Berry funky flavor

Have you heard the latest? There's this West African berry - Miracle Fruit (Sideroxylon dulcificum) that numbs your sour and bitter taste buds so it makes everything you eat afterwards taste totally sweet!

And what's even more crazy is that these guys from NY have started importing it and having "Flavor Tripping" parties! They supply the berry and the buffet, and you go to town freaking out about how the grapefuit tastes like pixi stix and the cheese tastes like frosting. They did a write up on it in the NY Times. Sounds like a bunch of people x-ing if you ask me, but hey, this is like food x. Can't be all bad!

They're having one of these parties on monday, but it's sold out already. But check out the site and sign up for the mailing list so you can know in time for the next one. These guys also seem to sell the berries so you could have your own flavor trip party too! But buyer beware, the fruit is highly perishable and very expensive - like $2 a berry.

Peace Out!

Oooh. That's so Cheezy!

Sometimes, we all just want a little cheese. And it's even better if it's tasty cheese! Don't miss the opportunity this sunday at Bar Bambino in the Mission to tast award winning cheeses from the American Cheese Society's 25th Annual Convention and Competition. Now that's a convention I would happily attend. But you might have to roll me out of there at the end!

The folks at Bar Bambino are pairing these cheeses with award winning wines as well for a perfect sunday afternoon treat. You'll need to reserve a spot and pay ahead, so visit their site for more info.

Say Cheese!http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

Donuts go high brow

Is it bad if I think a lemon-thyme donut with honey glaze sounds better than an Old Fashioned? Does that officially make me a yuppie foodie? Well, if it does, so be it. I just read about he opening of Dynamo Donut and Coffee in the mission, and I can't wait until my travels take me past there, and there's that parking spot right out front to justify me stopping in. I mean, I can't go out to get a donut with no other motive, right? But the bacon-apple with maple glaze or caramel fleur de sel donuts might just make me do that. Thank goodness I don't live within walking distance or I would have gone today for breakfast!

Of course these donuts are made with the highest quality local and organic ingredients like Mint Hill honey made from real hives in the Castro. Talk about local. But all this attention to detail does still ignore one, that they are still deep fried, and the fat will still stick to your gut/thighs/other problem areas. So proceed at your own risk. But enjoy every moment.

Gimme some Umami

Have you ever heard of this - Umami, the 5th taste? It's this Japanese sensation that from what I can gather - is basically seaweed. Well not really, but that's one of the things that is has the umami flavor - sort of a sweet/salty/acidic combo. Typically it was brought out in foods by using MSG, but now chefs are exploring other ways to introduce it to us.

The Umami Information Center (now that's a niche if there ever was one) is hosting a tasting dinner at the Hyatt downtown on the 21st. I totally want to go, but I'll be at another wedding. But you should go! One of the chefs is Thomas Keller! It's only $100 - a good price for a special meal prepared by start chefs, if you ask me. You'll have to take the day off work though - it's a Monday from 11:30AM - 4:30PM. A regular umami feast it sounds like.

But, if like me you're not around, or your boss knows umami isn't a disease that can keep you "home from work," the restaurant Ame has their own umami tasting menu that is available from July 14-Aug 3.


And if you'd rather try it at home, you can find recipes on the Umami Info site. Yum! I also found this cookbook on Amazon. I might have to add it to my library. I'm so intrigued by the way they say umami is in foods from around the world - and they happen to be all my favorites! Everything from gazpacho and salads with anchovies to Vietnamese Spring Rolls to those crazy Japanese "pizzas," okonomiyaki.



Bon Appetit!

Now it's time for the blue, white and red!

I know I've posted something about this here last year, but I still like it, and hope that this year, I'll actually be able to go! It's almost time again for bastille day, and the french are getting started early at the Rickshaw Stop with the 10th anniversary of Bardot-a-go-go.

Back in '96 I spent Bastille Day in Paris with my friend whose b-day is right before. We celebrated her 21st b-day dancing all night long in a club near the Arch de Triumph. We didn't want to pay to take a taxi home, so we stayed out until the subway started up again at 6am. Anyway, the point of my story is, that I'm going to do my best to get her to come out on Friday night to go to this! Although I suspect we'll be home before 6 this time.

Crafty Junkie

If you are as much of a junky for modern craft fairs as I am, then you should head over to Fort Mason next weekend for the Renegade Craft Fair. Thankfully, craft fairs have evolved from the crochet kleenex box cozies and seashell animal art I saw ask a kid, to cool, small production t-shirts, beautiful letterpress stationery, and funky tote bags. I checked out the link to some of the vendors at this event, and there's even a custom flavor vegan ice cream vendor. Sounds like it's worth a try!

Apparently this fair has been held successfully in Brooklyn and Chicago, so we're lucky they've expanded to us here in SF! There are 200 vendors, and since they received double that amount of applicants, the sponsor has had to carefully choose the best ones to include, most exemplifying the idea of DIY and contemporary. No doilies here!

Home for the 4th

Unfortunately, I'll be sweating out the Fourth at a wedding in North Carolina, but if you're lucky enough to be in town here in the cool fog, our friends at Fun Cheap SF have put together the most comprehensive list of 4th of July Goings on.

Were I here, I would have gone to the quaint east bay hamlet of Moraga, where my parents live to celebrate there. It's just hot enough to feel like summer, and you can sit up in the old walnut orchard to watch the fireworks. And I highly recommend checking out the Dog Parade as well. (That's my God-dog, Maya, in the foreground; she won "best body," and my dog nephew is somewhere there too, winning "smoothest coat." Every dog's a winner!)

And then there's always the stay in town option of finding a friend's roof top and camping out up there to watch the fireworks around the bay, and the scary goings on throughout the city. A couple years ago, I sat up on a rooftop near Duboce Park, and we saw the Mission going CRAZY, fire jugglers somewhere in the Castro, and some folks attempting their own shows in Potrero Hill. As well as the pro shows all the way from Sausalito to Fremont (or whatever's down that way...)

Happy 4th!

Update to the dump visit post

My friend and subscriber, John Glenn (Not the astronaut), just reminded me that I should update you all on a fantastic change to the SF recycling rules, since I had published the post about my trip to the dump.

His note today:

Just a quick Public Service Announcement:

Around Earth Day this year, San Francisco expanded their recycling of plastic. You may have previously been carefully sorting good plastic from bad, but no longer!

Plastic bags are still a NO-NO, even if they are "recyclable plastic." Same with Saran wrap. These must be put in the black trash bin. They gum up the machinery.

But any type of RIGID plastic can now go into the blue recycling bin!

Here's a summary chart:

http://www.sunsetscavenger.com/residential/recycling.php?t=r

Ugly site, useful info

While they should definitely win the award for ugliest website, SanFranGasPrices.com does offer us a very useful service - showing listings of your local gas prices and where the stations are. I was happy to see that the stations I usually choose are both the same price, and within realm of being on the cheaper side. And if you really want to drive all the way across town for the cheapest gas, now you'll know where to go, and you can even map it.


They also offer some other interesting tools, like the gas price temperature map - this map shows the distribution of prices across the country - with California being nice and red - the most expensive. I guess there are other reasons why we live here, right?


And there's this chart that shows the price increase over the months or years. Makes me a little sick to realize it wasn't THAT long ago that I was paying $1-something for gas, and now it's gone up a dollar in about 2 months, where it took 2 years to do that between 2002 and 2004! Scary.

Go to the beach!

I just saw this, and thought it looked so cool, that I must share!

Sue Lawty, an artist working with the Victoria and Albert museum in London has created this project that we can all help her out with - it's called the "World Beach Project." The idea is that people from all over the world go to the beach, collect stones, organize them by color, size, etc. and create some sort of drawing with them on the sand. Then the process is photographed by the artist (one photo of the whole beach, one of the work in progress, and one of the final product.) and uploaded to the V&A site for the project and pinpointed on a google map. You can go here to see what people have done all over the world so far. And there's only one submission from the Marin Headlands, so I think SF is prime for an addition!

I think I'm going to make one soon! I'll share my pics when I do it. And hopefully if any of you do, share too! you can add a comment to this post and put your link here for us to see your pics!

Chocolatey treats

I know wine and chocolate often fill these pages, but there's something about it that draws me in... and this time it's Charles Chocolates - and all their events. I saw a listing for their Chocolate making class on Daily Candy today. Which sounded great! Learn from the experts! Why not? But read further down their page, and they're showing chocolate/foodie movies on their porch for the summer months! How sweet is that?

Sounds like a great way to spend a friday night in the East Bay!

From their site:
All movies will start playing at 8:30pm and are FREE to attend!
June 13th: Chocolat (2000). Lasse Hallstrom. USA.
June 27th: Ratatouille (2007). Brad Bird. USA.
July 11th: Like Water for Chocolate (1992). Alfonso Arau. Mexico.
July 25th: Big Night (1996). Stanley Tucci and Campbell Scott. USA.
August 8th: Mostly Martha (2001). Sandra Nettlebeck. Germany.
August 22nd: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). Tim Burton. USA.

Geek out with Dad

All our dad's have probably had enough of the typical Dad's day celebrations - golf, naps, us mowing the lawn for them, things like that. This year, why not try something a little out of the norm - and probably most appealing to those dads you've been giving sci-fi books to for his birthday each year - a trip to RoboGames at Fort Mason. As they say on their website:
RoboGames is the world's largest open robot competition (even the Guinness Book of World Records says so!) We invite the best minds from around the world to compete in over 70 different events. Combat robots, walking humanoids, soccer bots, sumo bots, and even androids that do kung-fu. Some robots are autonomous, some are remote controlled - but they're all cool!

Events include Fire-Fighting, Lego Challenge, Sumo Figthing, Bartending, Botsketball, Kung Fu, Weightlifting and more!

A little fun for us graphic designers

Today I had a productive morning, but I'm losing steam. I came across this video and it totally made me laugh.



Now I know where to send pesky clients, because who needs designers anyway? :)

Back on its perch

The Owl Tree - one of those cozy little corner haunts that adds to the texture of San Francsico - was in danger of becoming extinct when its owner passed away earlier this year, but luckily it was saved, supposedly by his son. But some swanky bar types swooped in and transformed it to the yuppie lounge it is now. Following the style of Bourbon and Branch, they're offering fancy cocktails, and the decor was all cleaned up. The tchocky owls were preserved only in small numbers - mostly in a case to honor the prior owner.

So, it may not be the dingy nest it used to be, but it's probably worth a visit, since it's still an institution.

Sketchy 4th Street

I'm back from a trip to Austin for a conference and back to staying up on things here... Yesterday I had a meeting in Berkeley and took a break to go to Fourth Street in Berkeley for lunch, a trip to the book store, and of course a treat at my favorite little ice cream store there - Sketch.

They make soft serve ice cream in all sorts of trendy flavors - my favorites being Burnt Caramel and Earl Grey. Yesterday they had Burnt Caramel with the delightfully tangy Plain Yogurt in the same machine so I could get a swirl cone of that topped with the unexpected olive oil and sea salt I've been hearing so much about... I must say, it was a delicious combo.

I will admit that I miss their hard ice cream that they used to make - nothing beat the Earl Grey ice cream sandwich between their homemade lavender shortbread cookies... Now I just have to get a cookie on the side - not quite the same.

They do make ice cream cakes - I bet those are divine! (and pricy - saving that idea for a very special occasion)

So, when you get tired of the same old-same old at the Ferry Building in SF, head across the bridge to 4th Street in Berkeley for a larger scale version with many more foodie treats. They also have a Napa Style store (I have a secret crush on Michael Chiarello), with a sea salt tasting bar, many great lunch spots, from Betty's Diner to a really good asian noodle place we tried this time. And, of course, you never know the bargains you'll find at the Crate and Barrel outlet there too!

And while I'm at it, I'll share my other secret of 4th Street - located just 2 blocks down on 4th is the Takara Sake factory - makers of Sho Chiku Bai sake that you have most definitely encountered in local restaurants. Here you can visit their tasting room and learn all about their whole range of products - we had a very educational visit, and enjoyed trying it all! And Sake is nowhere near as expensive as wine, so coming home with some bottles is a reasonable option, and it doesn't get fresher than straight off the bottling line!

Take to the streets!

Sorry for flaking on posting lately. I totally missed out on telling you about National Cocktail Week last week - I hope you had a couple anyway!

But today I'm going to do a two for one since I found 2 interesting things to do this weekend, but of course, they're on the same day!



First, head down to the Mission on Sunday morning to see the Carnival parade. My friend is performing in one of the dance troupes, so I'm excited to see her! (BTW, that's not her in the pic, she said her costume is a little more "covered." I don't blame her!) Here are her suggestions:

1. The parade starts at 24th and Bryant at about 10am (we are #20 out of 80 groups or so and the name of our group is 'Caribe Sabroson' - we are the Mission Cultural Center's contingent)
2. It winds over to Mission (not Bryant!) and down Mission until we hit 17th
3. It then turns right (East) on 17th Street
4. It then turns left (North) on South Van Ness (which is essentially the end for watchers... it does go down to 15th, but that is not a true watching area).

I recommend finding a spot somewhere on Mission, between 24th and 18th (the corner at 17th will be weird and you may not see us well) After you hoot and holla for us, you can head over to hear the Carnaval bands, check out the food booths, vendors, and main stage (more live performances- samba, etc) that are all along Harrison street, essentially parallel to Mission, from 24th to 17th.




And next, once you're all fed and happy with tacos and salsa music, head over to Hayes valley for Capsule - a design festival full of local artisans. I'm a sucker for these things, but they usually have great stuff. I've decided not to buy jewelry from stores anymore - only artisans, and I always get compliments! They'll be set up until 6, so that should give you plenty of shopping time. And then you're right there among all those great restaurants for dinner!

Looking forward to a good day on Sunday!

For Old Time's Sake

Here's a fun way to pass the time - find an old picture of yourself and re-create it today. Check out the ones people have done already on Old Me/Young Me, part of the Colorwars blog. I'm sure the family will get a kick out of it - might even make a good mom's day gift. In this case a couple of pictures are worth all the words...

A toast to Mom

The common theme I've seen in the listings I've gotten this week was taking your mom wine tasting for Mother's Day. So, here you have it. A list of all the drinking wine with mom activities I came across. There's one in different parts of the bay area, so I'm sure the other wineries, tasting rooms, and wine bars in the area would welcome your mom as well. We took my mom wine tasting in Livermore for her b-day last year, and she had a great time, so I think this idea is "mom tested, kid approved."

Battaion Cellars - Blacksmith Square - Downtown Livermore
Mothers Day Weekend Champagne Celebration at Battaion Cellars!
May 10, 2008 (Sat) - May 11, 2008 (Sun)
There will be live music in our fabulous courtyard on Sat May10th to jump start the weekend! We will have EXTRA SPECIAL (Cold Stone is one) treats that pair fabulously with all of our bubblies. Treat that special mom with an afternoon of sun, fun and delicious Battaion champagne!
(note from the blogger: my sis lives in Livermore, and says this place is fun!)

The Jug Shop Wine Bar - San Francisco
May 11, 2008 (Sun)
Were you a difficult child? Then what better way to share the warm fuzzies with Mom than to treat her to a fabulous tasting of one of Central Otago's most beloved wineries? And as our way of giving props to great mothers everywhere, moms taste free when accompanied by offspring of legal drinking age who purchase a ticket!

Hall St. Helena Winery
Celebrate with Mom at Hall Winery
May 11, 2008 (Sun)
For every paid tasting, we are offering all Moms a complimentary chair massage, a glass of our newly released 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, and a family portrait to commemorate the day.

BR Cohn - Glen Ellen (Sonoma)
Mothers Day Wine and Roses
Sunday, May 11
Bring Mom to B.R. Cohn Winery and we will treat her to a complementary wine tasting and a long stem rose.

Read on an empty stomach

I'm sparing you a photo on this one. I just ate lunch and then read this site, and oof - not good. But for a foodie like me, still relatively interesting. It's a website of the world's 6 most un-appetizing foods. From sheep heads to bugs to baby mice wine, I'm not sure what's really the worst. I don't think I ever want to be on Survivor either...

Check it out if you can stomach it: Cracked.com: The 6 Most Terrifying Foods in the World

Make up your mind, already!

It's tough - this election business. The candidates blur the lines between each other's standpoints, in some cases so much that it's hard to know what the difference really is. Well, I found the shirts to express your frustration (or ambivalence).

Headline Shirts has an Obama shirt with Hillary's face, and a Hillary shirt wtih Obama. Pretty funny if you ask me.

What's up Doc?

Did you go through the Doc Marten's phase? I did. I loved my Docs. I felt so cool when I wore them with my baggy jeans and flannel. Just like they did in Seattle. But I wasn't even a Pearl Jam fan. More a Morrissey/Cure fan myself. But I wore those Docs to every concert I went to in high school, I think.

Now, I didn't draw on my Docs. I liked them nice and black. A little patina to show they'd been around, but no white out anarchy symbols or duct tape or anything. But technology has changed and Doc Martens is able to print all sorts of crazy stuff on their shoes now! And they're having a contest to let you design your own, and possibly win, and have your design chosen to be made. I made my design (see above) and as you can tell, I was a bit inspired by the other day's post about that artist. But I'm super into Navy this season, so I decided the Doc had to go prep and go Navy. But the stripes are there to keep them fun.

So either vote for my design or submit your own, or both!

Word Art

I just came across this one on Flavor Pill, and wish I saw it earlier to go to the opening! I guess I'll have to make it there before it closes. Greg Lamarche is having a show at White Walls gallery in SF of his typographic collages. They're a little reminiscient of Rex Ray, but has his own style that goes towards graffiti art too.

From what I can tell from his website and other internet sleuthing, he's a graffiti artist from New York who got his inspiration from the urban typography of the subway trains.

Quick, before it melts!

Sorry to those of you who subscribe and won't get this until tomorrow... I forgot to post it yesterday, but today is Ben and Jerry's Free Cone Day! Always something to look forward to! I think I'm going to have ice cream for lunch and walk down to the one on Haight St.

They say it's their 30th birthday today too - I hope it's not all downhill from there! Definitely time for them to start watching their waistline. At least that was my turning 30 experience...

Happy World Penguin Day!

On the 25th of April each year, the Adelie penguins answer nature's call to start their northward migration to fatten up while the winter sets in in Antarctica. They head out to sea to munch on krill and fish, rest on icebergs and do whatever penguins do. Since it gets dark in Antarctica at this time of year, they head north so they can have a better chance of seeing the food their hunting for, and to escape the chilliest part of the year. They'll return in spring to start nesting and having chicks.

Interestingly enough, one year, the penguins in the San Francisco Zoo decided to migrate after the introduction of some new guys into their colony. They started their "migration" in January, thrown off by being in the Northern Hemisphere, I'm sure, and continued to swim in circles around their pool for about 2 months. Read more about it in the Chronicle links here:
Penguins at SF Zoo start migrating
Migration Over
As far as I know, they haven't done that since. I guess once was enough.

What's the story behind this photo you're wondering? Well, I LOVE penguins, because they make me laugh when they walk, they're awesome swimmers, they survive in the worst conditions in the world, and yet they maintain a great attitude towards life. I've noticed more and more these days that penguins have become increasingly popular, and I've started to see their likenesses appearing in the most unusual places. Countries that probably have never even seen a penguin are making penguin tchotchkys (which I of course have to buy). But I love the international interpretation of this bird. In Vietnam, they don't even have a word for penguin, yet they have trash cans in their shape all over the country, and a bar called "the Flightless Bird Bar" with a penguin logo! This photo is of my collection of international penguins.

Put on your tux, waddle about, eat some fish, visit the penguins at the zoo in honor of World Penguin Day today!

Pinhole secrets

You may have visited the Giant Camera out by the Cliff House for your pinhole camera fix, but this time take a Bus Obscura around the city to get a peek through a pinhole on Sunday. Apparently it's Worldwide Pinhole Photography day that day, and this is RayKo Photo Center's way of celebrating.

They say on their website, "The Bus Obscura is a passenger bus converted to a multiple aperture camera obscura using a rear projection technique that allows the individual images to flow into one another. As the bus moves down the street a 360 degree animated panorama is created inside."

Sounds like it's worth a ride!

Second Skin

The Exploratorium never ceases to amaze me. There's always something interesting going on there, and it's not always tricks for kids! This Friday, they're having an opening for their Second Skin exhibit, a show featuring artists who have designed clothing using new, technologically advanced fabrics and notions. And candy bar wrappers. So, if you're addicted to Project Runway, it sounds like this might be one for you!

The opening night event is also featuring workshops where you can learn to crochet with e-l wire, or build blinking baubbles. Sounds like a good night out!

And if you miss opening night, the show is on display until Sept 7, so you're good to go.

The Great Water Bottle Debate

In honor of Earth Day today, I'd like to raise an issue that I keep hearing about. Water Bottles. Do you use the plastic ones that we're supposed to recycle and make polar fleece out of? Or are you a crunchy-granola-Nalgene carrying type? Or have you caught on to the latest trend - the aluminum Sigg? All have their merits and controversies, so I'll throw it out here for you to make your own call.


1 - The standard plastic water bottle. Now these have made some recent imprvovements, as Arrowhead is touting, their new Eco-Shape that uses less plastic, but still holds the same amount of water. I actually like these since they have a narrower "wasit" making them easy to carry while running/hiking etc.


2 - Nalgene bottles - These used to be the eco-friendly choice for hikers and college students, but recent research has determined that a chemical (BPA) that seeps out of the plastic could be harmful, as discussed in this NYT article. If you read the article closer, you'll see that you have to ingest A LOT of it, or be a baby, but still, who wants that in their bodies? Nalgene does have their response posted on their site too, so you can decide what you want. Plus they now have a bottle that pairs with a Brita filter so you can be drinking even cleaner water. Do you think that filter filters out the bad stuff from the plastic bottle? Now there's a question.


3 - The Sigg - I haven't heard any negatives on these, but then again, I've never used on either, so I can't really comment. My concern is that it would be heavy. But water's heavy anyway, so maybe not. And they do have pretty cool graphics on them, so you can really show off your personal style by your choice of water bottle. We always can use another outlet for personal style, right? Here are their environmental justifications. And they do say you can put alcohol in them, but not to store it there since it might ferment and blow up. Not the exact words, but you get the idea...







4 - Glass - I don't think these are really intended for carrying around, but if you really crave that plastic water bottle shape, but want to be more eco-groovy, these glass versions of the standard are just what you need on your dinner table.






5 - the good ol' drinking fountain - These seem to be much fewer and farther between these days with the advent of all these other water containers, but I think we should go back here. You only drink what you need, you don't have to clean them (someone else does...) you don't have to carry them, and they keep you on your toes since you never know if you're going to get water up your nose with a sudden burst from the fountain.

Let it all Hang Out

This is a new one - National Hanging Out Day - just in time for Earth Day. Instead of running even your energy efficient drier, the folks at Project Laundry List are encouraging people to hang their laundry out to dry on Saturday as a statement to slow global warming. The solar powered drier, aka the clothes line, has been in use for centuries, and still seems to work.

Here are some statistics from their website:
In this country, six to ten percent of residential energy use goes toward running clothes dryers. The average American uses more energy running a clothes dryer than the average African uses in a year for all her energy needs.

And if you can believe it, there are some communities that have rules against having clothes lines for aesthetic reasons. The Project Laundry List people are introducing "Right to Dry" legislation to help these people so that we can all enjoy that "outdoor fresh scent" straight from the backyard/fire escape/balcony/etc.

Hang it up!

Building the Bigger Mousetrap

Who said bigger is better? Were they talking about mousetraps? Well, if you subscribe to this theory, you should check out the Life Size Moustrap at the Haunted Barn this weekend. I remember loving that game when I was a kid, even though it took forever to set up, and was a little cloogy when you put the marbles through. But hey, I'd love to see it life size!

Head down towards Hunter's Point to check it out. They'll set it off 3 times during the operating hours on Friday (party night 9pm-12am), and 5 times Saturday (family day 2pm-12am). There will be other rowdy entertainment to keep you busy - from can can dancing mice to chicken sh** bingo. Don't ask me. I think you'll have to see for yourself.

Busy Bay

Unfortunately I work from home in a little room under the stairs. Not quite as little as Harry Potter's room, and there is a window, but it only looks out to an air shaft and a sliver of the window of the house next door where I hear all sorts of strange noises... So, it can get a little claustrophobic in here, especially when I realize I have no idea what it's like outside other than either it's raining or not.

Today I came across this HD webcam with a beautiful view of the bay. I've bookmarked it so I can pretend my office is really on the waterfront in Sausalito. It has the bonus feature of telling you the names of all the ships coming and going through the bay. Ever wonder where that tanker was headed as you saw it sliding under the Golden Gate? Well, this site will tell you!

And here's a timelapse shot of bay fog clearing over the course of the day, all the boat traffic zooming through, and the sunset fading into black, that just epitomizes what it's like to live here.

Austrian Wine Tasting

We've done South African, New Zealand, Napa, Sonoma, and I'm sure a few other wine regions on here, but not Austrian yet, until now. No, not Australian, Austrian. That little country in the middle of Europe known for its Grüner Veltliner. What's that, you ask? I have no idea! I have yet to taste many Austrian wines, so now's the time!

Next Monday, the 21st there will be an Austrian wine tasting event at the ferry building. It's put on by the Masters of Wine, a British organization "to promote the highest level of educational achievement for the wine industry." So you might just learn a thing or two while you're there. And if you don't want to show up knowing NOTHING about Austrian wine, I found this site to shed some light.

Earth Day Free Concert in the Park

It's that time of year again - Earth Day hits SF next sunday, with another rendition of the Green Apple Music Festival. This year, the lineup includes Mickey Hart and, my fave, Brett Dennen. I wish I knew what time he was on, since I'd love to go check him out. There are a couple other bands I don't know, Yonder Mountain String Band and Dan Hicks and The Hot Licks, but I'm sure they're good hippie-dippy music. And hopefully next weekend is as beautiful as this one!

You're sayin' the FBI's gonna pay me to learn to surf?

OMG - One of my all time cheezy movie favorites is being produced on stage! Apparently some brilliant minds have decided to perform Point Break LIVE here in SF!

On stage at the Xeneodrome Theater in Bernal Heights, you can catch the wave too - this friday - may 3 only on fri and sat nites for $25. A great way to spend an evening, if you ask me, even if Keanu and Anthony Kedis aren't really in this one...

Radical, dude.

Three Martini Monday

So, your week is already off to a crummy start, and you need something to look forward to... as well as a venue to vent to your work comrades about it all. Well, I came across just the thing. Book a table at Scala's Bistro for their month of April lunch special - a Three Martini Lunch.

I came across this on Thrillist - and it just sounded too good to be true. I decided to do some fact checking - and according to Scala's it is the real deal! They just don't say anything about it on their website for some reason... Anyway, the deal is this - Prix Fixe menu - $50 gets you "a trio of martinis (Stoli, Kettle, Tanqueray, or Bombay)to down while munching on a Caesar, a grilled flat iron steak w/ "Cafe de Paris" butter and pommes frites, and a mini dessert." And apparently, the bill will just say "prix fixe lunch," so no worries if you want to attribute this one to some "team-building" back at the office.

And according to the lady at Scala's there are still plenty of lunchtime slots open, so go forth and book it!

Ritch is Back

330 Ritch Street. I remember it well. I was 19, Popscene was all the rage for those of those of us who needed somewhere cool to go to escape the burbs. Flash forward 7 years or so, I'm working down on Townsend during the dot com hype, and 330 Ritch had the best BBQ lunch plate in the hood. Lunch was short lived there as dot com cleared out. Then flash forward 5 more years, 330 Ritch and Popscene are STILL going! I went to see Trashcan Sinatras there - a flashback to age 18. I definitely felt old, but nothing beats bopping around to some brit pop in that cozy brick-walled space.

Well, I guess 330 Ritch has undergone some renovations recently, and now they're back again! But this time, their kitchen doesn't open until 2AM when they're going to serve tapas and snack for the late night crowd. In fine style I'm sure. Thrillist describes it as a mod gentleman's club inspired by vintage Stanford prep. Apparently the chalkboard menus were snagged from Stanford classrooms. So, maybe you get smart if you eat there too!

Fully Flared

This came across my screen last week, and I should have posted it then, but it's still cool. I'm kind of a sucker for cool skate/snowboard videos - I love warren miller, and this weekend I watched some snowboard ones with some friends in Tahoe and it totally got me all jazzed to go out on the mountain on sunday. But the one I want to share with you today is called Fully Flared directed by Spike Jonze. Click the link to check out the intro on YouTube. It's awesome. Slo-mo skateboarding over exploding obstacles. Like Tony Hawk Pro Skater crossed with dynamite, but in real life. I love playing Tony Hawk, BTW. The closest I'll get to getting on a board, but maybe there'll be a Wii version of it sometime...

Anyway, I think I'm going to purchase the whole DVD. Looks like SK8S on Haight has it in stock - I may have to walk down there tomorrow and get it! Fun!

Budometer

Hey! I'm back! I know it's been a while since I've had some things of the day. But I was on vacation for about a month. I kind of wish I still was, but hey, you've got to return to reality eventually.

So, this morning I was catching up on old newspapers sitting on my kitchen table, and I came across this really interesting article in the Chron about how your taste buds influence the kind of wine you'll like. I've always thought it is way too subjective of a matter to have some snooty experts telling you what's supposed to be good. Apparently, this guy, Tim Hanni, agrees, and he's developed a way to count your taste buds and determine whether you're a supertaster, sensitive, or tolerant, and if you have a sweet tooth, that changes it too. Check out his website, Budometer, that explains more, and you can also take his quick test online to see what kind of taster you are. I'm apparently into sweet. I could have told you that anyway, but good to know its validated. :)

Cheers!

Communication Aid

Do you sometimes have a hard time saying what you are really feeling? Or find those personal moments to be a bit intimidating. Well, I just learned about this website which might be a great solution for you. The Bureau of Communication has developed a series of pre-made forms where you can fill in the blanks with details on the issue at hand. There are forms for everything from an airing of a grievance (see above sample) to unsolicited feedback or even an official invitation.

And who knows, this may even save a marriage or two!

My day at the Dump

It's not every day that you have a life changing experience, and probably even less often that the experience is at the dump. But today, I got to go on a tour of the San Francisco Dump (aka recycling and waste station) and it has completely changed my perspective on what I do with my trash, and how I accumulate and dispose of it!

First - a couple stats:
The dump throws into the "Pit" 2000 tons of trash a day. That's a lot of stinky, smelly trash. just looking at this pic makes the smell come back to me, and it's not pretty.


68% of this trash in the pit is recyclable or compostable. That stench comes from the food scraps that are all compostable. Take a look at this picture and see what you can spot that does not belong in the trash:

I see A LOT of paper and cardboard and wood and metal that can be recycled as construction materials.

I also learned a lot about composting. Which was convenient since that was one of my new year's resolutions - to actually compost my kitchen trash, not just when I garden. First off - even just last night, I had to throw away a milk carton, and I didn't know where it should go. Turns out, waxed paperboard products go in the green can! Not paper recycling - it gums up those machines. And not the trash. Although, if you're really good, you'll tear out those plastic spouts before composting.

The San Francisco compost is particularly loved by the farmers because of our diverse foods that end up in the compost. This is the best way to give back to the earth - and really easy too!

Another tip I learned was ways to contain your compost if you're not using that little mini green bin from the trash company. The guy giving our tour said he just takes a paper bag each day, lines it with newspaper to absorb the moisture, and fills it with the kitchen scraps, and takes it out at the end of the day. Another alternative was to use one of those juice or milk cartons and just put stuff in that and then toss it in the green can. In my earlier attempt to fulfill my resolution, I bought one of those nice looking bins with the carbon filters in it, and line it with a bio-bag (compostable plastic bag), and that's what I'm using now. But I kind of wish I knew the carton idea before...

And really bad is putting your recycling or compost in regular plastic bags. They are neither compostable or recyclable (where the other stuff is), and they get wound around the machines and make a mess. Don't do it!

Other things I learned:
* Anything that used to be alive can go in the green can - plant or animal.
* Don't bother with the garbage disposal. Just compost it. It just creates sewer sludge and pollutes the ocean.
* Try as much as possible to not accumulate trash. If something you buy comes in unnecessary packaging - give it back to the place it came from (ie - drycleaner hangers - give 'em back! They love them!). If your take out arrives in a plastic bag - give it back, and maybe they'll learn that people don't want bags!
* Some grocery stores do recycle plastic bags. I've been doing that for a while.
* The plastics we can recycle are #2, #4, and #5, and any plastic bottle. Anything else goes in the trash.
* The dump accepts old paint that you haven't used. They also take that paint and mix it up into different colors, and repackage it into 5 gallon buckets and send it to places in need of paint! Like africa, and asia, and places in south america - really any developing nation that needs to paint hospitals and nursery schools and things like that. They also have a locker of paint that the public can just take - unopened gallons and mineral spirits and other things you might need for a DIY project on the cheap!
* There are 12 places in the ocean that all together are around the size of Texas (I've heard many different stats on the size - let's just say it's HUGE) that are where the ocean currents come together and there is this "island" of trash. A lot of it is plastic bags. YUCK! Basically, nothing ever goes away when it goes in the trash, and a lot of it ends up in the ocean.

Two websites were given as good references. I have yet to really surf them, but check it out:
www.sfrecycling.com
Altered Oceans from the LA times

That's what I learned. I hope it enlightens you too! Compost on!

what a dish!

I'm not sure what it is, but as an adult, I rediscovered paperdolls, and I think they're totally cool. I even was one for halloween in college, and then re-purposed it in adulthood because it was such a good costume. Just attach some paper tabs to a cute outfit (don't forget the hat) and you're good to go.

So, when I saw these melamine plates online, they called out to me. From a seemingly cool website - Loft Party. Kind of an online Urban Outfitters. I kind of want to buy everything on there. And for the most part things are reasonably priced. Perfect pop of color for the winter doldrums.

Promise - I'll get back to the wacky events of SF soon - I'm having fun shopping right now. :)

Make your own cookbook

Don't you hate it when you are looking at a cookbook, but you really only want about half the recipes? Well now you can assemble one yourself with the recipes you'll actually use!

TasteBook has a really cool online tool where you can design your own cookbook with really pretty pictures, and access recipes from epicurious.com and bon appetit. And if you're an epicurious member like I am, you can automatically upload your recipe box from there into the TasteBook. You can also upload your own recipes. Their tabbed sections keep things nice and organized.

This might just be the perfect solution to one of those "get organized" new years resolutions!