BFFs

Who gets to babysit Lulu the 30+ lb. Beagle mix over Thanksgiving weekend?

I do! Soleil and Lulu are total BFFs... after all, they're the about same age. They can't stop playing with each other or stealing treats.

Jesusbread

It's been years snce I last ventured into a Whole Foods grocery store... past adventures usually involved my militantly vegan friend from high school. But after salsa class I followed my co-workers inside and found this:

I call it Jesusbread and I consider it essential for any Biblical reenactment.

As one co-worker and salsa aficionado noted, this is the sort of thing people move to this country to get away from.

Source did it before it was cool

I finally gave in and tried a homemade twinkie from Source, a concept restaurant in Potrero Hill focused on vegetarian food, holistic rhetoric, and some things beyond my understanding. Once you get past the laughable talk about geometric shapes attuned to your body, you'll see that the food is actually really good.
And yes, the homemade twinkies are excellent!

laughing with an accent

Last night Tater and I made an emergency trip down to San Jose's hp pavilion to see Russell Peters, stand-up comedian extraordinaire and the best impressionist at diverse accents. I credit him with making it comfortable for me to talk about race... and for some of the funniest takes on Asian accents in America. Peters' Notorious tour features all new material but this t-shirt features one of his classic - and my absolute favorite - bit:

zumba

I finally put that $5 voucher to good use and tried out the 75-minute zumba class at Metronome Collective. In my head I used to make fun of zumba, haughtily assuming it was the unwanted love child of samba and tai bo  that has captured the secret desires of housewives across America to shake it like Dirty Dancing.

After sweating so much my face was just about crusted in salt and considering leaving the class multiple times, I vow to never poke fun at zumba again! That stuff is seriously hard! I stumbled through the choreography... it's as if all those Latin and ballroom dancing classes and all those hours spent with my workout DVDs never happened! As many well-endowed cougars and openly hungover students breezed through the dance, I played the fool as I jumped and lunged in the wrong direction. Granted, I believe that zumba is easier if you know the teacher's choreography and style but this was definitely the most difficult first class I've ever been in.

My legs were so tired I decided to rest before driving... didn't want to risk an accident because my legs were the victims of zumba. When I was finally confident in my ability to apply the brakes, I drove to Carl's Jr. I don't eat fast food a lot but when I do, I make it worthy occasion.

Pigging out on a guacamole bacon burger combo...
with very little guacamole.

What are these tater tots doing in my fries?

For now, I'll stick to salsa so I can feel like I'm accomplishing something.

animal crossing

If only they lived in houses decorated with odds and ends salvaged from town!

The story of Soleil and Jackie has been mildly entertaining these past few days...

Soleil is very intrigued by and very scared of Jackie.

Jackie does not share these sentiments, all she wants to do is sniff out her surroundings, sleep, and eat in peace.

Jackie craves solitude so much she has taken to facing the wall.

But that doesn't mean that Soleil has given up on getting closer to the mustachioed cat.

Something like that. I'm sure Jackie thinks Soleil is a stalker.

the difference

I baked my usual chocolate on chocolate whoopie pies... but added rainbow sprinkles for the potluck at work! Now I can finally wear clothes that match my food!

Must improve on the purple sprinkles because that color does not pop against brown. Good to know for food decorating and human dressing purposes.

a grand day in yogurt-human relations

After switching locations and forgetting which phone number I had used before, I finally accrued $50 of yogurt receipts on a songle account at the same location. And I've been rewarded with a $5 credit for more yogurt!

Fellow customers take note: Yoppi locations do not share information so you can't buy yogurt in two stores and expect to see your hard work on a single account. Also choose a single phone number and stick with it instead of waffling between your work and mobile numbers. Just do it!

fight the chills with beef

It's finally getting cold in San Francisco, and that means one thing for my kitchen: it's beouf bourguignon season.

bring it on, wintertime!

I am proud to say that I can now make this without propping open the December 2010 issue of Martha Stewart Living!

kitty love

If the blissful catnip flavor worked for Johnny, then it would work for Hitler Jackie, right?

She bites... but does it work?

Nope, she's hissing as much as ever.

historic reenactment

I am catsitting Tater's unique cat Jackie for a week. I say "unique" because she is a calico that sort of looks like Harvey Two-Face Dent. She likes to smell and hiss at me at the same time. And she has a distinct Hitler mustache.

Girl with a 'stache. Watchout world!

So Jackie has been hesitant to explore my place but last night she finally ventured out from beneath the sofa. She claimed this pillow the way Hitler claimed Czechslovakia. She hops around my coffee table as if it were fellow Deutsch-speaking Austria. She is preparing fo dominate the world.

I'm not sure how she sees me but I hope I'm not her Poland.

Jackie already has a minion... my cat flashlight.

Scary eyes of doom!

care package

She pretty much only has to feed herself and Johnny Cat these days but my dear mumsy is still cooking like she's feeding an army. This is my care package:

get your vote on!

California, you have just over an hour left!

a not-so-angry but definitely belated Halloween

In light of the Giants parade, the president of my work judiciously moved back our first ever Halloween party to today. It was nice to see everyone smiling and dressed up, and I think it was enjoyable even for those who didn't dress up. We had a department of purple fairies, part of the Avengers team, Psy of gangnam style fame, and a flock of angry birds and pigs.

Did you say Angry Birds?

The crazy and extra angry explosive black bird in the center? That's me!
Everyone else is a co-worker and they are beautiful people,
I'm just giving them some privacy.
I'm sure this looks pretty weird...
This photo taken by a friend.

Going birdy with temporary tattoos...
here we have a pimp bird and his two pregnant chickens!

tough pigs meet tough birds

tons of biodegradable confetti

Kudos to the City and County of San Francisco for the great organization of yesterday's victory parade.

Neat lines, jumbotrons T Civic Center, confetti canons... there's nothing like the first bit this time around the parade was much less chaotic.

Thanks to Speedy, the greatest Giants fan I know, we nabbed a great vanatge point for the parade. We saw everything... the trophy, the players, and all the fun fluff. I even caught a Levi's t-shirt and saw one of the most recognizable ushers, Bernice. The darling woman didn't see anyone as she was talking on her phone on top of a bus but I knew it was her.

One more thing: Panda rocked orange pants!

Bernice on her phone,
probably calling her family...
"I'm in the parade!"

Buster and wifey...
but no twins! :(

Panda's car was last and they moved along too briskly...
but the pants are orange!

Bochy and trophy

don't rain on the parade

After the Giants win the World Series, after persuading the bigwigs at work to move the Halloween party to Thursday so people could enjoy the parade, after distributing Angry Birds costumes and sipping on good old iced tea, I thought, "Nothing will ruin this day."

Oops.

For the past two weeks, a couple of friends and I have been taking salsa classes at Metronome Collective on Monday nights. Yes, I even went to class during the post-season games but we won both Monday games! Anyways, we three were looking forward to what would've been our third class.

Then we were informed by the gracious owner of the location that our teachers were out and the substitute hadn't showed. This mystery teacher did not turn up at all, at least for the 15 minutes we waited. The owner of Metronome Collective offered us coupons and apologized for the no-show. We all ended up going home with nothing to show for tbe night other than bellies full of Mexican food. And I really wanted to shake my tail feathers, especially since I had no part whatsoever in those crazy Mission riots.

Soleil was thrilled I came home early. We still have half our our groupon thing to go but I'm going to request that the teachers set up an e-mail list so we know whether or not they will be there, and possibly the contact for any substitutes that may be thrown my way.

Let's do it again? Done!

Buster Posey home run + Blanco and Pagan catch everything + Cain's dominant pitching + Affeldt strikes out 4 in the relief + Theriot finally gets a base hit + Crawford's sac bunt + ever-dependable Scutaro gets a base hit and RBI + Sergio Romo strikes out Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera = World Series title No. 2 for the best team for the best city and the best fans, the San Francisco Giants! And all done in a SWEEP!
Long formula, I know, but Civic Center is still popping with cars honking and people yelling and awesome tricked-out orange motorcycles. It's a warm night and I already know a lot of people are calling in sick tomorrow.

Huzzah!

Parade to follow this Wednesday on Halloween Day!

Giants and crustaceans

Midway through our shopping escapade, Tater and I started looking for a restaurant that was showing Game 3. Our first try was Social on 9th Avenue but about half the tables were reserved. And empty. I asked the hostess how long she would be holding the tables for the reservation, to which she replied, " They're already here, I'm going to seat them soon." Then she began calling the tardy customers, informing them that their tables were ready.

Not wanting to wait around while a lying hostess refused to seat paying customers who were already here, we walked up a few doors and found Craw Station, a small restaurant similar to Boiling Crab. Butcher paper on the tables? Check. Shrimp and clams by the pound? Check. Garlic butter and house cajun sauces? Check. A TV showing the game? Check! Well, that last one came after I asked the waitress to show the game instead of music videos but she was very obliging. And once the game was on, tons more customers started flowing in.

Score for Tater and I for grabbing a table right in front of the tv!

We got a Dungeness crab covered in garlic butter and a pound each of large shrimp and clams, both covered in cajun sauce. Everything was hot, tender, and delicious. I resolved not to be too messy but a few shrimp got their revenge by squirting me when I twisted off the head.

We so got white rice (to soak up the sauce) and cajun fries, which came with some ketchup doctored with something spicy. The entire meal was enjoyable, the service friendly, and the beer cold. And you know what? Cracking crab legs while watching a Giants double play certainly beats waiting an hour for a table at Social.

ending a shopping day with a Sergio Romo strikeout

Go Giants! One win away!

Before all of that wonderfulness happened, Tater and I were busy on our long-awaited shopping trip. We hit up the brand new Uniqlo and City Target, quirky Ambiance, and recently remodeled and 20%-off-everything Old Navy. And before that, Mumsy and I paid a visit to the Petco Unleased at Westlake. Soleil loves her new Angry Birds toy, and I love all of the investments I acquired.

L: Angry Birds two-headed squeaky toy
R: polka-dotted jeans and tights from Old Navy

adorable navy lace cutout dress from Ambiance

super bright and lightweight water-repellent yellow jacket from Uniqlo
with a generous hood and length.
The downside about Uniqlo is that all the cool colors and styles
are in the men's section.
This is a men's style jacket, but I don't care.
It was only $40 (regularly $80.)

Ad yes, just as Tater and I wound down with a drink at the Pied Piper Bar in the Palace Hotel, we witnessed Gregor Blanco make yet another amazing catch and Sergio Romo close out yet another game. We are one step away, Giants, but how many tries will it take us?

Just in time for Halloween

I kid you not! Final Jeopardy of the day:

Category: 21st Century Games

The villains in this game were inspired by the swine flu epidemic scare.

None of the geniuses on the show got it but I knew straightaway... WHAT IS ANGRY BIRDS?

And as the universe (or multiverse, whatever) would have it, Alex Trebek read the correct question just as I was opening a box full of Halloween costumes. Guess what some choice friends and I are dressing up as!

CAW!