NY last night was really, really delayed. i didn't arrive at JFK airport until 3 am, and got to sleep around 4:30. i had about 4 hours of shut-eye before heading to the NY office (thank goodness they didn't take my picture again this morning!). i really need to stop doing that on sunday nights!
Monday, December 31, 2007
sorry, dear readers, that i haven't written lately. it was a rather hectic month, with not only the holidays (and the mandatory travel and stress that involves) but also with a big job change looming over me, as i switch from the buying side of the equation (and a job i've loved for the past four years) to the program development side. i am excited, and nervous, about the switch -- and i did my best to leave my colleagues and team at my last job in a pretty good spot (most projects were wrapped up or ahead of schedule, and clients were generally happy). it felt amazing to walk out on my last day with any empty inbox and no blackberry (although i did have a carload of things from my office!).
we feel incredibly loved. we spent the holidays in michigan, seeing as many family members and friends as we could cram in -- and we still didn't see nearly as many as we would have liked. we came back to SF and had fun plans with friends the past two nights, have a sizable RSVP list for our party tonight, and are missing a couple of new year's brunches when we head off to hawaii for vacation tomorrow am. we are continually reminded of how lucky we are to have success in our careers, family and friends who love us, and -- most of all -- each other.
2007 was wonderful, and i can't wait to see what 2008 will bring.
happy new year, everyone!
------------------------
fave things of 2007:
restaurants and foodstuffs:
- Kokkari Estiatorio restaurant - yummy, yummy Greek food
- Frog Hollow Farm Meyer Lemon Marmalade - like eating a ray of sunshine
- the 'cowboy' salad at Mixt Greens
memories:
- cross country ski trip from Badger Pass to Glacier Point in Yosemite
- our amazing two week Hawaii trip
- a summer picnic and my birthday pizza party at Cottage Inn in Ann Arbor
- wedding dress shopping with Ann in New York
- visiting Bob-Lo Island with my mom (and staying at Rose Cottage B&B)
- going up to Dillon Beach with Liz & Steve-O for Steve's birthday
- John Legend performing at the TV Guide Emmy's party (and seeing Blair Underwood there!)
- paragliding along the cliffs of Malibu
things I got into:
- facebook
- goodreads.com
- cataloging all of my photos by geo-location on Flickr
fave books i read this year:
- Devil's Teeth by Susan Casey
- History of Love by Nicole Krauss
- Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
- Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
we feel incredibly loved. we spent the holidays in michigan, seeing as many family members and friends as we could cram in -- and we still didn't see nearly as many as we would have liked. we came back to SF and had fun plans with friends the past two nights, have a sizable RSVP list for our party tonight, and are missing a couple of new year's brunches when we head off to hawaii for vacation tomorrow am. we are continually reminded of how lucky we are to have success in our careers, family and friends who love us, and -- most of all -- each other.
2007 was wonderful, and i can't wait to see what 2008 will bring.
happy new year, everyone!
------------------------
fave things of 2007:
restaurants and foodstuffs:
- Kokkari Estiatorio restaurant - yummy, yummy Greek food
- Frog Hollow Farm Meyer Lemon Marmalade - like eating a ray of sunshine
- the 'cowboy' salad at Mixt Greens
memories:
- cross country ski trip from Badger Pass to Glacier Point in Yosemite
- our amazing two week Hawaii trip
- a summer picnic and my birthday pizza party at Cottage Inn in Ann Arbor
- wedding dress shopping with Ann in New York
- visiting Bob-Lo Island with my mom (and staying at Rose Cottage B&B)
- going up to Dillon Beach with Liz & Steve-O for Steve's birthday
- John Legend performing at the TV Guide Emmy's party (and seeing Blair Underwood there!)
- paragliding along the cliffs of Malibu
things I got into:
- goodreads.com
- cataloging all of my photos by geo-location on Flickr
fave books i read this year:
- Devil's Teeth by Susan Casey
- History of Love by Nicole Krauss
- Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
- Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Monday, December 03, 2007
Friday, November 30, 2007
Sunday, November 25, 2007
it's been a nice, mellow weekend here.
we were in michigan last weekend, and got to see family and friends (thank you, everyone, who came to my birthday party!).
that means that this thanksgiving we were in sf sans family. it would have been sad if we hadn't just been to home, so we were fine with lying low. we went to jeffrey's for thanksgiving dinner. it turns out that, since he's a professional chef, he didn't get invited anywhere either. so we had what we termed a "white trash" thanksgiving: he cooked up the free turkey he got from work, and we had stuffing-from-a-box, frozen veggies, and cranberry sauce right from the can. we had a cheese ball (one of those awesome almond-crusted confections) to start, and finished it off with a storebought pie. yummy-tastic, with little effort.
we saw that band 'band of horses' on friday night at the fillmore, and then yesterday we went to the farmers' market and made a gigundous batch of soup. we've also been doing computer-related stuff (steve's been fighting with 'leopard' and i've been cleaning up my desktop and inboxes), as well as planning our holidays. we're throwing a new year's eve party here in SF, so if you're around, please come!
i guess that's the news here.
oh yeah, and steve thinks i should dress like this for the party. what do you all think?
we were in michigan last weekend, and got to see family and friends (thank you, everyone, who came to my birthday party!).
that means that this thanksgiving we were in sf sans family. it would have been sad if we hadn't just been to home, so we were fine with lying low. we went to jeffrey's for thanksgiving dinner. it turns out that, since he's a professional chef, he didn't get invited anywhere either. so we had what we termed a "white trash" thanksgiving: he cooked up the free turkey he got from work, and we had stuffing-from-a-box, frozen veggies, and cranberry sauce right from the can. we had a cheese ball (one of those awesome almond-crusted confections) to start, and finished it off with a storebought pie. yummy-tastic, with little effort.
we saw that band 'band of horses' on friday night at the fillmore, and then yesterday we went to the farmers' market and made a gigundous batch of soup. we've also been doing computer-related stuff (steve's been fighting with 'leopard' and i've been cleaning up my desktop and inboxes), as well as planning our holidays. we're throwing a new year's eve party here in SF, so if you're around, please come!
i guess that's the news here.
oh yeah, and steve thinks i should dress like this for the party. what do you all think?
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Friday, November 23, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
two things i'm really excited about tonight:
- hank was a shark for halloween (wearing the costume we bought him)
- rich bayless is opening a place here in sf. granted, it's an outpost in macy's, but i'll take what i can get.
things that i was really excited about last night:
- hot hot heat, which is great in concert
- the fact that the earthquake (a 5.6) wasn't scary at all
- hank was a shark for halloween (wearing the costume we bought him)
- rich bayless is opening a place here in sf. granted, it's an outpost in macy's, but i'll take what i can get.
things that i was really excited about last night:
- hot hot heat, which is great in concert
- the fact that the earthquake (a 5.6) wasn't scary at all
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
in case you need some help generating insults, this handy dandy kim jong il random insult generator could be of assistance.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
i highly enjoyed these articles, and thought i'd share with you all:
- an article in american way magazine (yes, the american airlines magazine) highlighting several people lucky enough to be tasters at fun places (you'll have to scroll down to read it, since their website is lame)
- nytimes's piece on how global warming is changing greenland's flora, which has an especially cool slideshow
- an article in american way magazine (yes, the american airlines magazine) highlighting several people lucky enough to be tasters at fun places (you'll have to scroll down to read it, since their website is lame)
- nytimes's piece on how global warming is changing greenland's flora, which has an especially cool slideshow
Thursday, October 25, 2007
i was at the CTIA show this week (wireless/entertainment show) and i can tell you that the only thing that has had me excited about my phone since the iphone came out is the mobile version of guitar hero that's coming out on verizon soon. sweet!
this promotion between the MLB and taco bell is pretty cool. (thanks, k-bob, for pointing this out).
i don't know what to think of this product. cool? scary? i can't decide.
i don't know what to think of this product. cool? scary? i can't decide.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
steve pointed out that this article about apple cider donuts isn't exactly hard-hitting news, but boy, oh boy, does it make me miss midwestern autumn.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
we are both getting over nasty colds here, and had to cancel our weekend plans to be lame stay-at-home sickos. i got a number of random projects done, caught up on bills/magazines/etc, and we watched two movies, hot fuzz and the illusionist. neither one is going to be on my list of favorites, but both were fine uses of sick time.
of course, i surfed the web too. i found silly things like these special edition seattle seahawks sodas from jones soda co., which are really gross sounding.
of course, i surfed the web too. i found silly things like these special edition seattle seahawks sodas from jones soda co., which are really gross sounding.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Friday, October 12, 2007
check out these amazing photos from nikon's 'small world competition for photomicrography', which is the art of photography through a microscope.
Credit: Dr. Stephen Nagy, Photo courtesy of Nikon Instruments
Credit: Dr. Stephen Nagy, Photo courtesy of Nikon Instruments
i didn't see it (although i found a clip online), but stephen colbert appeared on larry king's CNN show last night. larry accused colbert of using the publication of his new book as a platform to run for president. colbert happily confirmed this, saying that he would seek the nomination from both parties. king then said this was a "cop out," and colbert replied that it actually demonstrated true "courage" because "i could lose twice."
Monday, October 08, 2007
check it out: a travel writer found one of my photos from kauai on flickr, and he's going to use it with some of his articles. you can see one of the uses (with credit given below) here.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
we had a lovely and relaxed weekend. we went up to dillon beach this weekend with our friends liz and steve (& their ridiculous weinerdog, howard).
of course, my steve is sick.
we celebrated his birthday in an extremely mellow way. we took some walks on the beach, the boys flew kites, we played games (we let the birthday boy pick the game), watched a heckuva lotta college football, and cooked quite a bit of yummy food (chunky veggie pasta sauce, roasted chicken, chicken noodle soup, and big hearty breakfasts). that's the sort of mellow weekend i needed.
i have columbus day off of work tomorrow (!), so i now have a day to catch up around the house. that pretty much rules.
of course, my steve is sick.
we celebrated his birthday in an extremely mellow way. we took some walks on the beach, the boys flew kites, we played games (we let the birthday boy pick the game), watched a heckuva lotta college football, and cooked quite a bit of yummy food (chunky veggie pasta sauce, roasted chicken, chicken noodle soup, and big hearty breakfasts). that's the sort of mellow weekend i needed.
i have columbus day off of work tomorrow (!), so i now have a day to catch up around the house. that pretty much rules.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
this article was on the edit page of the journal yesterday, with the subheading "michigan's worst defeat since appalachian state"
i've copied-and-pasted it in full since wsj.com is a subscription site and it's a pain to link to it.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Hail to the Taxers
October 2, 2007; Page A16
Actor Jeff Daniels makes a cool pitchman in those national TV spots inviting business to Michigan, but soon he may have to start pitching inside the state. At about 2 a.m. Monday, a handful of Republicans in the Legislature broke days of gridlock and handed Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm the $1.48 billion tax increase she has been demanding.
The state's personal income tax will rise to 4.35% from 3.9%, and the rest of the revenue grab will come from a new 6% sales tax on business services. Already 14th in tax burden among the 50 states, according to the Tax Foundation, Michigan is now headed up in the rankings. Congratulations.
The Michigan Chamber of Commerce estimates that two-thirds of the $750 million in new sales tax revenue will apply to business transactions that are tax exempt in most states to avoid a compounding effect that raises costs to final consumers. The tax is especially unfair to small employers that contract out for activities, such as office services, that large businesses provide in-house with no sales tax applied. By the way, last year Michigan introduced a new 4.95% business income tax, which will be applied on top of the sales tax.
Last year, amid the national expansion, Michigan was the only state outside the Gulf Coast to lose jobs and see a decline in economic output. Comerica Bank recently moved its headquarters to Texas, in part because of Michigan's hostile business climate. Michigan's 7.4% jobless rate is the highest of all states and far above the 4.6% national rate.
The state is suffering from the decline of Detroit's car makers, but that's all the more reason to promote policies that attract new businesses -- or at least don't drive current employers to Florida. Ms. Granholm argues that the combination of new taxes to balance the budget, and to finance such new public "investment" as job retraining and education, will reinvigorate Michigan.
She should check her history books. In the past 25 years, the only period when Michigan's growth has exceeded that of the national economy was in the mid-1990s after then-Governor John Engler's tax cutting and welfare reform. For a time, Michigan became the unlikely national leader in job creation. Now the total tax burden is returning to where it was before the Engler years.
Michigan last went on a taxing binge in 1983, and voters were outraged enough to mount a successful recall campaign against two state Senate ringleaders. This time, two of three Michigan voters have told pollsters they want budget cuts, not new taxes. It may be that the only way to get jobs back into Michigan is to make sure the taxing politicians in Lansing lose theirs.
i've copied-and-pasted it in full since wsj.com is a subscription site and it's a pain to link to it.
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Hail to the Taxers
October 2, 2007; Page A16
Actor Jeff Daniels makes a cool pitchman in those national TV spots inviting business to Michigan, but soon he may have to start pitching inside the state. At about 2 a.m. Monday, a handful of Republicans in the Legislature broke days of gridlock and handed Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm the $1.48 billion tax increase she has been demanding.
The state's personal income tax will rise to 4.35% from 3.9%, and the rest of the revenue grab will come from a new 6% sales tax on business services. Already 14th in tax burden among the 50 states, according to the Tax Foundation, Michigan is now headed up in the rankings. Congratulations.
The Michigan Chamber of Commerce estimates that two-thirds of the $750 million in new sales tax revenue will apply to business transactions that are tax exempt in most states to avoid a compounding effect that raises costs to final consumers. The tax is especially unfair to small employers that contract out for activities, such as office services, that large businesses provide in-house with no sales tax applied. By the way, last year Michigan introduced a new 4.95% business income tax, which will be applied on top of the sales tax.
Last year, amid the national expansion, Michigan was the only state outside the Gulf Coast to lose jobs and see a decline in economic output. Comerica Bank recently moved its headquarters to Texas, in part because of Michigan's hostile business climate. Michigan's 7.4% jobless rate is the highest of all states and far above the 4.6% national rate.
The state is suffering from the decline of Detroit's car makers, but that's all the more reason to promote policies that attract new businesses -- or at least don't drive current employers to Florida. Ms. Granholm argues that the combination of new taxes to balance the budget, and to finance such new public "investment" as job retraining and education, will reinvigorate Michigan.
She should check her history books. In the past 25 years, the only period when Michigan's growth has exceeded that of the national economy was in the mid-1990s after then-Governor John Engler's tax cutting and welfare reform. For a time, Michigan became the unlikely national leader in job creation. Now the total tax burden is returning to where it was before the Engler years.
Michigan last went on a taxing binge in 1983, and voters were outraged enough to mount a successful recall campaign against two state Senate ringleaders. This time, two of three Michigan voters have told pollsters they want budget cuts, not new taxes. It may be that the only way to get jobs back into Michigan is to make sure the taxing politicians in Lansing lose theirs.
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