Mumsy and I headed over to Stern Grove today to see the San Francisco Ballet perform short programs. Between the two of us we had packed plenty of blankets and food to keep us comfortable. We arrived nearly three hours before the show to secure seats and decided on a center stage spot with a bit of an obstruction...
"Andante Sostenuto"
Joan Boada in "7 for Eight"
"Symphony in C"
The important thing is that Mumsy - who sat just to my left - had a clear view of the entire middle of the stage. Though that didn't stop her from devising ways to improve on the experience...
Mumsy: "They should cut down that ugly tree, then tons of people could see better."
codeOrange: "I think the point of a grove is to have trees."
Mumsy: "But not that ugly one. If we can get everyone to play along, somebody should go snip off those two branches."
And get arrested!
Also very important was our superbly organized picnic:
fried chicken, deli sandwiches, fresh fruit, gazpacho, tater chips, chocolate, and white wine!
Liked the show a lot more than I thought I would... I guess I can appreciate ballet more than when I was a preteen dozing of in my seat at the Balanchine Festival!
Had to say goodbye to a good friend as Cabbage left for law school today... that little Cabbage is going all the way to USC! WHY!?
But as always, even getting her packed up was an adventure. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I have finally stepped foot into Wal-Mart!
Wal-Mart at the Hilltop Mall in Richmond
a huge tub of bouncy balls, next to soda pop and girls' clothing
pallets of dog food and fabric softener...
I'm not too happy about the proximity of these products to each other
loofahs!
wall of spam!
But beware, I've seen better prices at Safeway.
C'mon, who pays $2.48 for a can of mystery meat!?
from foreground to the back: fishing rods, basketballs, and house paint.
That's right, children can pick their basketball next to house paint.
It's like Costco without the high ceiling, industrial atmosphere, and fresh food (well I've heard some of these Wal-Marts actually do offer a full supermarket.) Didn't see too many interesting styles here but I did notice that the smell of cigarettes as we walked in. You can smoke in Wal-Mart!?
Somehow spent over an hour in this store... I finally picked up a new microwave, and it was less than $40! Anyways, we picked up Cabbage's new couch and loaded it into the U-Haul... then away we went!
One of the many neighborhood cats played spectator as we loaded up the truck... I think her name is Bobo!
curious enough
Bobo is fearless
When all was finally said and done, when all the pizza was eaten and all the goodbyes were hugged out, I finally left Cabbage to sleep before her trucker odyssey. She made it down to LA earlier today and though she's relatively close by - just an hour away by plane - I'm very sad that I won't get to see her as often. But Cabbage hopes to return to San Francisco once her tenure as a grad student is finished, just as we all do.
but instead, I think I will be dreaming of these fabulous Jeffrey Campbell shoes!
having way too much fun at Nordstrom!
Photo taken by Cabbage!
These awesome paint-splattered booties look crazy but thanks to the huge platform are actually quite comfortable and make for easy walking. They are deceptively lightweight, too! A close up:
even the shoelaces have been spattered! See them here!
These shoes are beautiful in the most crazy way... it's like Jeffrey Campbell has brought Lady Gaga's style to the masses. They come in other colors - orange suede was a close second - but I love the way these bad boys look. My friend Cabbage tried on the blue pair and, paint-splattered or not, they are still absolutely amazing:
do not get in her way!
But as gorgeous as these shoes are, I cannot justify ponying up $180 for footwear. Not on my salary anyways.
Also, I'm totally guilty of buying other shoes at the Nordstrom sale early last week:
Turned in the shoes and finally hauled myself over to Borders to partake in the liquidation sale... picked up several photo books of San Francisco - they make great presents when you visit international family and friends. Searched the store for a nice paperback version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo but only located the hardcover (~$30) and a boxed set ($99!) As of today the discount for these books was only 20%... perhaps in a week or two it'll be a steeper sale and I can pick them up.
I did find a bargain anthology on Salvador Dalí's work and grabbed it for about $4! Woohoo!
Dinner-wise, the past two days seem like the same point in time in alternate dimensions.
Yesterday the gang got together and attempted to go to Off the Grid in Berkeley - we were desiring all sorts of burritos and fried items - but alas, these lines were snaking down the street. Even more discouraging was the lack of movement in those lengthy lines...
So an executive decision was made and we headed over to Picoso in the Epicurious Garden on Shattuck Avenue for a Mexican fix... I picked fish tacos and was pleasantly surprised:
crispy fried fish with mangoes, cabbage, and avocado aioli!
You can't go wrong with aioli!
park it here!
Were we starving? Yes, but that doesn't take away from the deliciousness of these tacos. Aioli should be in everything!
Today at work I learned that Bacon Bacon would make an appearance at Off the Grid on Stanyan Street. However, this odyssey also ended in failure to nab desired food from desired truck... after surviving an hour-long bus ride home to get my car and almost getting hit by a punk in a Mercedes, I stumbled to Bacon Bacon only to find that they had stopped taking orders. What!? With over thirty minutes left before OTG's closing time, surely there was room to cook up a quick pork belly sandwich!
This isn't the first time I've heard of delays for Bacon Bacon. The first and only other time I visited Bacon Bacon there was a pair of women who made it their duty to vocalize how long they had been waiting. When Bacon Bacon stopped by AT&T Park on a weekday lunch, no one from the office could go. But an acquaintance reported that she had waited one hour to get her food. Who waits one hour for food!? Well, there is the chicken and bread salad at Zuni Café, and they tell you upfront that it's an hour for the two-person dinner.
I'm sure the artists behind Bacon Bacon have figured out that they are not ready to take on the flash crowds that frequent OTG and singular food trucks... but they need to fix that pronto. Maybe they should offer just 2 sandwiches per day instead of the full menu of six? That might streamline operations. Bottom line: you shouldn't have to turn any customer away because of time.
After my disappointing odyssey, I took stock of the other trucks at OTG and decided to try Seoul on Wheels. Clever name! Unfortunately this truck was sold out of Korritos - burritos with predominantly Korean fillings like kim chi and bulgogi as well as classic touches like cheese and sour cream. What a shame, I've always wanted to say I've eaten a Korrito! Settled on Korean tacos with bulgogi, marinated rib meat that tastes like ambrosia for cavemen.
bulgogi, lots of lettuce, some white radish, pepper paste, and sour cream
Though the meat flavor was good, it's nothing super special... I am spoiled by my mother who knows how to marinate her own bulgogi so nothing can really compare to that. Also, so long as you have the marinade, it's really difficult to screw up bulgogi. So yes, it was undoubtedly good and I expected nothing less.
The ample lettuce reminded me of the way that we eat bulgogi at my mom's: with rice and in lettuce "cups." In fact, bulgogi-rice tacos with lettuce shells are quite possibly the first "tacos" I've ever had!
What I did like was the stuff that I usually do not add to my bulgogi. White radish is a condiment that's as common in Korean cuisine as ketchup is with fries in the States. But we never felt a need to have it with bulgogi, so I liked the addition to my taco. And once again, I'm a sucker for the sauce: the mix of hot and slightly sweet pepper paste and sour cream is sublime!
Seoul on Wheels saved my OTG outing from turning into a complete nightmare. I like this truck, and I like their sense of humor... "BBQ Princess of Yoon, from the Province of Yummi..."
For some reason, I've had an urge to listen to "La Tortura" on my ipod repeatedly... it is hands down one of my favorite songs ever... Shakira + Alejandro Sanz = magic!
I love everything about this video! The words, Shakira's mesmerizing dancing, Alejandro Sanz's slightly raspy yet rich voice... and I really appreciate Shakira's slightly grungy look for this production, complete with untamed curly hair... you can see her freckles! This song has stuck with me for a while and I don't think it'll be leaving anytime soon.
more of Shakira's gorgeously natural look
(but slightly made up... can't see her freckles here)
Not everyone can appreciate her voice - at times it has a guttural quality and she oftentimes sings a key or so deeper. But I love it because it's unique and encourages you to think on the words... the perfect medium for an alternative folksy-rock-pop chanteuse with plenty of messages.
A prime example of her listen-to-my-words style... "Pies Descalzos" from her earlier work (before she broke into the hearts of the mainstream US audience...)
She even dances barefoot (pies descalzos) here!
Not that there's anything wrong with makeup or changing your style or making lots more money, just noting that there has been a definite change in Shakira's style... you'd have to be deaf, dumb, and blind to not see that.
Shakira's newer material is very catchy and has brought this talented artist a lot more attention. The jump to a more glamourpuss and sexy look - as well as a more polished and heavily-produced sound style - starts with "She Wolf."
On the surface the song seems to be about club-crawling and bringing out your inner animal, whatever that may be. But History International has once again, taught me something new: back in Campagna during the days of the Roman Empire, a lupinaria was the term for a brothel. Literally, lupinaria means "den of the wolves," specifically a lady-wolf according to the guest speakers on History International. Prostitutes were referred to as she-wolves in slang at the time. Thus, Shakira adds a layer of hidden meaning - that stigma and shame (seen the cage?) associated with sex workers or even women who are liberated in their sexuality - to the palimpsest that is "She Wolf." That judgement is undoubtedly echoed in the comments left by those who are too quick to judge Shaki as a sellout.
"Rabiosa" is a fun collaboration with hitmaker Pitbull and makes you want to dance. It's a very good dance song but that's all it really is - a dance song. That and a risqué music video with Shakira taking her belly-dancing ways to another level.
Don't get me wrong, I still like this song and I always pump this jam while driving in the car (that's right, I gotta pump this jam!) I like the way she looks with the short bob and I like the party atmosphere of the song... I just happen to like her older work - the likes of "La Tortura" - a bit more.
After the fantastic yet bittersweet season finale of Camelot, I've had to turn to other avenues for entertainment as I knit.
First off, a very San Francisco show to watch: Showtime's The Franchise! I'm not terribly thrilled about the format so far... there was a sneak peek back in the spring where Pablo Sandoval showed off his new physique and Brandon Belt was ultimately called up... only to be followed by the first full episode released July 13, an episode that spanned the entire heartbreaking and tortuously gritty season thus far. It looks like subsequent episodes will review the past week's performance while profiling a few of the athletes at a time.
Still, your heart can't do anything else but melt when you see Jeremy Affeldt's little boy popping out of the garage when he comes home. You cheer him on every time Pablo the Panda smacks a home run or tackles that hill outside of Tempe Arizona, where he trained in the off-season to ensure his comeback. You think "man, no one deserves an All-Star nomination more than Vogey" when you hear Ryan Vogelsong's long road to greatness. And you gape openly at Brian Wilson showing up to the ESPYs in that very famous penguin-esque spandex tuxedo, complete with a cougar cane.
Some shots from the show's site...
Tim Lincecum on Opening Night, flaunting his new bling
The Most Interesting Closer in the World, Brian Wilson
Kung-Fu Panda!
The other show filling the void that Camelot has left? None other than another project from Starz, Torchwood: Miracle Day! This is the fourth in a very successful spin-off series from the zany Doctor Who and reads like a more modern, faster-paced incarnation of The X-Files. Now I haven't always been into science fiction - I grew up as a fantasy dork - but I'm starting to figure out fantasy and sci-fi are ultimately the same thing. Yay, just 17 years late!
Not only is it nice to see Mekhi Phifer back in action but I am totally in love with Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper. Myles plays one hell of a mother...
I wonder if baby will remember any of this...
image from culthub.com
I love this new series but it sort of reminds me of that floundering Flash Forward series by ABC... but this one's better. And Joseph Fiennes is definitely better suited as Merlin than Mark Benford.
As always, a big thanks to my landlords, who graciously include free satellite TV in my rent. They also gave me some key lime pie, which I absolutely adore.
Took Oddjob to the aforementioned Peruvian Food Festival at the Civic Center Plaza and had a blast! My mission: to get Oddjob to try as many new foods as possible!
First up... anticuchos!
I waiter until after Oddjob had finished hers and given the thumbs up
before disclosing that she had just eaten a cow's heart.
Haha, evil sister!
Next, beef empanadas from The Empanadero Factory!
Oddjob's favorite of the day!
Squeeze that lime into the filling, it is divine!
After walking around a bit and drinking some chicha morada, returned to the tail of the festival for aji de gallina!
Shredded chicken and potatoes in a creamy pepper sauce?
Who can resist?
After eating these three in quick succession, we decided to walk around a bit and take in the sights and music. Here, the most popular guy at the beer garden!
why so lonely?
I thought the musical entertainment was pretty fun... on the Larkin side there was a DJ playing all the hot reggaeton beats. The Polk Street stage, right in front of City Hall, showcased local bands... even the MC got in on the fun while between acts!
These ladies show their pride for Peru
and their support for the MC's mad karaoke skills.
In true Peruvian style, this lovely band charmed this woman to come closer.
See that tyke with the orange stick? He stole the show with his percussion!
Oddjob claimed to be stuffed but couldn't resist dancing without my encouragement - or a most comely dessert: gelatinas!
sunflower power
Needless to say, the lines for pollo a la brasa and lomo saltado were sprawling all over the plaza. I consoled myself by remembering that Oddjob had already enjoyed these delicacies at Limón Rotisserie and that we succeeded in getting Oddjob to try new food!
If you don't have plans, I invite you all to join me as I take Oddjob to the 3rd Annual Peruvian Food Festival at the Civic Center, form 10AM to 7PM. I browsed the vendors for this year's exhibition and saw lomo saltado (beef and potatoes in a nice salty savory sauce,) aji de gallina (chicken in a great light pepper sauce,) and lots of other tasty treats... do not pass up the showstopping choclo!
choclo, the Peruvian word for "corn"
I believe I quite literally stumbled across this festival last year after brunch and all I thought was "dang, that huge corn looks good!" And then I actually went to Peru and ate some choclo - usually served with a slice of cheese by a nice short lady waiting outside of your tour bus around Cuzco. I cannot pass up this opportunity to make Oddjob's summer the best yet by having her samples tastes from the best food in the world.
for Wednesday dinner, I revisited a lovely little pizza place in Glen Park... Gialina! It just so happens that this little establishment serves up my very favorite pizza stateside.
One of my favorites is the amatriciana: spicy tomato-chilli sauce and pancetta topped by a glorious egg that cooks on the hot pizza pie as it is served. Fantastic.
This time Cabbage had a hankering for potatoes (see why we're friends?) so we decided on the Yukon Gold potato pizza with bacon (yes!) red onions, and gorgonzola cheese. We had no problem finishing this pizza over some much-needed girltime... in fact, we were nearly done before I remembered to photograph our food...
we just can't keep our hands off it!
It's more like photographing an accomplishment at this point.
traffic, Muni, and this new bout of allergies... "delay" is the story of my life!
So back to what I did on WEDNESDAY... at work, Bunny and Speedy raved about the papaya salad at Perilla on Mission Street:
papaya salad with poached beef. Also has basil, carrots, peanuts, little fried shallots,
and of course, papaya (the white stuff that looks like short noodles)
mix with tangy nuoc mam dressing and enjoy!
I was surprised by the papaya... not that it was there (after all, it is a papaya salad) but by how well it replaced noodles. I guess I'm stuck on noodles right now... not only was the papaya a great alternative, but the beef was very tender and the fried shallots (fancy onions) made everything seem much more expensive than it was. Top notch lunch food for less than $10!
Just be sure to eat your food ASAP... if you let it sit for a bit while you go to the ATM, the papaya loses its crunch power.
Last night I found Turbo Jam to be a lot more taxing than I thought so tonight I turned to my Dancing with the Stars Cardio DVD:
Cheryl and Maks are so much nicer on the DVD!
Very proud to say that I complete all four dance programs tonight! This is my second day of getting back to exercise - which as you all know is always easier than the first - but perhaps this also goes to show the extent of intensity in Chalene's Turbo Jam and the accessibility of DWTS. Oh, and each dance program is just 10 minutes long.
I must say that it doesn't feel so bad to exercise now... I'm feeling okay with this much more quickly than I thought I would but there is something really nice about stepping out of the shower feeling super-refreshed because I had something to really wash off!
but I'm finally starting everyone's favorite resolution: exercising!
People who know me know that I'm not a fan of the e-word... I don't like to sweat, I don't relish the idea of sweating and working out in a gym in front of strangers, and I'd like to think that I can maintain a healthy body by just eating balanced meals and walking... the thing is, even the "good stuff" stateside isn't really that good for you with all the weird chemicals and genetically modified junk goin' on. Not that I'm a fan of healthy-food-super-fiber-granola-organic diets (surprise!) but organic is normal abroad. So when I pig out on potatoes and cream sauces and pork in Europe or South America, I actually lose weight. But when I munch my way around here, there's always some level of processed (fake) sugar and funky -oxides and -iums in the food.
Also, I don't walk around here nearly as much as your average French woman walks around Paris.
So I decided that maybe I should return to those cheesy work-out DVDs I got a few years ago... back when I did a program almost daily, I found that I could eat anything I want and keep a very happy 28-inch waist... I am very proud to say that when I gained 11 pounds on an Alaskan cruise vacation, following my DVDs shed those 11 and a little more. That is the exercise regimen for me!
So finally after months of forgetting, I remembered to pick up the spare DVD player from Mumsy's house. And now I have everything I need to begin...
the DVD player! Also plays VHS!
on top are the Turbo Jam DVDs my mom or brother got and the Dancing with the Stars cardio DVDs I bought
it's been a long time, Chalene...
Damn, it's been over a year since I put one of these in... here we go!
So I started off the weekend by joining some friends at the rum-enthusiast bar Smuggler's Cove, on Gough Street... this awesome joint recognizes the tumultuous history of rum and boasts over 100 different kinds of the liquor, using them to serve up tasty recipes from all over the Caribbean. I was thrilled that my friends loved this place so much... I've only been there once before but that might change...
drinks to make a swashbuckler proud
Then hopped off to see Part 2 - the end - of the Harry Potter saga. Not too many alterations to the book this time, and I liked the differences they chose to use. Watchout for Professor McGonagall because she can teach all those models a lesson in fierce. I'm also a fan of the casting choice for young Severus Snape:
Benedict Clarke as Severus Snape
image courtesy of fanpop.com
The young lad is Benedict Clarke. I'm not sure if this was intentional but I totally thought he looked like a baby Edward Scissorhands.
Johnny Depp as Edward Scissorhands
The next day I was supposed to bring my ever-popular whoopie pies to a friend's BBQ but something went horribly wrong... the graham cracker whoopies came out too thin and fragile, which means that the batter was too thin... and no, I never have time to do a second batch.
So after hearing from Bunny how I have to try this new bakery near my house, I hopped over to Devil's Teeth Bakery on Noriega Street... I appreciate the clean, no-frills look of the place. I get enough pink from Kara's...
Anyways, service was a little slow (the girls here look really young) but friendly. And thanks to their Lemon Bars and Raspberry Bars, Devil's Teeth saved my life!
party time!
I'm really beginning to take a shine to oatmeal in sweets... but only in sweets! Also picked up one for the road...
busy driving, so I took a picture of the bottom of this brownie
Today got Mumsy to touch up the roots of my hair and stuffed myself silly with potato pancakes... also found that Johnny Cat, who used to live on the streets and once had a waist you could circle with your hand, is really softening up... his bites are now playbites and he lets me pet him for long periods of bliss.
one sweet cat
Came home in time for a rerun of the Simpsons episode "Homer Scissorhands..." didn't I just see his doppelganger a few days ago?
After stuffing ourselves silly with pulled pork, Sangria and I headed over to Baker Beach so she could practice shooting with her new camera... she's been taking some photography classes and wanted to test out her newfound knowledge. For one, she said that the best time to take photos is around sunrise and sunset so you don't overexpose, um, things.
Me? I was just along for the ride with my old camera and amateur picture-taking...
Glad we took advantage of this skeleton hut when we did.
By the time we headed back, the hovel had toppled.
beyond the first range of rocks... looks like a private cove!
the biggest wave I could get.
As Sangria says, it's all about timing.
A little windy but not as cold as you'd expect tonight. Not bad for a Thursday night!
