Ü Would Think So

February 28, 2006

Que j'aime les francais

Once upon a time, a lovely French couple came to town, we had lots of fun, and then they left. But not before taking some fun photos of the locals. I would have completely forgotten about them had not yet another lovely French lass, previously unknown to me, arrived in San Francisco with a present. Voila.

Posted by Elizabeth at 9:27 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 2, 2006

More Sundance...

Somehow, all three of my major trips for work have taken me from the airport directly to liquor stores... but the body gets hungry, and so after stocking up from the miserable wine selection in SLF (for work, not me, clearly), Gary and I hit the Red Iguana. And ordered an almond mole so rich we couldn't finish it between the two of us.

Some of us watched Sam Shephard's Don't Come Knocking at the resort. Why is it that Sarah Polley always has the same look on her face in every film she's in?

Friday night we squeezed the entire 8+1 person staff into an SUV and drove an hour to Park City for the premiere of Alpha Dog. Which we then almost didn't get into due to oversold tickets and belligerent Sundancier-than-thou folks in the line... damn, people take their films SO seriously!

Here is the best of my Sundance paparazzi photographs.

What? You can't tell that those fuzzy shapes are in fact Emile Hirsch, [some guy,] Ben Foster, Anton Yelchin, Justin Timberlake, and director Nick Cassavetes?! Fair enough, my camera isn't the greatest, and I hadn't heard of any of them before. Except Justin, who did a little dance for the audience, yee haw! Everyone else was taking photos, so I felt I should too.

Movie stars are fun. Watching people who really love movie stars is even more entertaining (I should have worn bigger earrings). And I'm a bigger fan of the Utah scenery.

Posted by Elizabeth at 5:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 2, 2006

Merry Christmas, the Ark Departeth at 1:55pm

Somehow we pulled off an amazing feat at the U household: a rather traditional holiday season:
--All family members were present for multiple days on end, not only Christmas weekend but the weekends before AND after as well;
--A Christmas tree was procured, propped up in the living room, decorated, and eventurally stripped and removed from the premises without fuss.
--Everyone gave and received thoughtful, cool presents. Really!
--There were walks, even in the rain, and Adam's surfing habit provided a good excuse to get out to the beach to watch the sunset at least once (see below).
--Rotten persimmons were launched by all from the deck, with many actually hitting the targeted eucalyptus tree . Maybe that's not on anyone else's list of seasonal traditions, but we take rotten fruit launching very seriously in my family.
--We still didn't manage a traditional Christmas dinner, but we all did gather 'round for mom's Thai chicken curry.

I think the trick was having the requisite family meltdown relatively very early on in the process. That way, everyone got to vent their year's worth of gripes, and quickly move on to the fun stuff. I also highly recommend including non-family members--significant others and otherwise--as buffers to encourage best behavior. All joking aside, it's been a really fun couple of weeks.

***

Massive flooding may have stopped me from getting to Ethan's birthday dim sum lunch on Saturday, and various natural disasters (blizzards, mudslides, floods) did their best to stop Danny and the rest of the band from getting back from their gig in Reno. Fortunately, after only 10:15 on the road and many cell phone assisted visits to 511.org to help navigate the maze of closed roads, they arrived at the Sweetwater just in time for the New Year's party.

Off to Rio in a few hours, and the only way I could be more excited would have been if I'd slept at all the last couple of nights... Though there are scattered thundershowers in the forecast, the temperature is 80+ degrees, ahh! I'm still packing sunscreen. If, like me, you've planning to go, have never been before, and haven't memorized the Lonely Planet, this website is fun.

Posted by Elizabeth at 8:06 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 13, 2005

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

Feltron.com is back in fine form, Farmer Simon finds himself at a crossroads, and I am still recovering from the Conference-Plus-Staff-Retreat-Hotel-O-Rama in Boston last week.

For a few days I almost had myself convinced that all these years I've been sleeping 6-8 hours a night too many, but after several days in a row of hardly sleeping at all, I'm once again positive that down time in general is a very good thing. Case in point: I discovered these graphs a couple days ago and cannot fathom why I bothered to chart how many hours I had spent doing/wearing what, where, in the middle of the madness. Exhaustion-enduced insomnia, no doubt:

Back in SF, I find myself dodging comets with varying degrees of success. After he determined that I do in fact know what a blog is, The Tycoon (appearing nine years earlier than his previous elliptical pattern would have predicted) wondered aloud whether or not he should start one of his own. My immediate response was that he needs to stop thinking about the service he'd be doing to humanity by publishing his exploits on the web and accept blogging as a totally self-indulgent activity. This obviously says more about my attitude toward blogging than what a blog COULD be...

I feel moved to quote liberally from Farmer Simon, whom I hope to see in the next few days as he swings through SF:

...I find myself torn as to whether or not to continue this blog. I guess we could say that the blog is at a crossroads...if I continue, I may be further contributing to the immense amount of mediocre and trivial content on the internets. Ah fuck it, we must continue and in a few months if the content on this blog is completely boring at least there’ll be pictures of hot babes on the beach in Rio for you to look at.

Whether or not we manage to meet up in SF or Rio, I hope I'll be able to convince him he'll have much better things to do in Brazil than update his blog! I do suggest he keep up the culinary creativity, as evidenced by another sample from his blog:

Farmer Simon’s Eggplant (serves 2-3)

Start with one medium sized eggplant. Peel the eggplant, and then grate into a large bowl. Dust eggplant with a small handful of salt, toss with hands, cover and let sit for fifteen minutes. In the meantime chill an eight ounce glass of milk in the fridge for an equal amount of time. Remove eggplant and milk from fridge. Pour glass of milk on eggplant. Then crush three 200mg aspirin with mortar and pestle (or alternately in a coffee grinder or between a strong thumb and forefinger) and sprinkle on top. Brand name aspirin is preferred but you may also substitute Walgreens, CVS, or any other generic alternative. Serve immediately in small soup bowls.

***

I won't post the photos of Jon in his grass skirt and coconut bra, but here's a Halloween photo of Noah for all you adoring fans. Since Vinyl's 10/29 gig at the Sweetwater, there have been EIGHT hits to this blog from people who are searching for him. Amazing.

Posted by Elizabeth at 1:20 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

October 31, 2005

It's 2am on Halloween...

...and I'm still working away in my lovely Hyatt Regency Boston corner room with a bed that's wider than it is long.

The worst part about all of this is that I have to be up in less than 6 hours to put on the most ridiculous costume ever: a suit.

Argh.

Posted by Elizabeth at 11:10 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

October 24, 2005

Bonding, and Noah Waldman

My current diet consists of Throat Coat tea, Emer'gen-C packets, zinc lozenges, and various packaged soup products. Sick again, though I don't suspect it is because Mahea and I closed down The King Of Bonding's "Let's Totally Rage" party on Friday... this meant only that we were the last ones out the door, having decided against migrating with the rest of the ragers to Pink. In bed by midnight, phew. I've been awake only about 8 of the last 32 hours, and barely conscious at that.

Despite a request to have his nickname officially changed to Mr. Offer You Can't Refuse, TKOB is a much better acronym than MOYCR. And the pencils wouldn't be as appropriate anymore.

***

Finally, in the interest of giving people what they want, here's my latest favorite photo of Noah Waldman, taken at my office party. It amazes how many people find this blog because they are Googling him... He's a really sweet guy, great drummer, and very funny. He won't dance, but he will accept a last-minute invitations to go see musical events. Come to Swig on Thursday to see him play with the Du Uy Quintet.

But wait! There's more! Invite Noah into your home and he will attempt to fix your computer problems. What a gentleman!

Posted by Elizabeth at 3:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 9, 2005

What Were You Last Year?

Outfits in the Castro are often more interesting than those in other places, but things have stepped up a notch and it's clearly getting close to Halloween. As someone with no costume savvy whatsoever, I am relieved I'm going to be out of town for Halloween this year. Even though we had decided to stay in, Amanda saved the day last year; when the call came that the party crawl was going to pick us up in an hour, she managed to turn us into this angel/devil combo:

Rather than stress over costumes and fight for parking in my 'hood, I'm off to Boston for work on the 30th. If I do end up pulling myself away from setting up the conference to go out for Halloween, it will be because I've convinced this guy to go out with me... I'm also trying to talk him into lending me his uniform [barely resisting the urge to insert some kind of joke about how it would look better on the floor here, I think there's a rule about saying things like that about/to people you work with].

Speaking of Boston, the Rock Star arrives back from there tonight at some point. I think. I also think there's some rule against falling for traveling musicians.

Posted by Elizabeth at 9:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 6, 2005

California Dreaming

I've almost forgotten what it's like to be home, but I rediscovered some photos that prove I was there for at least a few days a couple weeks ago. (Still trying to be chronological, despite my desire to fast forward to the joys of arriving on Martha's Vineyard--for "work"--the day everyone else and their mother left.)

Now I remember that I went straight from the airport to Taqueria Cancun for Paul's birthday party:

Our apartment saw its biggest party yet, complete with an unexpected and record-breaking 7 person sleep-over. Funny that Amanda and I have been there more than a year, but it was Eliot's self-organized (and self-catered) birthday party that packed the place during his brief stay. Folks I hadn't seen in over 12 years: check. Bourbon consumed in quantity: check. Broken furniture: check. "My brother's wedding is going to be at your parents' house tomorrow?!" Check.

That Saturday was a banner day thanks to Mahea's great itinerary: farmers market; a hike/picnic/swim adventure to Bass Lake with soundtrack by Ibrahim (Danny was only an hour late to sound check); Mitchell's ice cream from the new corner coffee shop; grown men in diapers at "M"'s It's-Not-a-Baby-Shower-It's-Just-a-Party; dancing until the wee hours at Great American. Ah, San Francisco. Yes, I'm a little homesick.

Posted by Elizabeth at 7:48 PM | Comments (0)

July 19, 2005

We Are Family

One of the things that always fascinates and surprises me about getting together with lots of relatives is realizing that I'm not uniquely strange; I'm just a gene-carrying member of my family. I may even geek out LESS than many of my cousins, though it depends on what geeky topics we're talking about...

The weekend involved swimming, laughing, impromptu rock bands, poking fun at each other (this included mentioning Ming's "fake wedding" whenever possible), at least 1,374 photos taken on four digital cameras, moose headgear, more mp3 files burned onto DVDs than I know what to do with, and 15 pages of notes that I typed up while my uncle told us wild stories about the family.

We learned that back in the late 1800s, one of our relatives lived in Port Townsend, Washington, before moving back to Hong Kong. Not entirely sure what his business involved, but one of the unearthed documents mentioned something about 50 pounds of opium?

And of course, at any Ü gathering, it immediately becomes apparent where my obsession with food comes from. Saturday's dinner involved all of grandpa's favorite foods: prime rib, corn-on-the-cob, mashed potatoes, and iceburg lettuce wedges with thousand island dressing, followed by apple pie, sponge cake, cherries (bing AND Ranier), and ice cream.

The 11+ pound roast took almost three hours in the oven; I haven't eaten so much prime rib in one sitting since the Friends of the NRA Banquet back in 2000 in Roseburg, OR...

Chino's farmers market report still to come!

Posted by Elizabeth at 9:16 AM | Comments (0)

July 15, 2005

Family Matters

Late last night I received an offer to join a last-minute surf trip to Big Sur. This would have meant Leave the city at noon, join my 1pm conference call from Highway 280, hike down a clif through poison oak somewhere South of Nepenthe to knit and journal and watch surfers from the rocky beach-with-no-sand, hike back out (and up) through the poison oak, sleep in the car on the side of the road, repeat the hike/knit/journal/watch/hike part, and drive back in time for Saturday night fun in the City.

Except for the poison oak part, it sounded perfect! There are few things better than spontaneous adventures. Since my boss is out of town, nobody would even have known I'd skipped out early. And I was kind of excited about calling in to the conference call while in the middle of a fun road trip...

I reveled in the fact that such offers present themselves, and ultimately said no due to a Friday night scheduling conflict.

Now the weekend plans involve neither Option 1 nor Option 2, but an unforeseen Option 3. After years and years of not being with us mentally and a mercifully brief bout with pneumonia, my paternal grandfather passed away this morning. And so I'm off to San Diego, where my cousins Ming, Wei, Ghean, and Ling (AKA #1, #3, #4, and "The Girl," though they say it in Chinese) are already gathered. Hung, #2, won't be joining us since it's a long haul from China to San Diego; Adam is in the middle of the hours it takes to plan the float plane/jet combo journey, and with any luck we'll see him tonight, too.

Since they're on the mind, here's a photo of #3, one of my great aunts, #2, lots of red meat that dad barely warmed on the grill, and The Girl, taken last summer when Ming almost got married. Folks flew in from all over the world; it was fascinating to see the event get instantly reframed as a reunion when the wedding itself got called off the week before... gotta love family!

Posted by Elizabeth at 10:30 AM | Comments (0)

July 9, 2005

Obstructions

A couple of weeks ago TKOB hosted a screening of The Five Obstructions, a fascinating film in which Lars von Trier challenges fellow director/friend/hero Jørgen Leth to shoot five different remakes of his film The Perfect Human, each under a different set of somewhat punishing conditions.

The message I took away from the film is that constraints can motivate unexpected brilliance, and bring about experiences that you'd never come to without being pushed beyond your usual comfort zone. Which is a long introduction to my having ended up at Swig on a school night this last week, a bar that I almost refused to go to after reading this description:

The mood designed is of unpretentious casual sophistication and the drinks are modern and adventurous. Laid back cool simply oozes all around. It's a magnet for the hip and happening.

Despite my concerns about parking, clearly-too-cool attitudes, and having to appear at least partially together for a meeting at work the next morning, I went. And immediately found a spot right outside, and plenty of fun folks inside, including some other folks who could care less if nobody else in the bar is dancing. I now have a group to take Salsa lessons with (anyone else in?).

Just to prove that interesting things happen when you force yourself to do things behold this conversation with a friend of a friend as we were being introduced to each other:

Me: I love your shirt
She: Thanks
Me: I don't have the boobs for that kind of top
She: Oh, I paid for them
Me: Really? Were they expensive?
She: Yeah, six grand
Me: I see. I've always been curious... can I feel them?
She: Sure

...at which point our mutual friend wanders off shaking his head, and she and I head over to the back hall where I cop a rather scientific feel. She seemed to believe I was interested in procuring falsies of my own (I like mine just the way they are, thanks), and so over the next several minutes I learned:
--they're not permanent (gotta change them every 10 years),
--you can still breastfeed,
--the nipple sensation does change somewhat, but it's not that bad,
--you're only out for about three days after the operation,
--when you have (bigger) boobs, people stop asking you if you ever eat.

And there you have it. Perhaps I will have to leave my house this evening, too, just to see what might happen, though my bed is looking awfully nice right now...

Posted by Elizabeth at 9:02 PM | Comments (0)

July 7, 2005

Yes, I Live in San Francisco

Restaurant Recommendation: Osha on Valencia is yummy. While I'm usually a fan of all things fried, the fresh spring rolls (and the sauce under them) were impressive.

The Engineer, who was all pissy because his boyfriend was out with friends, brought along scale diagrams of the new Burning Man commission. Colossus is an apt name, and it's slightly concerning to me that he's not convinced the massive steel-and-boulder-and-antennae sculpture will stay upright. Let that be a warning to all ye Burning Man goers.

My favorite quote of the evening was "Yeah, the new haircut is kind of boring [Call me boring, but mohawks, even short ones, aren't], but at least I got to make out with my hairdresser in the changing room."

And so I learn that the hairdressers that aren't interested will pretend they don't hear you ask, and the ones that are, well, follow you into the changing room I suppose. Ah, the differing views of what it means to be in a committed relationship.

"I'm just not allowed to fall in love with anyone else," he says. OK then.

Posted by Elizabeth at 6:08 PM | Comments (0)

July 5, 2005

All Roads Lead to... Bolinas

I love living in contradictions: in four days, I filled the gas tank three times to drive from SF to Yosemite Valley to Mono Lake to Mammoth to June Lake to Yosemite Valley to Bolinas and back home again... and then this morning I rode my Xtracycle to the worker-owned co-operative Rainbow Grocery to purchase organic products from companies that do things like give their profits to charities (mmm, I'm addicted to Newman's O's). Thank goodness I'm only fractionally sactimonious or I think I'd still have some petroleum-use guilt to work off.

***

Life in the Valley is almost exactly the same as it was when I lived there six (and four) years ago. Even Chongo is back again after a brief fugitive absence, though there is an upcoming court case during which he'll have to explain how he's managed to be in the Valley for eons without ever having legally occupied a campsite or other accommodation...

The notable differences are:

Antigone, by far the cutest thing to frequent the dirt-bag climber table in the Caf (I tried to talk Ben Wah and Danielle out of that name, to no avail):

All the water (never seen the falls still going off like this in July!):

...and insane traffic, now that the Park Circus has eliminated so much of the day-use parking. On Sunday it was so choked with tourons that as much as I love Yosemite, I had to get out of there.

That, and I couldn't resist the pull of July 4th Celebrations, Bolinas style! If this guy had known how much gas I used prior to arriving in Bolinas, he probably would have strangled me with the tug-of-war rope:

Ran into Ole, who was pissed because this was the first year in ages that he couldn't ride in the parade. Alas, the bike was grounded due to mechanical difficulties.

After the parade there was surfing (I'm more partial to knitting on the beach, myself),

...and apple pie with ice cream, a (relatively short, all weekend considered) drive to Stinson, corn-on-the-cob, bbq chicken, blue potato salad (apparently if you use vinegar they keep their color, good trick), a very serious and close badminton match (Lewis finally beat me, but we had to play to 24 so he could win by 2), caviar, small children wielding fireworks, a chocolate cake decorated with a berry flag, salmon, sunset, more food than would have been consumed by three comparable parties (I did my best), and finally, a multi-county fireworks viewing from Four Corners.

The body is saying there will be no more driving for me for some time. Lest you fear I'm not a true American, despite having consumed a week's worth of food yesterday, I still ate plenty today. God Bless.

Posted by Elizabeth at 4:52 PM | Comments (0)

June 25, 2005

Pride Party Pooper

There has been some debate as to whether my neighborhood is technically the Mission, or Castro. If you've ever tried to park near my apartment during Pride (or the week leading up to it), I think you'd agree that I live in the Castro.

There are good things about Pride: every store, restaurant, pole, and person in the 'hood is decked out in the finest regalia. The bars are packed by early afternoon with shiny happy people from near and far, which has been fun to check out on the way home from work. There is an abundance of cute boys that I keep having to be reminded are not here for the girls.

There are not-so-good things about Pride, other than the fact that since everyone and their lover is parking here too, the Let's Find a Parking Spot game becomes an hour-long adventure: the bars discharge the now-very-drunk happy people onto my street around 3am, which would be fine, if they weren't so damn loud, or amused by honking their car horns repeatedly. The usual thoroughfares are impassable due to parades and such. There are hazards on the sidewalks, such as clowns selling whistles on chains decorated with rainbow beads.

And so, due to lack of sleep (and stress over how to get to Point Reyes without losing my parking spot), I'm wearing my Cranky Pants this morning. I think I'll resort to staying in Marin all weekend, leaving whatever you call this neighborhood to the folks who are actually enjoying it.

Posted by Elizabeth at 11:33 AM | Comments (0)

June 23, 2005

She's Crafty

Perhaps because I don't know what to do in the absence of constant homework stress, I've been taking a knitting class. Here’s a sample of the kinds of things we've been learning so far:

Gotta say it’s refreshing and unusual for my work to result in a tangible object; can't wait to finish hat #1! Procrastination tendencies don't seem to apply for knitting assignments, unless you count the fact that I've been knitting when I ought to be doing other things.

Posted by Elizabeth at 8:51 AM | Comments (0)

June 19, 2005

Google Eyes

I'm not the kind of person to ooh and ah over traditional celebrities. Mostly this has to do with my complete ignorance of popular culture, a few recent visits to Pink is the New Blog notwithstanding.

That said, I found myself uncharacteristically aflutter when I spotted Larry Page at a party last night... now I could give a flying fig that movie star A has been caught necking in public with movie star B, but my love for Google knows few bounds. And suddenly one of the founders is in the SAME ROOM as me?!

So what do I do? I become very quiet and try to pretend I'm not checking out the red light blinking on the electronic device in his front left jeans pocket, and the water bottle in the right rear pocket of aforementioned jeans. [I am resisting the urge to make a stupid joke; insert your own here: _______________] I watch with a combination of disgust and jealousy as fancy drunk girls giggle and flip their hairdos in his direction. It's good to be the king. I guess.

At one point I did have to mash myself against him in order to pass from the kitchen to the chill-out room (no, I did not partake of Twister) through the oh-so-packed living room, but I couldn't muster up the courage to say anything. Which was probably a good thing. There had been wine in my glass earlier, and a very strong vodka & cranberry poured by a crazy Brit named Jake.

Biggest bummer: I missed my chance to meet Big Brother, as she left before I could get an introduction. That's right folks, you heard it here first: Big Brother (the person who spies on your Gmail), is actually Big Sister. And I will have to wait for the next Google party to make her acquaintance. Or stammer at her boss. Or something like that.

Posted by Elizabeth at 9:06 PM | Comments (0)

June 18, 2005

Portrait of the Blogger

It's been a long time since I lived in Montreal, but there are still moments when French expressions make more sense than anything I can drag out of the English lexicon. The phrase of the day is "le lendemain de la veille." Loosely translated, it means "the day after the night before," and as I recall it is often uttered with a shrug while describing what can be remembered from the previous evening's activities, sans trace of embarassment or defensiveness.

(I used to live on Rue Esplanade, right under Mont Royal)

I am also reminded of this poem. Enjoy.

***

Portrait of the Artist as a Prematurely Old Man

It is common knowledge to every schoolboy and even every Bachelor of Arts,
That all sin is divided into two parts.
One kind of sin is called a sin of commission, and that is very important,
And it is what you are doing when you are doing something you ortant,
And the other kind of sin is just the opposite and is called a sin of omission and is equally bad in the eyes of all right-thinking people, from Billy Sunday to Buddha,
And it consists of not having done something you shuddha.
I might as well give you my opinion of these two kinds of sin as long as, in a way, against each other we are pitting them,
And that is, don't bother your head about the sins of commission because however sinful, they must at least be fun or else you wouldn't be committing them.
It is the sin of omission, the second kind of sin,
That lays eggs under your skin.
The way you really get painfully bitten
Is by the insurance you haven't taken out and the checks you haven't added up the stubs of and the appointments you haven't kept and the bills you haven't paid and the letters you haven't written.
Also, about sins of omission there is one particularly painful lack of beauty,
Namely, it isn't as though it had been a riotous red-letter day or night every time you neglected to do your duty;
You didn't get a wicked forbidden thrill
Every time you let a policy lapse or forget to pay a bill;
You didn't slap the lads in the tavern on the back and loudly cry Whee,
Let's all fail to write just one more letter before we go home, and this round of unwritten letters is on me.
No, you never get any fun
Out of things you haven't done,
But they are the things that I do not like to be amid,
Because the suitable things you didn't do give you a lot more trouble than the unsuitable things you did.
The moral is that it is probably better not to sin at all, but if some kind of sin you must be pursuing,
Well, remember to do it by doing rather than by not doing.

-- Odgen Nash

Posted by Elizabeth at 11:28 AM | Comments (0)

June 14, 2005

There Will Be Snacks

Though the NYC birthday crew begged to be made fun of, I will now implement a No Fake Blog Entries Policy. It starts today, with a REAL report on Sunday's activities. Ah, West Marin. Summer. Why would we even pretend to go anywhere else?

And it would be very unlike me to not mention the food. More oysters (raw with lemon and shallots, & BBQ'ed with sauce), an appetizer spread involving sauteed leeks and creme fraiche (YUM), and finally a very large and steaming pot full of mussels, clams, scallops, prawns, tomatoes, green onions, and more herbs than I could identify. Then Desserts. Silly word games. A sleepy drive back over the hill. Happy.

***

Meanwhile (don't forget to include that word on the uwouldthinkso bingo cards), I can't stop listening to the Andrew Bird song from which I stole the title of this post. Listen to Tables and Chairs (on The Mysterious Production of Eggs album) if you have a chance. He's a brilliant, beautiful man.

Posted by Elizabeth at 3:15 PM | Comments (0)

June 13, 2005

Happy Birthday Feltron!

Had so much fun at Feltron's birthday celebration this weekend!

Some Indonesian school girls Lewis picked up in the park beforehand, knowing Feltron would be super psyched.

We go way back.

Lewis & Mariana. Is that a bottle in your shirt, or are you just happy to see her?

Drunk girls Lewis charmed with Tactic #12...

Shebeen had a one night only house band flown in from Jakarta, especially for the Birthday Boy.

Posted by Elizabeth at 12:54 PM | Comments (1)

June 10, 2005

I blame the internet for my obsessive behavior

I'm trying to decide if internet stalking enhances The Mystery, or ruins it.

Luddite version: some guy sits next to me in a coffee shop, we talk about downcycling and sustainable product design, he hands me a business card, and says "keep in touch" as he leaves a few hours later. I never call.

Internet version: this guy sits next to me in a coffee shop, we talk about downcycling and sustainable product design, he hands me a (very clever) business card, and says "keep in touch" as he leaves a few hours later. I immediately visit his website, and learn that, amongst other interesting activities, he built the Temple of Gravity at Burning Man.

I wonder whether he's into girls in addition to boys, think about calling, and finally decide that if he's as effective as Raeo in tracking his website's incoming traffic, he'll know where to find me...

Posted by Elizabeth at 2:53 PM | Comments (0)

June 8, 2005

(Orbit) Size Matters

When Feltron was in town, he asked (in a particularly scornful tone) why I read relationship books. Even though I don't (often), his question shamed me into not purchasing Quirkyalone that day... and so, as a gal who loves to categorize herself, I'm still wondering whether or not I really qualify as a Quirkyslut.

Fortunately I'm surrounded by people who love to talk about their own relationship theories; maybe we'll write our own book one day. In the meantime, the blog will suffice. A popular topic lately has been Linear Relationship patterns vs. the apparently rampant Comet Relationship pattern, in which certain people reappear on the scene rather than disappearing forever (even though perhaps they should).

There are several potential gaps in the metaphor, but it seems to explain revisitation behavior that is not covered by, say, Serial Monogamy. Some folks cruise by more frequently than others, depending upon their particular orbit. Even the ones who are never seen again might be explained by a really large orbit. Some have a bigger impact than others; perhaps this is due to proximity of their orbit to the center of gravity?

Other questions to ponder: are you the center of the universe, or do you, like the earth, orbit larger heavenly bodies? Do comets that pass too close burn up in the atmosphere? Is it possible to implement some sort of Star Wars system to blast hostile objects out of existence (or range)? What role to aliens play in all of this? etc.

Posted by Elizabeth at 1:12 PM | Comments (1)

June 7, 2005

Hipster or Hippie?

The following lists were compiled in the booth we took over from a poor couple at the Make Out Room last night:

Reasons Why Elizabeth is Not a Hipster:
1) Not ironic -- too earnest (see scale below; as a work in progress, feedback is welcome)
2) Dances at shows
3) No knowledge whatsoever of pop culture
4) Fashion sense too outdoorsy
5) Doesn't hand-pick thongs for each occasion
6) Brings camera to bars

Reasons Liz IS a Hipster:
1) Naked photos of herself in her bedroom
2) Hipster glasses (with hardly any prescription)
3) She has a blog
4) Wears grandma's earrings
5) Owns thongs, including one embroidered with cherries

Hippy or Hipster?
1) Public interest work
2) Love of things organic
3) Invites debate / inquisition into hipsterness of self
(the naked photo thing might belong in this list)

Forgot I had my camera until long after their set, so there are sadly no photos of The Dying Californian in all their multi-band-member-plus-backup-singers glory. I hope we embarassed Liam and Kate with our whooping and hollering of appreciation.

Posted by Elizabeth at 11:32 AM | Comments (0)

June 6, 2005

Gradumacation

Saturday I graduated, along with the rest of the crazy folks who signed on to be the very first to receive an MBA in Sustainable Management from Presidio World College.

In the middle of the ceremony, a golf ball came sailing in from the neighboring green, bouncing off the podium before rolling into the faculty seating area. Mikey said he paid the guy $400 and he still missed the speaker's head by 6 inches...

Several of us celebrated last week with a camping trip to Big Basin:

***

Tonight: Liam's band The Dying Californian is playing at the Make Out Room around 9ish. Tunes here.

Posted by Elizabeth at 11:51 AM | Comments (0)

June 5, 2005

Queen Bees and Wing Girls

A few days ago The King Of Bonding inappropriately accused me of being a Queen Bee, based solely on the fact that I don't have a vast array of single female friends to introduce him to.

Sunday Jeff corrected this assessment, noting that I'm really more of a Wing Girl; he also pointed out that The King ought to be grateful I'm not charging for this service. $75/hour seems a little steep for friends though... just keep up the Sushi Dates and we'll be fine.

***

Speaking of dating younguns, I recently came across this photo of the Tycoon, who was two years my junior:

Whether or not we could have survived his move to Tahoe--he just bought a SECOND house there--looking at him grin in front of his friend's Czech fighter jet kinda confirms that we weren't cut out for each other.

Posted by Elizabeth at 2:50 PM | Comments (0)

June 4, 2005

By the Numbers

The Memorial Day Weekend Count.

Oysters Consumed at BBQ #1: 84 (total weekend count well over 100)
Cases of food poisoning: 1 (alternate explanation: excessive drinking?)
Weekend dog total: 4
Random hookups: 1
Glasses broken with hula hoop at BBQ #2: 1 (my bad)
Dishes served up at BBQ #2: at least 10 that I can remember (steaks, chicken, salmon, another fish, corn on the con with chili and lime, sweet potatoes, salad, garlic green beans, roasted red pepper, bean salad leftover from BBQ #1, oy)
SPF: 30
Weather: on a scale of 1 to 10, it was perfect (Eliot's joke)
Number of times I had to explain that Lewis and I are not dating: 5
Digital cameras present: 3 (which is why I don't have any good photos from BBQ #1)
Digital cameras accidentally given away: 1 (retrieved Tuesday, thankfully)

Posted by Elizabeth at 10:16 AM | Comments (0)

May 27, 2005

How Old Are We?

The King Of Bonding took me out to Tokyo Go Go last night. “I’ll charge it to the Firm,” he says, how could I resist? We sat at the bar, and The King Of Bonding decided he needed to hook me up with our dashing young sushi chef. His ridiculously obvious tactics involved loud comments about his latest exploits (so that it was clear we weren’t together), small talk over the fish display (“oh you grew up in the North Bay? So did she!”), and lots of trips to the bathroom to leave the two of us alone.

Unfortunately, while cute, the kid had no game. “Wow, University High had an amazing soccer team. They still do.” While Lewis might brag about robbing the cradle, it’s kind of a buzz kill for me when high school soccer teams are so fresh in someone’s mind-- What's that you say? I've been talking a lot about high school lately too? You quiet down.

***

These are for Mariana; bonus points for every tactic you can spot! When he was out here, Feltron and I paid a visit to Lewis's cubicle. Lewis then soundly beat the two of us at Foos Ball in the lunch room... since the doctor (ok, she isn't exactly a bone specialist, but still) thinks I may have actually fractured my rib a month ago, I feel like I have a good excuse.

The rest of these are from last weekend.

Tonight: Old Crow Medicine Show at Great American (thanks Mahea)
Weekend: BBQ and various other Bolinas adventures

Posted by Elizabeth at 1:29 PM | Comments (2)

May 19, 2005

Virtual Crushes

The blogosphere heats up! A virtual crush on Mariana went public today, in spite of her boyfriend; meanwhile, when I confessed my soft spot for messieur Raeo a few days ago (to someone who actually sees him in person), I was informed that I'd better take a number.

It will be interesting to see what happens when the proposed visit to New York en masse occurs. Hook-ups, beat-downs, or just plain awkwardness??? I'm sure it will be exciting.

In the meantime, check out Store Wars.

Posted by Elizabeth at 5:30 PM | Comments (1)

May 17, 2005

It's Official: I'm a Cheap Date

A few weeks ago I dared claim that I don't really drink, and the Curmudgeon countered: "hyperbole!"

In my latest contribution to the infographics trend, the following diagram outlines my weekly alcohol consumption over the last two months. I think it's safe to say that I don't really drink.

There are, however, a few facts to consider:
--I was sick throughout the majority of the sample period
--The last three weeks show an upward trend in alcohol consumption
--There's a bottle of champagne and only two of us in the room at the Holiday Inn at Fisherman's Wharf; just my luck that one of Kate's many job descriptions includes conducting audits of various Bay Area hotels! So glad to be able to assist.

Posted by Elizabeth at 7:34 PM | Comments (0)

May 13, 2005

Just Another School Night

I don't have that many rules, but I'm serious about No Street Clothes in the Bed. Fortunately Terry only forgot for a few seconds before removing the offending jeans, phew!

After watching The Anchorman we somehow got on the topic of this ad from Ikea, and of course had to watch it multiple times. If I hadn't had half a glass of wine two hours ago, I might be able to figure out how to capture an image from RealPlayer... just watch it.

Only two days (including tomorrow's 12 hour marathon, and that's not counting the reunion), two presentations, and two papers to go.

Posted by Elizabeth at 10:13 PM | Comments (0)

May 12, 2005

10 Year High School Reunion Prep

According to Feltron, some of us are growing facial hair (see comments under 05.10.05 entry- how do I link to comments directly???), and others are buying suits. I would be posting incriminating photos, but I haven't been able to find any. Yet.

***

OK here's one, courtesy of Raeo. Thanks for reminding me of beards!

Posted by Elizabeth at 12:43 PM | Comments (0)

May 10, 2005

Not As Bad as Ed Getting the Truck

Sometime near the nebulous end of our affair, the Curmudgeon and I were at Reverie Café (his favorite), and I asked him how many first dates he’d had there.

“None,” he responded, “why, how many first dates have you had here?”

Pause.

“Just one. Ours.”

***

So... as I am not particularly well versed in The Rules, I found myself wondering: is Reverie totally off limits, being “his” spot? For the most part, I’ve left the town/state/country after relationships end (or he has, or is it more accurate to say they end because one of us leaves? Hard to say))))), so I’ve skirted this sort of issue entirely. But in this case I’m still here, and so is he, and because I’ve temporarily set up office in the neighborhood, I’d started thinking it would be nice to take advantage of Reverie’s terrace on sunny days.

My official survey of one produced the following result: “Avoid.” Which seems fair enough; I don’t care enough about that exact terrace to risk anyone’s discomfort, and the pastries at Boulange are so much more exciting. Is this turfing behavior normal though? It just seems so contrived...

Posted by Elizabeth at 9:29 PM | Comments (0)

May 8, 2005

Fifteen, Four, Three, Two...

Whirlwind, whirlwind! Amazing how much stuff goes down when there things due. Only four papers, three days of actually going to school, two presentations (and a partridge in a pear tree) left; good thing it’s raining now so I can finally hunker down this weekend. I do feel bad for the Wildlife crew though, as they had to call off their party in the park due to the weather...

A few brief reviews/lessons learned over the last few days:

Ebisu Sushi: their specials are a bit too over-the-top for my liking. I prefer No Name, especially the standard rolls in miniature.

Potlucks: it’s never a bad idea to bring something you know you’ll eat... just kidding, I love potlucks. More potlucks!

Beauty Bar: not so much in the music category. Lots of, um, interesting people to watch/keep off your toes. Super-weak drinks always get thumbs up from me, but I realize that’s rare.

Backyard BBQ’s: down jackets are good protection from iffy San Francisco weather. BYO bottle opener to avoid frustration and make friends at the cooler (Evan’s trick).

Presidio “Rager” = oxymoron. To qualify that, we decided that real ragers usually involve some combination of sticky floors, a general feeling of not having enough oxygen or personal space, and things getting broken and/or stolen. On the positive side, comfy couches, fancy cakes, and actually being able to hear the person you’re talking to garner points in my book.

Madrone Lounge: fancy girls (though the ones in the cat outfits were gone by the time we made it in) and good music last night; somehow the 80’s tunes were mixed in much more smoothly than at Beauty Bar. Maybe everything’s cooler when you’re holding a 24 of Budweiser? Ha, as if I could make it to the bottom of a tall can… The photographic rendition of Olympia currently hanging on the wall is somewhat disturbing.

The Pork Store Cafe (Haight): no review yet as cranky people with low blood sugar are allergic to long lines.

Posted by Elizabeth at 4:03 PM | Comments (0)

May 4, 2005

"I See," Said the Blind Man...

I just spent an amazing couple of hours at the second annual Barbara and Galen Rowell Lecture listening to Erik Weihennmayer tell stories and show slides and video footage of his adventures rock climbing, skiing, summiting Mount Everest... blind.

Kind of puts life's little challenges in perspective! I wish I had Erik's sense of humor; in addition to being a general bad-ass, the guy's a total comedian. And he drew more than a few tears with his insights into life, love, happiness...

Cheesy inspirational parting words: "Most people think you have to see to believe. But really, you have to believe to see." Aw.

Posted by Elizabeth at 10:53 PM | Comments (0)

May 1, 2005

I'll Take the One with the Spear, Thank You

What’s up with supposedly-evolved men ending relationships via email? I’m all riled up after hearing that my friend just got a Dear Jane email from this guy she’s been seeing. Apparently not all monkeys have learned which tools are appropriate in which situations...

This guy had introduced her to his parents, his friends, and everything had been going really well; so we all thought. But he freaked out. Which is, in and of itself, disappointing, but still forgivable-- if he is straight-up about what’s going on, apologizes where necessary, and has the decency to call things off rather than letting it drag on indefinitely (or disappearing without a word). I have few kind thoughts for the dude who says one thing, and then hides behind a goddam email to say what he was too cowardly to say in person.

Posted by Elizabeth at 4:08 PM | Comments (0)

April 29, 2005

Massages, Music... and Mono?

Aaaaaaaaahhhh, Kabuki Springs... International Orange might have better masseuses, but Kabuki’s got them beat hands down in the sit-around-for-hours department. How can you top alternating between a huge sauna, a steam room stocked with rubbing salts and cucumber slices for your eyes, and a chaise longue situated in a big open room as lovely ladies wander about? Aside from wondering how those who wax deal when it starts growing back, a session at Kabuki has never failed to clear my head. I’m a committed fan.

I only strayed to IO a few weeks ago because I wasn’t in the mood to risk a bad massage (Kabuki's get bad reviews), and Mary did not disappoint. Nor did the music; I was intrigued enough to inquire on my way out about the ambient something-or-other (house? trance? techno? What would Ishkur call it?) mix that was playing. Turns out that IO masseur Rob, in addition to charming at least one of the gals at Daily Candy with his hands, is an accomplished musician. He tells me his production company has plans to release something massage-friendly this summer… and he made me copies of the spa mixes to tide me over in the meantime. Not quite as nice as it would have been if Mary had offered to repeat her service, but you can’t win ‘em all!

***

No verdict yet from the doctor, who ordered enough blood work this afternoon that I had to sit on the floor with my head between my knees, reeling, by the time they had collected enough to fill all the test vials. He says there’s a chance I have mono? Do people still get that?! I’ve put a vote in for plain old allergies; otherwise I've got a bone to pick with someone.

Posted by Elizabeth at 11:42 PM | Comments (0)

April 28, 2005

Engine Failure

After a much-anticipated Kabuki Baths session with the gals, I’m going to suck it up and pay a visit to my Western doctor tomorrow. Who happens to be Chinese, while my Chinese doctor is German. Ah, the wonders of globalization.

I just want someone to confirm the “You’re run down” diagnosis (or at least prescribe me some serious drugs and/or friendly flora-killing antibiotics). It’s finally sinking in that I’m going to be sick until the bitter end, no matter how I slice it. Argh, three weeks, three days, and six goddam papers ‘till the end of the semester. I think I can, I think I can...

Posted by Elizabeth at 10:30 PM | Comments (0)

April 25, 2005

Monkey No See

More monkey behavior, from The Tipping Point this time:

…anthropologists who study vervets find that these kinds of monkeys are really bad at picking up the significance of things like an antelope carcass hanging in a tree (which is a sure sign that a leopard is in the vicinity) or the presense of python tracks. Vervets have been known to waltz into a thicket, ignoring a fresh trail of python tracks, and then act stunned when they actually come across the snake itself. This doesn’t mean that vervets are stupid: they are very sophisticated when it comes to questions that have to do with other vervets… a vervet, in other words, is very good at processing certain kinds of vervetish information, but not so good at processing other kinds of information.

Hm. That explains… well, a lot. I’m oddly comforted.

Posted by Elizabeth at 10:18 PM | Comments (0)

April 22, 2005

Mind Zap, Matchmaking, and Mash-ups

I'm going to the Mind Zap Fest tomorrow with a recently-rediscovered high school classmate, who happens to be both my neighbor and a corporate-criminal-slapping attorney (Go Team!). No clue what to expect from a party whose offerings include mind tokens (?), corn dogs, headbands, and a "gateway to the inner planes of existence," but I'm looking forward to the opportunity to bond with The King Of Bonding (his favorite verb), his roommate Hipster Nate (I'm not worthy), and anyone else he's tricked into coming...

Meanwhile, one of my favorite people just called to thank me for introducing her to one of my favorite MBA classmates; apparently they've really hit it off. I realize I'm supposed to be excited, and of course I am-- it's just that I'm a little wary of my matchmaking skills. When my high school sweetheart hooked up with my best friend from college a couple years ago, things got a little messy when it didn't work out (I remember being at a loss to explain to one why I ever gave the other a glowing review). So please just try to keep it going until after graduation, or at least relinquish me from all responsibility for what happens, OK?

For some truly successful match, er, mash-ups of the musical variety, check out DJ BC. I'm especially happy about the Beastles given fond memories of Beatles on the old Fisher Price record player.

Posted by Elizabeth at 5:31 PM | Comments (0)

April 21, 2005

Looking for Another Street to Walk Down

This poem is from There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk by Portia Nelson, but I come across it every so often when I dip into SARK’s book Inspiration Sandwich. Seems to be relevant at the moment! I don't know how to get the indents right, so you'll just have to imagine the words in a much more interesting format...

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters

I
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost… I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.

II
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t belive I am in this same place.
But it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

III
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in… it’s a habit… but,
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

IV
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

V
I walk down another street.

Posted by Elizabeth at 12:09 PM | Comments (0)

April 19, 2005

Loose Ends

A few bits and bobs: I found the song, my brother's Roxette cover is now available for your listening pl... um, well it's there, and a handy guide I stumbled across helps demystify at least some of the electronica terms that have me scratching my head.

And here are some photos from my flight back from Calgary last month. The first two are somewhere over the Canadian Rockies, and the third is much closer to home.

Posted by Elizabeth at 1:24 PM | Comments (1)

April 12, 2005

Interview Update

Rather than driving the Chairman to an airport hotel from Sunflower as per the original plan, the “interview” traveled to my living room, where the Chairman proceeded to drink several of the Fat Tires left over from my birthday party. As the Dayquil wore off, I tried to both stay awake and avoid saying anything too incriminating with what little voice I had remaining. There was much laughter, which of course sent me into violent fits of coughing…

Somewhere around 1am, my poor roommate (A, I'm so sorry!) sent this text message: “R u ok? Is this an all nite mtg?” I finally had to excuse myself, and the Chairman crashed on our futon. A mere five hours later, the phone rang to let me know his airport taxi had arrived. I didn’t get up again until noon, and now I feel worse than ever.

So. Groucho Marx refused to join any club that would have him as a member. Should I be concerned that I still seem to have a job offer, even after a room inspection (I tried to keep him out, but he insisted on looking) revealed this disaster?

I guess my future boss doesn't read Fast Company:

The psychologist Samuel Gosling discovered you can learn just as much about a person from a peek inside their bedroom as a daylong interview. A framed copy of a B-school degree hanging above someone's bed, dirty laundry scattered on the floor, or a shrine of decorative candles reveal how they'd like to be perceived, their behavioral tendencies, and how they like to make themselves feel. "What you avoid when you don't meet someone face-to-face are all the confusing and complicated and ultimately irrelevant pieces of information that serve to screw up your judgment," writes Gladwell. Think of creative ways you can gain more insight into candidates when prospecting for new talent (short of sneaking into their bedrooms, of course).

Posted by Elizabeth at 4:21 PM | Comments (0)

April 11, 2005

It's in the Stars

Mercury is retrograde, say the astrologists. Has been since March 20th, and will be until tomorrow. Do I know anything about astrology? No, but at this point I’m willing to accept any explanation for (and better yet, any forecasted end to) the recent preponderance of communication breakdowns, landlord-needs-to-invade-my-home plumbing problems, and other snafus, including the fact that the accountant mailed my tax return to the wrong address. Which means that my Social Security number and myriad other personal details are Out There, Somewhere, whee.

When Mercury is retrograde, we are advised to avoid engaging in important conversations or making any major decisions, especially with regard to relationships, jobs, or starting anything new. Of course I’ve been doing all three, with less than stellar results... In an uncharacteristically successful move, I did manage to get out of going to Berkeley for a pseudo job interview this afternoon (“pseudo” because nobody has ever officially called it an interview, even though that’s clearly what it was supposed to be). Instead, we will meet over dinner at Sunflower on Valencia--Go Team!--and I can crawl back into bed for the rest of the day.

Aforementioned interview is with the guy who, when he first met me and heard about my MBA program, said, “so when you graduate, you’ll be qualified to do nothing!” I parried with “actually, I was planning on working for you.” Despite the Total Cad first impression, he’s proven himself to be a nice guy over the last couple of months. Even more surprising, he’s trying to talk me into working full time (I offered no more than 30 hours/week), and I’m actually considering it. Still, I’ll play it safe with the stars and wait a few days before committing to anything...

Posted by Elizabeth at 12:43 PM | Comments (0)

April 10, 2005

Some Pricks are OK

I'm sick of being sick. So, in addition to putting up with the perpetual sore throat, keeping myself awake all night coughing, and having no voice mornings and evenings (some people are excited about this last detail), I have begun to let a stranger stick needles into me on a regular basis.

I don't claim to know how these things work, but apparently all my symptoms, including my annual spring-time insomnia, are related to blocked liver energy??? I do know that the needles in my wrist and feet were causing all sorts of weird electrical stuff to happen, so something must be working.

Also part of the regime: lily pills, herbal "two old men" cough syrup (on the label, not inside, I hope- tastes way better than Nyquil) and the same exercises that my grandparents from Hong Kong used to do before they succumbed to American culture. Gotta say there's something satisfying about getting back to the Chinese heritage...

Posted by Elizabeth at 10:27 PM | Comments (0)

April 8, 2005

Fan Mail!

Can't find the Nyquil Cough anywhere, but I was delighted to discover this in the inbox:

Wow... i just actually read your blog. It really is exceptionally self-absorbed and totally without meaning to anyone but you and perhaps... well, you. This stuff should really just stay in your journal... I think blogs should probably be to communicate to more than yourself and your most intimate friends... so there.

I'm very amused to report that the above comment comes from the very guy who "accidentally" took my journal home one night a few weeks ago. Thank goodness nobody told me the rules, and that the one regular lurker doesn't care! :)

Posted by Elizabeth at 12:01 AM | Comments (0)

April 5, 2005

My Kindgdom for a Chimp

Out of a mostly-useless conference I attended last Saturday (an attempt to apply the theories of social evolution to business leadership), one thing did stick with me. Apparently there was once a lab study involving both children and chimpanzees trying to open latched boxes to get at pieces of fruit inside. A lab technician would demonstrate one of several methods for opening the box, some of which were more effective than others. The result? Humans are really good at imitating the demonstrated techniques, even if they don’t work, and chimpanzees waste no time getting to the fruit.

I love this kind of insight into human behavior, and now I'm seeing examples of this phemenon everywhere! Case in point: the prevalence of email and text messages as modes of personal communication when, in my opinion, a one-sided string of words on the screen is rarely an effective proxy for actual human interaction. (Oh yeah, blogs suck too.)

Posted by Elizabeth at 11:32 AM | Comments (0)

April 3, 2005

Napoleon in Relationships

Almost forgot to mention the sudden insight during Rollerskate Skinny last night: “ain't nobody gonna see eye to eye with a girl who's only gonna stand collarbone high.” Well of course, that explains everything, maybe that’s what the Curmudgeon meant when he said I could have been a little taller?

Still, Little Miss Communication remains my favorite use of double entendres (OK and Flash has rare virtues) to illustrate the ups and downs of trying to figure out what the hell is going on between two people... While I’m at it, the latest video from Jim’s Big Ego provides yet another perspective on the rampant paranoia encouraged by the current admin. /politics

Posted by Elizabeth at 2:34 PM | Comments (0)

April 2, 2005

On the Lighter Side

Not sure what else I should have expected on April Fools' Day... First it was an visit to Dolores Park Cafe last night, thwarted by a children's music troupe. ("A festive night of songs and stories for used to be hip parents and their hip kids!") I kept walking, and felt sorry for the gal in the window near the back with a pile of books and her hands over her ears who somehow decided to stick it out.

A few hours later, it was juggling, a very tall unicycle, stilts, and various combinations thereof in the middle of the Hot Buttered Rum show in Pacifica. Gotta say I'm a fan of fancy juggling, so long as there aren't any clowns associated with it...

Posted by Elizabeth at 11:48 AM | Comments (0)

March 30, 2005

Slow Down

Musing on the meaning of "Taking It Slow." This is something I should understand; after all, I'm a fan of Slow Food, Slow Money... And yet, as someone with a tendency to run full force in whatever direction I happen to be heading at the time, I clearly don't have an innate understanding of what Taking It Slow means at a personal level. I'm told to do it all the time, by people and colleagues with whom I'm apparently moving too quickly. One step removed, advice givers are big fans of Take It Slow. However, without clarifying details, the phrase strikes me as totally meaningless.

I suspect that Take It Slow can generally be translated into Back Off, and here's where I get confused. How much to back off, and in what ways? If the person chose to say Take It Slow instead of Piss Off, is it safe to assume that there's some Good contained within the Too Much/Too Fast? If so, how's a well-meaning person supposed to know what to keep on doing, and what to cut back? And how's a person to know if Take It Slow really does mean Piss Off? Oy. Here here for Clear Requests.

Posted by Elizabeth at 10:33 PM | Comments (0)

March 17, 2005

There are flowers for everyone in these hills

The wildflowers are definitely out, even if I haven't been (much). Spotted on a headlands ride this morning: lupine in spades, sticky monkey flowers, Indian paintbrush, blue dicks, California poppies, California buttercups, calla lilies, columbine, morning glories, I think farewell-to-springs, some pale pink vetchy thing I don't know the name of, and plenty of other lovelies...

(P.S. Speaking of lovely, I stole the title for this post from a short story by Gina Covina, featured in Yellow Silk)

Posted by Elizabeth at 11:37 AM

March 16, 2005

Twenty Eight, Feeling Great...

A new year, new depths of self-indulgence... thanks to the fabulous Nick Aster, the long-awaited (at least by me) Blog de Liz is alive and kicking.

My favorite birthday present, as worn last night. Mikey's idea, Saoirse's skills (and photography). Thanks!

Posted by Elizabeth at 11:48 AM