it's tradition

For the past three years my baseball gang has just happened to choose Irish Heritage night for a June game at AT&T Park. The first year it just happened. The second year we were gunning (and got) a Brian Wilson Chia Pet. And this time? We were just looking for a game with cheap tickets on stubhub. Lo and behold, it's our third consecutive year at Irish Heritage night! Bring on the Riverdance and blonde children!

Besides the recurring Irish phenomenon, tonight's game was fun (so long as you're a Giants fan.) A few errors here and there made no difference. Starter Madison Bumgarner started the inning off strong with three strikeouts and continued to rack up the Ks. He also scored the first run for the Giants by means of a crowd-rousing solo home run. That must've shaken up Astros starter Bud Norris but you know what? I'll take another one of those anyday, Madison!

Bumgarner's home run was followed by a series of base hits that brought the Giants some insurance runs. We enjoyed all of this from our spiffy Arcade seats (though it was very windy that night!)

Madison struck out twelve! Then Sergio Romo took to the mound and added one more K to the wall...

You know what 13 Ks mean!

Free sausage!

Unfortunately, tonight's lucky level was the Club Level. Call me crazy but if you have the money to spend on club level seats, then you probably don't need free sausage.

Despite the sausage gaffe, things continued to turn up for the Giants as Brandon Belt scored his first splash hit with a mighty home run that soared over right field. My anemic Giants ended up winning with a jaw-dropping six runs!

Every birthday game should be like this!

can't get enough cuteness

A few cute things I've picked up for myself...

First it was ice cream, then the whoopie pies I've been baking for about two years. Now I'm not saying that I'll never make these again - we're having an unusual spell of sunny weather that's just begging me to whip out the old ice cream maker - but I have found a new book full of cute and saccharine things to make...

MARSHMALLOWS! I always find the cutest little one-hit wonder cookbooks on fredflare.com.

All I need is a candy thermometer and I'm good to go. Look out for these puffed up creations soon!

On another cute note, I've been eyeing this bag from Loungefly. It's covered in gnomes, squirrels, tulips, and mushrooms and quite honestly, it garners more compliments than my Valentino.

Oh look, Loungefly is offering 20% off when you enter the promotional code "summer12" at checkout!

Kitschy cuteness galore! Remember to stick to your personal style!

eat and enjoy

Presently you may find two options for ice cream in Golden Gate Park. The first I found is this Twirl and Dip truck parked at Martin Luther King Jr. Drive by Music Concourse Drive (where the Academy of Sciences and the de Yound Museum are.)

A most delectable menu...

My sweet of the day: vanilla soft-serve with toffee and sea salt in a Tcho chocolate shell... mmm!

I am in love with this combination... Sweet and salty and just the right amount of chocolate!

Further down Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, just west of Crossover Drive/19th Avenue, is a very small ice cream stand where an adorable girl serves up her homemade flavors inspired by a term abroad in France and Belgium... until she hears that most-wanted call, this is her job to her family!

I loved the slight nutty taste of the lyonnaise pink praline ganache... so girly yet no hint of strawberry.

A friend holds the vanilla and my speculoos stroopwafel... you think I'd walk away with just one?

Speculoos is a gingerbread-ish cookie dough that's popular in Belgium, according to the ice cream girl. It's quite delicious and not overly gingerbread-y (not too Christmas-y.) Fans of the dough can find chocolate bars at Trader Joe's filled with this speculoos spread. I say try it anyway you can, whether it's from TJ's or the littlest ice cream stand that could.

gotta love that engrish

Dollar store, oh dollar store, how does your translation go?

First, let me call you the dollar-fifty store. Second, if you are everyone's favorite "dollar store" Daiso, then the translation is enjoyably awkward.

Stella's story:
Her name is Stella. She is very popular with the boys,
though very stylish and selfish.

Oh that Stella!

No translation needed for these ingenious "leg-lengtheners!"

meet nana

I don't want to ruin the whole shebang, so I'll limit myself to one photo from the exhibit "The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Catwalk to the Sidewalk" at the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park:

a wedding dress!
From the Sirens collection

From the iconic bustier made popular by Madonna to cutting-edge fashion that combines grit and glam to the costumes from the movie The Fifth Element... it's all here, and it's all JPG. Try to resist staring at just the amazing dresses and read the short quips posted on the walls... Gaultier's gorgeously creative looks are almost as groundbreaking as his philosophy on female sexuality and the blurring of the line between masculinity and femininity.

Don't miss Jean's very first bustier, created in his childhood!

off the list

For me, Limón Rotisserie has been in a sort of downward spiral. It was already a big disappointment when they changed the dumpling-shaped tacu-tacu to a bowl of fried rice. And now the bastion of Peruvian cuisine doesn't serve chicha morada!

Every basic pollería in Peru serves the purple corn drink of the gods. Even street carts in Peru serve chicha morada! For crying out loud, establishments without cups serve chicha morada in plastic bags!

portable chicha morada from Iquitos, Peru

The chicken is still great at Limón Rotisserie but not serving chicha morada? You might as well spray paint all over Machu Picchu!

I still have some chicha-flavored Tang I picked up in Lima in January... these will have to do for now.

think of this as my patch

coming out on top

I try to keep things positive on this blog but sometimes life warrants a little acknowledgement of the unwanted.

Take these super-vague horoscopes from last week:

Thursday June 7 (upper): You could be irritated by a personal matter.
Calm down, and know that the presently difficult situation
will work out in your favor.
Friday June 8 (lower): You seem to be on top of the world right now.
It's as if you see many light-years ahead of the here and now.

Oh Jacqueline Bigar, sometimes you are just too uncanny! Last Thursday my (now ex-) boyfriend announced he was breaking up with me so he could run off and join the circus / get abducted by aliens / save the dinosaurs. Well, not really, but he might as well have said any or all of the above because the real "reason" was just as out of the blue... unfortunately, his "reason" makes less sense than saving the dinosaurs. But you must let people make their own mistakes.

After a bit of thinking and even less crying, the whole fiasco left me more slackjawed than sad. It's been four fun and happy months cut short by a brainfart but I can rest easy knowing that this happened now, not later. And I can return to being single me!

Now I don't usually like to read into real omens but when he broke my llama magnet, I should've known!

I'll make you as right as rain, mi llamita!

burgerlicious

After 2 delicious Fridays from Ziggy's Burgers, it was tough not to return for a third!

The South of the Border burger combines the usual suspects of Mexican-influenced flavors with a few California-style twists (paper-thin sliced radishes, anyone?) Do you know what makes the roasted poblano peppers and queso fresco taste better? The crunchy bun and the chorizo patty. Little bits of chorizo sausage are integrated into the beef and it makes for an outstanding patty. I loved this burger from first bite to last.

The garlic fries are pretty awesome, too, and not overwhelmed by grease and parsley the way they are at the ballpark.

As much as I enjoyed the South of the Border burger, I knew I had to try at least one other offering at Ziggy's. Blame it on the goat cheese croquette, the crown jewel in the Cal Burger. This warm little piece of heaven gave the burger a nice tangy element and offset the smooth savory-ness of the avocado and artichoke tapenade perfectly. The chorizo patty is only offered with the South of the Border burger but eating the Cal Burger allowed me to taste a "regular" beef patty. I'm happy to report that the beef patties at Ziggy's (cooked medium rare) are tender and juicy. You can tell that the guys here use a good quality beef for their patties.

It's nice to have found a great burger place, even if it's a bit of a walk from my office. Looking over their menu on menupages.com, the great debate is which sandwich to order next: the Chimichurri or the Caribbean?

dog days

My mom lives in her very own animal house. Here's the story:

1. Oddjob has a dog named Lulu (formerly Lola.) Really, my dad and his wife have a dog, and sometimes Oddjob walks her. No matter, Popsy, Oddjob, and family needed a dogsitter for their vacation. Mumsy volunteered.

2. Mumsy just acquired a dog of her own less than two weeks ago.

3. Mumsy already has two cats roaming around the house: Johnny "Mochiball" Cat and visiting cat Beefy.

So for about a week, she has never been alone! Some snapshots of Lulu's meeting with the others and playtime between Lulu and Soleil...

Lulu meets Beefy and Oddjob is delighted...

Soleil enjoying the sunshine...

... and dragging all her toys outside to join her.

Johnny and Beefy survey the doggone scene...

Mochiball is not happy!

The two dogs looking up at me on the deck...

Chow time for Beefy...

The girls play-bicker over a bone...

We haven't had four animals in the house (counting the visiting cat Beefy) for quite a while. Mumsy is finally remembering why we didn't want that many pets again.

new view

Muddy is moving away and we can't stop him (or haven't lashed him to a couch yet) so I decided to treat him to his last ballgame at AT&T Park on Tuesday's match against the Diamondbacks. Instead of the usual View Reserve seats on the top deck, I tried seats in a different area of the ballpark. I was thrilled with the view from these arcade seats, as you can tell...

Pre-game, the Coors Deck next to section 145 is pretty empty. The deck has fancy seats and heaters to keep people warm.

Even with my six year-old camera, I was able to get a few nice shots of Buster Posey stretching. That is how close I am!

I'm even closer to outfielder Gregor Blanco, who started out in right field that night. He ended up tossing a ball into the section I was sitting in, but due to my miscalculation and hands full of hot chocolate, neither I nor Muddy ended up with the ball. Maybe next time!

Buster at bat!

Vogelsong nabbed quite a few strikeouts.

Melky added two hits that night and ended up beating Willie Mays' record for the most hits by a Giant in May!

Giants ended up winning 3-1, I found a fabulous new place to watch games, and Muddy got a kick out of almost getting a game-used ball... If only I wasn't in the way!

her favorite place

After completing her first year of law school, Cabbage came up to unwind at her favorite place: Triple Rock Brewery on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley. The brew of choice? Thursday-only's Monkey Head Arboreal Ale. At just $9 per liter, they're prefect for sharing... because sharing is caring!

The potency of the super-beer and the petite glasses bring back memories of jungle beer in the Amazon... what can I say? I'm in a jungle mood.

A few fun sidenotes:

• Triple Rock was established in 1986. That makes the pub as old as Cabbage and I. (Unfortunately Super Mario Bros. precedes me by two years and The Legend of Zelda by one.)
• Both the Golden Gate Bridge and Krispy Kreme Donuts were "born" in 1937, so they too share a birth year. Happy 75th to both!

the other sun

After nearly burning her retinas, Mumsy proceeded to secure a dog to fill the empty space that Johnny "Mochiball" Cat doesn't fill. He looks irresistible with his shiny coat and surplus jigglyness but trust me, he can resist humans.

a hungry love...

So Mumsy decided that even though Johnny is quite precious in his own way, she wanted something she could cuddle every night. After stalking the SPCA's website and hunting on craigslist, she finally settled on one lovely pooch.

Meet Soleil Bambi, a 1 year-old girl of unknown breed with the most beautiful golden eyes and coat. She's energetic and can jump like a cat and so far, has no qualms about showing us her affectionate side during her first hours with us.

Soleil loves nothing more than to lick my face and scratch my chest.
Ouch, girl.

She was formerly known as Sparkle for her eyes but I found the name a bit out of place for our family. I proposed that we pick a "sun" name since we got her on the day of the infamous annular solar eclipse. Mumsy picked the French word for sun, soleil. Mumsy also ended up christening Soleil with her first nickname, Bambi, for her penchant for leaping around. Given Soleil's adorable face and her happy and adoring personality, I'm sure that many more nicknames will pop up in no time.

By the way, Johnny Cat is quite territorial and hasn't let up on his "growling" whenever he sees Soleil. In return, Soleil barks at the Mochiball on sight. These two have a lot of sharing to do!

what not to do: solar eclipse

As Mumsy and I drove around this afternoon, we saw lots of people gathering outside to try and watch the annular solar eclipse. Some experts had telescopes (hope they used a solar filter.) Others went low-tech with colanders on garage doors or homemade pinhole cameras taller than the children looking into the box.

And then there's my mom, who thinks that wearing two pairs of sunglasses will allow her to safely view the eclipse.

Ingenious?

She never listens to me. And I love her, but not for that.

p-p-p-panda!

Last Wednesday was Carnaval at AT&T Park and they could not have picked a foggier, windier, chillier night for this special event... but I have to give props to the Queen of Carnaval, who fearlessly samba-d in her bedazzled bikini despite the weather. Now if only the Giants had brought the same fierceness to the ballfield...

The Carnaval dancers and band played outside the Marina Gate...

... and right before the game.

But all is well because I have a new Chia Pet! Unfortunately it doesn't really resemble his panda daddy but this is a real Chia Pet, made of absorbent Terra Cotta. Maybe this time I can actually watch it grow (ahem Brian Wilson!)

my new favorite store

You may have noticed that when it comes to frequenting large retailers, I'm a bit sheltered. As it turns out I recently found my way into another fun store, namely Cost Plus World Market. And now I want to live there.

Cost Plus World Market's colorful globe-trotting style reminds me of Pier 1 Imports, except that Cost Plus doesn't push customers to sign up for a credit card. In addition, Cost Plus shows an extensive kitchen collection, giftwrap supplies with prints worthy of Crowded Teeth and Loyal Army, and a fun selection of quirky candy and foodstuffs sourced from all around the world. This is my new go-to store for almost everything (fresh food still needs to come from a proper supermarket or greengrocer, for now...)

Check out this unassuming vase in the likeness of a brown paper bag:

The sassy vase elevates a simple bouquet of tulips to a gift worthy of Tater's graduation ceremony (she got her Masters in Social Work, bless her heart.)

Just today I returned to use my first 10% coupon and snag these ceramic milk bottle vases for myself. The clean lines and modern white can blend with anyone's aesthetic but I picked these for the kitschy design concept.

After passing through the candy aisle, I couldn't resist this Super Mario 1-Up mushroom tin full of sour candy. But the Hello Kitty candy dispenser is purely functional: it's a fully-functioning electric fan!

grrrits!

Beachside Cafe is one of my favorite places for afternoon brunch thanks to its proximity, price point, and palate-pleasing properties. I've never ordered bad food there!

Take this Country Boy breakfast: fried eggs and homemade sausage top a heaping pile of cheesy grits. The grits were warm and the sausage was very herby... you could tell that someone took a lot of time making that little porker.

But this time I actually thought of something to complain about, yet I kept it to myself... there's too much grits! This cornmeal mass is very filling and the serving size pretty much overwhelmed me. I'm not a fan of wasting food so I tried very hard to finish my plate but I had to concede defeat to the glorified corn bits and leave a handful in the bowl. Those grits took me down!

party of crazies

It finally happened.

Last Saturday, at the Fox Theater in Oakland... I finally got to see Calle 13 live!

photo taken by my guy... with his super smartphone!
Let's face it: I need a new camera.

The set drew mostly from their newest album Entren los que quieren (enter those who want to) but a few older songs slipped into the night. Hearing "No hay nadie como tú" (there is no one like you) straight from Residente's mouth was an otherworldy experience. The band was jammin' hard, Residente and PG-13 were jumping all over the stage, and Visitante kept whipping out psychedelic accordion after another. Residente and PG-13 have un montón of energy and put on a fantastic show of Spanish-language genre-melting fun.

Once the music started, there was no way I was leaving my perch... which meant that my very gracious Guy and his friend were getting me drinks from the bar. They knew how long I had been waiting for this show, but it never hurts to say it again, so Thank you D & G (not Dolce & Gabbana.)

And of course, big thanks to Calle 13 for returning to the Bay Area so I could have another chance at seeing them!

bamboo 2

Last week I completed the tour of Bamboo Asia on Montgomery Street and visited the Japan counter when the line was short. This is the Dynamite Roll, which already stands at the bargain of 10 pieces for $8. The roll is made to order and packed with fresh salmon, crab, avocado, smelt roe, and a touch of mango. Definitely not your traditional sushi but it's also definitely savory and cheap. This lunch - which comes packaged in biodegradable containers - fills you up without stuffing you.

After tasting dishes from all three of the counters at Bamboo Asia, I've concluded that the Vietnam and Japan bars are downright delicious. Hey, two out of three ain't bad!

don't rupologize!

Big congratulations to Sharon Needles, the winner of Season 4 of RuPaul's Drag Race and the first ever winner where the American public had a say in the final decision!

image courtesy of google image search

This was one of the funner reunion shows... Latrice Royale won Miss Congeniality (as if she wouldn't!) and the insanely gorgeous yet insanely annoying Willem redeemed herself by coining the word "rupologize." Charo made an appearance to "translate" for little Kenya Michaels and Phi Phi O'Hara actually apologized. Sort of.

RuPaul's Drag U starts in just one month but I can't wait for Season 5 of the Drag Race! There's no television program more fabulous than a weekly date with RuPaul!