29 September 2006

For those of you who haven't gotten on the You Tube bandwagon yet, you really must. It's like free on-demand entertainment on any subject you can think of, and some you've never thought of. This video has been floating around for several months, but I could watch it almost every day. Just press the arrow in the middle of the picture (maybe twice) and it will start to play. It's 4 minutes, 32 seconds long.

Jake happens to be coming to San Francisco in February.

I'm thinking green today....I adore my Green Bags that I take to the grocery store with me. Not only am I feeling good about re-use, but I actually get a 5 cents per bag credit AND they are super strong and hold a ton of groceries. They cost $1.59 at Berkeley Bowl. I saw them at Whole Foods too - don't know what they charge. If the green is a little too yecchh for you, try snazzing it up a bit with b.happy bags. They have cool designs to match your personality....but are waaaaayy pricey.

28 September 2006

Scott made an amazing fideua for dinner a couple of days ago - think paella but with very specific noodles (that are cheap in Barcelona but cost about $6 for 8 oz. here!) called fideo (or fideu in Catalan). Maria José served it to us when we went to her home and we had to try to recreate it. It's served with an aioli that you sort of dollop around the top. Cynthia-you'd better get back to SF soon because you're missing out on some of Scott's best culinary creations!

This weekend's happenings: SFMOMA Scavenger Hunt on Saturday. I love scavenger hunts. It's probably too late to sign up but for those persistent types you might be able to talk your way in. What's great is that they'll use the scavenger finds for an exhibition immediately following. For some reason, I don't know why (this is how my mind works) this reminds me of my long-lived desire to put together a rockin' BINGO & Beer party. Who doesn't love playing BINGO....it's social, doesn't require too much thought, completely a game of chance, with the possibility of a prize payout at the end. Now imagine adding alcohol, good music and good friends to the mix. I digress. Also up this weekend: Berkeley Rep Family Theatre - on Sunday you and the family can do a theater workshop. And best of all (in our family's humble opinion) - on Sunday the students of the Paul Green School of Rock perform music of the Rolling Stones at 12 Galaxies. We went to their show last year, where they performed songs from the Beatles and it was totally cool. Great space and LOVE seeing kids 8 and up learning these classic songs that everyone should know. The following weekend they will perform Queen.

27 September 2006

Went to the new downtown SF Bloomingdale's preview opening today. It opens to the public tomorrow. They were giving away $25 gift cards so I decided it was worth the trip just to check out the space. It was okay. Really not very exciting at all. There are some other new shops opening in the same shopping center that may be worth checking out later.....after the crowds die down. Also want to check out Beard Papa’s which is a strange Japanese cream puff phenomenon. I'm not a big cream puff fan, but can so many people be so wrong? I remember when Krispy Kreme first opened in the bay area - I had to take the family right away, having had them in New York whenever I was there on business. And I am not a donut fan. So maybe this place will change my outlook on cream puffs as well.

25 September 2006

I'm a step closer to getting fresh eggs. There was an article in the paper last week (strangely, the day after I posted my egg wishes). There's a site called Local Harvest that hooks you up with local farms for just about anything, and I found a farm in Lafayette of all places..... they put me on a waitlist to be able to buy their eggs. Next step is to go in on a share of a cow for milk....haven't actually heard of this but thinking there's got to be a way. If Neil and Annie can eat Sweetie Pie for a year (their share of a cow they bought for meat, and strangely, named Sweetie Pie before she met her maker), then I know I can find a dairy cow to share. Of course, then I'd have to buy another refrigerator for all those milk bottles....

24 September 2006

We were lucky enough to attend our neighbor and friend Doris' 50th birthday party this weekend with about 90 of her nearest and dearest friends. We all got to sleepover at Cazadero - an awesome place. Warm daytime weather and a cool crisp night.....a perfect California fall. Ry took his berimbau and actually found a little girl there who knew some capoeira so they played and he taught her a little more. After a relaxing afternoon, and an all-too short softball game, dinner was spectacular and then we all danced and danced and danced - these guys haven't danced like that since grandma and grandpa's 50th wedding anniversary! Something about the number 50 brings out their dancin' shoes. Trotted back to our cabin and snoozed the night away to wake up to Peet's coffee, pastries, and a warm egg dish. Spectacular.

22 September 2006

Got back from the hospital a couple of hours ago. Si was having her croupy cough again and was having trouble breathing....... turns out everything is fine, it's pretty much just a cold, but since we did have this experience three years ago, and it was more serious, I'm a little more apt to go in right away. Once we were there, she actually was a lot better - I think the peace of mind of just being in a safe place helped her to calm down and that helped her breathe. Once we had seen the doctors and she was calm, I did snap a quick phone photo - but I have not yet been given permission by the subject to post it. I'm going to work on her but in the meantime I'll just post a different one.

21 September 2006

Am I the worst parent ever if I say that going to Ry & Si's soccer practices is like scraping fingernails on a chalkboard for me? There is just a whole vibe that is not happening for me, compounded by the fact that I find soccer to be intolerably boring. I know - I am the only person on the planet who feels this way given that it is arguably the most popular sport in the world. They really like it, they're doing well at it, and I want to poke my eyeballs out with a fork when I have to take them. Hula, Capoeira, even baseball I am happy to go to, hang out, watch, talk with parents, etc. Aarrggh...maybe there's a support group for me somewhere.

I've posted one of the logo choices so that I can live with it for a few days before making any final decisions. I'll eventually post the others, then decide........just keep those votes rolling in (thanks to Nancy for the one vote).

20 September 2006

I need a logo. I need your help choosing my logo. As things get more sophisticated, it'll change....but for now, I'm opening a poll to choose between three designs.

Design 1:



Design 2:



Design 3:



I want my logo to reflect immediacy, fun, and most of all - my personality. You can either e-mail me or post a comment. I was recently told that you have to sign in to be able to comment. I didn't realize that and I know it's a roadblock for some. However, fyi - Blogger is a Google company, they won't spam you or use your info for anything, and I believe them to be responsive to any complaints. So make your own choice armed with this information.

19 September 2006

I have this absolute obsession with finding incredibly fresh eggs. I have yet to figure out where to get them. There was a guy who came to the farmer's market for awhile here, but those were still probably a few days old. I've never, ever tasted a fresh-out-of-the-chicken egg. The solution? The Eglu. It's the urban farmer's dream - all you need is a 20' x 30' space, you order up this chicken house, a couple of chickens, and you're ready for fresh poached eggs in the morning. I think we could do it except Comet would freak out for sure. If anyone knows a great fresh egg resource in the area, leave me a comment. Oh, and by the way, whoever leaves the first comment on my blog will win a prize. Seriously. It doesn't have to be about eggs - anything will do.

18 September 2006

Yum.....when we were in Spain we ordered a frozen lemon ice cream dessert that came served in a gi-normous lemon. Couldn't stop thinking about it so came home and did a little recreation with the lemons from our trees. Went with the Martha Stewart frozen lemon mousse recipe and left out the lemon sauce - it's not necessary. When translating the 8" mousse, you'll need the same amount of lemon juice, but use approx. 15-16 lemon shells for presentation. Also on my "love" list right now is Demerara sugar. Why? I have no idea. I'm sure I read somewhere about how fabulous it is and ran right out and bought some....and actually ended up really liking it. It's great for coffee - and especially nice for presentation purposes. It just tastes better - I swear. So while I'm talking about food, check out this fairly new book (summer release) called Heat by Bill Buford. It's a true story written by a journalist who fancies himself a home gourmet and decides to see if he really has what it takes to cook in a restaurant kitchen. He meets Mario Batali and is able to get a gig cooking at Babbo - Mario's restaurant in New York. It's funny and fascinating - the outsider's look in - a good addendum to the insider's tell-all Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain.

17 September 2006

Ry was amazing in the How Berkeley Can You Be? parade today. They sing, dance, and play capoeira throughout the entire parade route. They're doing handstands and cartwheels and headstands and flips all on the asphalt street - at one point he skinned up his elbow pretty badly but never wanted to stop. It was around 80 degrees today - just a perfect day. Here is Ry and his friend Eli - capoeira seems to be where all the long-haired boys are. Si was also a great help passing out information about capoeira to the crowd. She gave out dozens of cards to kids all along the way and never complained about her shoes once! I think she's growing up. The very cool art cars were at the parade -one of them reminded us of all the Gaudi work we saw in Barcelona! We paid about $3 per glass of lemonade at the festival that immediately follows the parade, which led to Ry & Si remembering that they wanted to have a lemonade stand. Since it was the perfect day, we came home, made lemonade, and put a stand out front. We started with the bicycle box that Scott put his bike in for the airplane ride to/from Barcelona, covered it with some leftover fabric, then started decorating with leftover stuff from Si's hula birthday party. Ry & Si made the sign, we threw it all on top of two sawhorses, and there you have it....a Hawaiian lemonade stand! Also, be sure to add one hidden cd player with external speakers below table to play Hawaiian tunes and create atmosphere (then you can charge extra for an entertainment fee). The neighbors couldn't resist and some even bought two cups! Sadly, we don't actually get any traffic on our street except for neighbors, so next time we're going to hunt out some open houses in the neighborhood.....it's all about location, location, location.

16 September 2006

Ry will be in the How Berkeley Can You Be? parade on Sunday with his Capoeira school.
Old news to some....but a few words on the Barcelona trip. For those who don't know, we did a house exchange to the Olympic Village area of Barcelona. Yes that's right - strangers in our home, and us in theirs. The exchange went extremely well - will definitely do it again. Highlights-the Picasso Museum, the Brasil Brasileiro music/dance performance that was part of the Festival de Barcelona Grec, the Boqueria, CosmoCaixa science museum, Tibidabo, Parc Guell, and all buses, trains, trams and funiculars. In fact, highly recommended to just go to any city with excellent transportation and let the kids ride and ride and ride - we would have never had to do anything else. Lowlights-El Encants Vell flea market (eeeew - so grimy) and of course, gypsies stealing Sierra's wallet. Mostly painful because not only had she just bought this wallet a week prior, but she had one of her two coins in there that she had received from El Ratóncito Pérez, the magic mouse that brings coins to children in Spain who lose their teeth. She lost two teeth while in Spain, so she still has one coin left, and a great story to tell for the rest of her life. Anyway, here's a picture of her with her (now-stolen) wallet, which surely ended up in a trash can somewhere after the single Euro that was in it was extracted. We met the most wonderful people while in Spain. I decided to push the boundaries of use of the home exchange website and contacted people who lived in Barcelona and had children close to Ry and Si's age. Not only did we have wonderful playdates, but we met really nice people who helped us start to get that feeling of actual grounding while in a foreign place. Special thanks to María José, who provided the opportunity for us to use two babysitters while we were there!!! We laugh that we know more people to call in Barcelona for babysitting now than we do here.

15 September 2006

Stephanie mentioned the Woodminster concert happening this weekend so I said I'd post it here. It's the Oakland East Bay Symphony and it's free! OEBS at Woodminster 9.17

Also, check out the Woodminster Ballot to vote for what shows you want to see there next year.
This pesky little squirrel stole the entire peanut butter container at the park today. He had Ry laughing so hard that tears were coming out, and Si was crying so hard because the little critter dared to take her peanut butter! I could barely stop laughing long enough to get the photo. I'm more and more happy with getting this picture-taking phone after years of not having one!
Aargh.....this is my dining room table filled with all pieces cut out for Si's halloween costume. Can you guess what she's going to be? Of course she would have been perfectly happy picking out an Ariel costume, but mommy couldn't have any evil Disney costumes in the house (why does a parent always have to die in their movies?) so here we are. Why so early? Because believe me, I'll still be working on it at the last second the day before Halloween. One stitch at a time. So this is a call for anyone who would like to do any stitch n' *itch sessions.....come to my house with your sewing machine or I'll come to yours. We'll have coffee, tea, or whatever and muddle our way through a sewing project. Those quilting bees and knitting circles are onto something......but I can't go that route just yet.
Discovery of the week at Target - Downy Simple Pleasures Dryer Sheets in Vanilla/Lavender scent. I immediately washed and dried my sheets with these and am in heaven as I go to sleep with two of my favorite scents in the world. Oh - also - on the Dollar Aisle check out the reading glasses in lots of cool funky colors. Not for me - oh no not yet - but did pick up a pair for Scott who bregrudgingly admitted he could read things a little better......

Musical rediscovery: America. Okay - went for the greatest hits because I just really wanted it. Normally try to respect the artist's musical intentions and buy the original albums but couldn't help myself. It's a hit with everyone and Ry has absconded with it to his room to go to sleep by each night. Waking up to Ricky Nelson. Si tired of how often he pumps up the volume on Horse with No Name. Also - don't miss the new Christina Aguilera "Back to Basics". If you like Billie Holiday and other old-school blues/torch singers, this is her homage to them. Finally, if lounge music is more your scene, try Pink Martini - their version of Bolero is awesome. Oh - and check out Pandora.com. You give them a favorite song or artist and they match it by using the music genome project software. Finally somewhere to find more cool celtic music like Loreena McKennitt. Ooh....Panic at the Disco just came on the radio - don't forget to check them out....theatre in music which really speaks to me - and they were funny and humble when they won at the recent MTV Music Awards.

Scott's dinners: There are some who enjoy Scott's dinner preparations so I'll give you a little taste once in a while of what he's preparing lately. Last night was sushi night. I got fresh maguro from Berkeley Bowl (highly recommended - so fresh it was like butter) and he did spicy tuna rolls, tuna nigiri, unagi nigiri, inari and of course edamame. Forgot to photo it - will do it next time. Tip for Berkeley Bowlsters - no lines on Thursdays between 11-ish and noon-ish.
Check out my links. You'll see the link to Ry's Capoeira school....our home away from home when we're not at hula. Also there's my favorite lunchbox for 3 years running - one of those "I wish I had invented that" items. It changed our lunch-packing lives and you'll see that others are even more kooky about it when you check out the lunch photos link.....there's a link to a good example of my dream car - if I could figure out how to get a bit more power out of the engine, I'd have a VW 23-window Samba right this very minute. Chocolate and Zucchini is a delicious food blog. She went to Barcelona right after we did, has some good recommendations, and most importantly, if you find the El Bulli link, she went to what is purported to be "the best restaurant in the world" in northern Spain (Scott's dream restaurant) and took photos of each and every one of the 35 courses. That's dedication. Manila Market is a great site to figure out how to use all those foods you can buy at Berkeley Bowl but don't know how to cook with (or if you're really daring, find a recipe and then go to 99 Ranch where you're sure to find the ingredients).

14 September 2006

This is the first post of my Blog. Am I late to the party? Yes, of course I am. Contrary to some beliefs, I am not actually an early adapter in all things tech. I like to sit back and wait to see how something will work into my life the way I want. Then I grab hold and go. So I finally decided that I simply want a place to write down things that have occurred to me right this minute. There won't necessarily be any theme or any ties that bind. Of course Ry and Si will show up often - something they said or did that I feel the need to share. Or my latest discovery at Target or online.....nothing earth-shattering, but possibly good for a quick run down to pick one up. Or maybe my latest musical obsession and why I can't live without it at that moment. Or, as you see here, a photo that I'm fascinated with - I have no idea where I found this one, but the minute I saw it I loved it. It isn't anyone I know, but it could easily be me and my mother - with the curly hair on the girl and the 60's 'do and killer swimsuit on the mom, it surely could pass for the two of us. Okay - that's the beginning. If I try to write too much, it will become overwhelming and I won't keep at it.