Locals Only

Here is the most amusing proof ever that I am now - a local. Someone at work was reheating lefttover pizza, and I said, "Is that... the Noe Valley Special from the Noe Valley Pizza Restaurant?" Indeed, it was. Goat cheese, spinach, pine nuts, caramelized onions... slice of heaven. She didn't share, though, damnit. It was only one slice, so I can see her point.

Wait, there's more!

On the bus going home, I saw someone I knew! It was a friend of a friend who I hadn't seen in quite a while, and we sat together for the ride. I told her about the pizza incident, and she told me about a place she likes in Berkeley. Then we both agreed that while we like Berkeley, we just don't get out there much.

Stairway(s) to Heaven

I pulled out the 20th edition of Stairway Walks in San Francisco today, written by my buddy Adah Badalinsky (OK, technically, I've never met the woman. But you get to feel close when you read her whimsical asides like, "This building has a flat roof."). My friends A. and C. joined me for Walk #5, "San Francisco Architectural Signatures" in Russian Hill. Our walk brought us past cable cars - A. and I agreed that it's fun to wave to them, like we're ambassadors for the city. I declined to wave today, though, because since I was also poring over a guide book I felt I wouldn't have the cool "local" vibe, I would have the "over-eager tourist from smalltown America who gets way too excited if you've been to the big city in her state even though she herself lives nowhere near that city" vibe. I'll wave next time. Here's the route we followed, http://tinyurl.com/7r7mn, which took us by the beautiful curvy section of Lombard. One of my favorite finds was a Norwegian church - services in Swedish also held once a week. From time to time, we heard strains of music from the Blues Festival at Fort Mason. Our verdict? Meh. Say what you will about being up close, but I assure you that all blues songs heard from a distance do indeed sound the same.

Running Commentary

Ah, but TONIGHT... TONIGHT I have a THEME.

Because the season premiere of Lost is on.

Yeah, Jack - why DON'T you want to go down the hatch? You better lose that bossy tone, mister.

What? What's on the hatch door??? Ooohh.. "Quarantine" - that's good.

How can she take care of a dog if she's exhausted? Seriously, that dog is way better off on his own. Run, Vincent, run! What tripped her? Undead Boone??? Oh! Dripping Walt! UN-expected.

I am going to be so disappointed if Locke turns out to be evil. I must like him because he's got the whole teacher vibe down.

Ah, Hurley. You, too, are awesome. Finding the same bright spot I would - "At least we get to sleep in every morning." I don't think Jack is believing this at all. LOCKE would believe this.

Am I going to have to get into a head-on collision to meet a guy? Oh, wait. She ends up with Jack. Never mind - I'll pass.

Awww. Jack doesn't know how to hope, just like me. I guess it's time to change, because I don't want to end up like that killjoy bossy doofus.

Ooohhh... don't promise. It was a nice little speech, and even I was warming up to you - but then you threw in the kiss of death "I promise," like it all has something to do with you.

But Locke? I don't understand why a good night's sleep would be such a terrible thing before hurtling yourself into the breach.

OK - we may need to put Chocolate Yoplait on the list of products I avoid due to irritating ads.

... phone... Uncle... Did you ever return my Jackson Browne CD... Uh, I think so?...

Apparently, I missed some scene with Kate talking to Jack. Whatever. More Jackstory. Whatever.

Waiting for you? To throw her down the hole? Throw her down the hole! Oh, shit. He IS gonna throw her down the hole. Heh. I'll give her credit for this one - I wouldn't go first. Certainly not without a crowd of armed friends standing around the hatch. Uh, why not use the ladder for as long as you can? Ow! Rope burn! Oh, they're gonna be annoyed when he comes back without Kate. Wouldn't it be cool if she was all disintegrated by the beam of light?

Do you think Jack might start flailing at Locke instead of doing something more productive to actually help Kate? Oh, no Locke. Hmm. Another solo climb - seriously, would it hurt to have just one or two extra people hanging around up top in case something happens to the rope? Am I the only one who's ever watched TV and movies?

Will this be the same mysterious fellow who's at the bottom of the hatch? Aw, Jack punishes himelf with exercise like me. Wait. I am not happy with these similarities. Oh, but I don't do the bullshit "promise" stuff. See, I KNEW that promising would be back to bite Jack in the ass.

THAT is a STURDY little flashlight. I want one. (Heh - "sturdy" sounds funny, in a very Beavisy way.) C'mon, Jack, the people who live here want you to take your shoes off before you walk in their house. Better do it - it really pisses people off when you disregard that rule. AAACCCKKKK! That crappy song scares me, too!!!

Is someone screaming Jack in the background? I think sooooo... I bet Jack's wishing he remembered some DOS commands. I know I'd be screwed. Oh! Hey Locke! Is that... DESMOND with a gun to your head? We'll find out after this commercial break.

No, I feel no need to stick around for "Invasion". Thanks anyway, ABC. "the best" says The Boston Globe? That's an awfully short quote. All sorts of things could have shown up on either side of that. "Pauly Shore is the best he's ever been," "The best the writers could come up with on such short notice." Fill in your own. Call it another writing exercise.

Showering does not take that long, dude. And really, she could've waited for this news. You suck. OK, I'm kinda mean - but I thought it would be funny if the next "Can you feel this?" was smacking her really hard. Or - if he didn't stink, and I didn't find him annoying - he could have gone in for a slow kiss and said, "Can you feel... this?" Oh! Oh! Or a PORN version, where he says... I think you get it.

Oh, and yeah, it was Desmond.

"There Were Errors"

I just wrote out an entry about my friends' baby shower - and then it didn't publish. Blogger reported, "There were errors." So I will just share the important part - that I am looking forward to meeting this child. I won't have nieces or nephews of my own, and so my friends' kids mean a lot to me. I don't want "Aunt Kathy" to be an honorary title, I want to be extended family, and a meaningful part of their lives.

Stayed home from work today, recovering from a flu bug of some sort. I was going to try to go to work anyway, but while I was showering this morning I didn't have the energy to stand up anymore so I had to sit down in the tub. "There were errors."

A few days ago, I pulled out an old journal I had written in 1995-1996, and I was struck by the fact that - I haven't changed. Good or bad, I'm pretty much the same. Same issues. Same way of dealing with them. Is this working for me? I'm skeptical. "There were errors."

This was a very disjointed entry. I'm losing some focus here. I don't know what I feel comfortable sharing in a blog; is this to record experience, or thoughts, or feelings? I like "themes", but I'm not seeing any in my life right now that I feel like recording with any regularity. "Things I Ate Today", "People I Talked to on the Phone", "What I Read", "On the Bus".

Actually, I did see something odd on the bus last week. A woman sitting across from me took out a compact mirror, and then carefully applied - Chapstick. Plain Chapstick. I had to giggle - was she worried she couldn't FIND her lips, or afraid she'd have CLEAR all over her face if she didn't stay within the lines?

Baby Shower

***recovered*** ***Thanks, Blogger***

Shower games - yes or no? I vote yes. And running the games at my friend's shower really put me back in teacher mode, which was fun. Everybody got party beads when they came in, which you had to give up if you said the "b" word - "baby", not "beads". I lost mine - REAL early. I later explained, I lost mine quickly so others would get into the spirit and not be intimidated by my game-playing prowess. Oh, and I suck at that game.

The next game was matching Indian names to their meanings. Anal? Fire. Mansuhk? Pleasing. Heheh.

The third game was name that baby food. Macaroni and cheese had everyone stumped, and several people nauseous. Tasting was encouraged, and NO, the food was not smeared in diapers. That's disgusting. And there will be plenty of diapers in my friends' near future anyway.

A betting pool was set up for the delivery time - evening of November 1, or I'm out a buck - and then we played another classic, "Guess the Girth". With a twist. Everyone measured their lengths of ribbon, and then we checked them against - the expectant father's waist.

Vote with your feet or vote with your dollar

I did both today. After finding out that Washington Mutual, who has built an entire ad campaign around not offering "Fake Free Checking", was charging me anytime I used an out-of-network ATM, I wanted to pull all my money out right away. While it was too inconvenient to do instantly - checks have to CLEAR and all - I dropped out today. Gleefully, I might add. Oh, and I got a new checkbook register just before I told them to close my account. Heh. In this glorious age of internet banking, and debit cards which make checks an item I only use in the mail, I have been able to direct deposit back to the credit union I came to know and yes, maybe love a little bit, down in SoCal. Also, by NOT being a customer of their bank, I can now use the WaMu ATMs free PLUS those of my current bank, which doubles my options. HaHA, WaMu, and ScruYu.

If you don't like how someone does business, please don't patronise them. Think Wal-Mart is evil? Don't shop there. EVER. You found out a certain gas franchise doesn't offer benefits to same sex life partners? Don't get gas there. EVER. While it's good to tell people WHY you won't use these businesses, keeping true to your own code is another way to make sure you don't perpetuate the problems you see them creating.

Anywhere you refuse to go, or products you won't buy? I'm curious.

Linkin'

My friend Anna regularly waxes rhapsodic about daily life in San Francisco, and it certainly is an inspiring city to write about. I felt drained and exhausted all day at work, but when I got home and sprawled out on my bed, I realized I didn't want to let the clear skies and moderate temperature go to waste this evening. I had to go to the library anyway, so I decided I might as well turn my errand into a form of exercise. You can check out my meandering route here, courtesy of my friend P.'s fabulous Google Maps Pedometer. Cinnabuster, who has been one of my bestest friends for 20 years now, and that is awesome, wrote about it recently.

The run/walk/but mostly run offered incredible views of one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the city, Presidio Heights. Then, from the top of Laurel Avenue in Laurel Heights, there were views of the Golden Gate Bridge - both towers - and the spectacular downtown skyline. I wanted to stand on the corner and spin around with my arms thrown out to the sides, to express my joy and gratitude that I am able to experience this city.

Recital

I had my first voice recital on Sunday. It was a very mellow, homespun affair, but everyone performing still had butterflies. It had the feel of a school recital, with that nervous thrill when you see your family in the audience. Two of my adopted family members - my best friend from college and her husband - were there, and I was glad they came. It was the kind of event you wouldn't inflict on people other than family, really - but it was still really important to me to have someone there.

I've always loved to sing. When I was little, Mom would tell me to sing whenever I was in the tub. I thought it was just because she liked to hear me - I'm sure she did (being my Mom and all), but it was also a pretty clever way to leave me on my own without having to panic that I was drowning myself. Whenever I was in the car with my parents, we would sing. For some reason, they were usually willing to indulge me by singing "12 Days of Christmas" which I would request for all seasons. Dad was fond of singing "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" and "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head". I remember Mom singing "I Gave My Love a Cherry", and the rainbow song. They both have beautiful voices, too.

Even though I've never been very shy about my own singing, it took me this long (thirtymrph) years to take steps towards singing in public. A friend of mine told me about a band workshop she was taking at Blue Bear, and that they would end the class by performing at a local bar. So I took a few introductory classes, to make sure I knew something about technique, and I've now enrolled in a workshop for the fall. Coming soon to a club near you...

How I Spent My Labor Day Vacation

On Saturday, I spent the day reorganizing my home. Tip: Watch TLC's "Clean Sweep" while you're organizing your stuff, and you'll be inspired to get rid of it. I also felt tremendous guilt that I am trying to rid myself of things when others in my country have suddenly been left without theirs. Here is my new solution: come visit me so you can help me use more of my stuff. While sharing my living quarters is not practicable, sharing my home certainly is.

Sunday, I met friends for brunch at Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe in Emeryville. True to it's name, the veggie hash was delish. The biscuits are fab, too - but skip the gravy. (It doesn't FAIL, because it isn't gross, but it was also way too thin for biscuit dippin'.) Afterwards, K. and I went for a beautiful hike in the Berkeley Hills. Switchbacks and everything. Having earned a good sit-down, we went to see The Brothers Grimm. It was entertaining, and fun on a big screen - but you dont have to see it.

What you DO have to see is The 40 Year Old Virgin, which I went to see with friends in the city when I got home that evening. Two movies in one day - who SAYS I'm not wild?!? Seriously, though, it was a surprisingly sweet and funny film. A romantic comedy, but I liked it. That's saying a lot.

On Monday, I slept in. Waaayyy in. It was awesome. I continued to fix up my place, and planned to go to work for a few hours until my friend L. called to offer me an out. It was a bee-yoo-ti-ful day here in San Francisco, so we met at The Grove on Fillmore, wandered through shops, vowed to launch a book club (no, really - it's going to happen), and went to Trader Joe's. I've said it before, but I wish I could marry Trader Joe's. Always costs less than I expect, and they offer things I didn't know I loved and needed until I got there.

New Orleans

It seems strange that New Orleans had come up in several conversations I've had before Hurricane Katrina hit. There is something truly magical about the city - not a statement I make lightly. An article in the New York Times yesterday pointed out that several other cities devastated by disasters have risen like phoenixes (not PHOENIX, 'cuz that place is lame. No magic. Not HORRIBLE, just - not very memorable.) and I certainly hope NOLA will do the same. The people are fun-loving and charming, and I could use tons of cliched adjectives to describe the food, buildings, music, the food again - it's that good. Like my friend the Modest Goddess, I am also inspired by the immediate and generous outpouring of offers to provide shelter for the unfortunate souls who surely never pictured a loss of home on such a grand scale. My workplace is offering matching donations, which I will gladly use, but I think it's also important to keep the city itself in our thoughts, hearts, and prayers. When it begins the rebuilding process, GO VISIT. Bring your tourism dollars and your optimism that great things are still in store for New Orleans.