rickemmanuel

bad morning

2011-06-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

the #2 bus i was on this morning was in an accident. the bus was somewhat full with some standing and a passenger on a wheelchair. i had a funny inkling when the wheelchair person boarded the bus being pushed by a man. instead of strapping the wheelchair, the man put the manual brakes and stood behind the wheelchair holding onto it. we were halfway across Powell St when the bus driver braked and

Solvang New Year's 2011

2011-01-06T13:03:00.000-08:00

Charmaine Clamor Jazzipino

2011-01-04T13:21:00.000-08:00

http://doodlinlounge.podomatic.com/entry/2010-12-23T11_20_16-08_00

Christmas baking

2010-12-25T14:04:00.000-08:00

Just finished making these: Cranberry Pistachio Cookies and Chocolate Espresso Cookies. All that's missing is a glass of sparkling wine.

Post-Impressionist at the DeYoung Museum

2010-12-22T21:16:00.000-08:00

tableau vivant!

2010-10-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

Carl Warner's Landscapes Made of Foodstuffs euromaxx

I WON...twice!

2010-10-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was listening to Star 101.3 on the radio and the DJ said to call now and gave their number. Without really paying much attention to what the prize was, I dialed the number. First try, I got a busy signal. Second try, it rang. I had it on speakerphone so I picked it up and said, "Hello?!" The man on the other end said, "Hello, you won!" All I could utter was, "Really?" He then said, "

une nuit Parisienne (Paris by Night)

2010-09-14T11:23:00.000-07:00

Une nuit Parisienne (Paris by night) from manemos on Vimeo.

orange poppy seed and olive oil mini muffins

2010-05-24T20:39:00.000-07:00

we just finished baking these...they look yummy, huh?

Musee D'Orsay comes to the DeYoung

2010-05-19T23:03:00.000-07:00

Special: The Musée d'Orsay comes to the de Young Posted using ShareThis

Musee D'Orsay comes to the de Young

2010-05-18T12:19:00.000-07:00

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/video?id=7444110

pomelo on Check Please! Bay Area

2010-05-14T12:16:00.000-07:00

pomelo on Adobo Nation

2010-03-31T12:35:00.000-07:00

Earth Hour

2010-03-26T12:33:00.000-07:00

Turn off the lights for an hour on March 27 starting at 8:30

undersea poem

2010-02-27T10:05:00.000-08:00

Undersea Poem - "Makes Me Happy" Directed by Felipe Joffily from Six Degrees on Vimeo.

undersea poem

2010-02-26T19:42:00.000-08:00

love, love, love this groupUndersea Poem: Menina que Corre from Zachary Hill on Vimeo.

food for the gods

2009-12-30T19:28:00.000-08:00

First time for me to bake these cookies. They were easy to make. 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted1/2 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/4 teaspoon salt1 cup dates, pitted and chopped (you could use raisins instead)1 cup butter3/4 cup white sugar1 cup packed brown sugar3 large eggs1 tsp.vanilla extract1

braised beef short ribs

2009-12-23T21:56:00.000-08:00

This past Thanksgiving we ate a late lunch with Maman and some friends at Auberge du Soleil in Napa . It was a four course to-do. Most of the party ordered the braised beef short ribs for their main. I opted for the fish which was good but nothing to rave about. My friend gave me a bite of the shortrib and it was the most delicious shortrib I've tasted. On our way home, as usual, we discussed how

goat cheese and onion confit tart with smoked bacon

2009-11-23T19:40:00.000-08:00

we recently served this to friends and it was a hit...puff pastry (store bought)2-3 slices of smoked bacon or lardon (optional)2 large onions2 tbsp balsamic vinegar1-2 tbsp butter1 tsp sugarsalt and pepper1 tsp chopped thymeslice the bacon about 1", saute until some of the fat has rendered and set aside.thinly slice onions. set pan on high heat and add butter. let butter melt then add the sliced

Baptiste is HOT!!!

2009-05-03T12:38:00.000-07:00

sound of music

2009-04-13T18:07:00.000-07:00

this made my day!

facebook madness

2009-04-12T19:13:00.000-07:00

Okay, I relented and signed up for a Facebook account. Well, actually it was Emmanuel who did it for me since he didn't want his name on FB. Today is the second day and I've got 12 'friends'. I like the idea of being able to let 'friends' know what you're up to and how you are feeling or what you are thinking. My friends who have FB accounts are addicted. So far, I'm not impressed. The home page

birthday dinner

2009-01-22T15:38:00.000-08:00

yesterday was emmanuel's birthday. fortunately, he was able to get the night off and we had dinner at our new favorite neighborhood restaurant, Bellanico. for a rainy and cold night, the restaurant was quite busy. there was a wait for a table but there was room at the bar. we prefer eating at the bar since there is more room to spread out. we each had a glass of French bubbly whilst we perused

Slumdog Millionaire

2009-01-21T19:29:00.000-08:00

we saw this recently and we both loved it! great story, great soundtrack and dev patel is adorable.

Christmas Dinner

2008-12-26T14:38:00.000-08:00

seared scallops in a tarragon cream sauce served with curried rice

Christmas nostalgia

2008-12-25T15:08:00.000-08:00

Reminiscing about Christmases past, I remembered that Nanay would often make a chicken-macaroni salad as part of the Noche Buena. I thought that to pay tribute to my Mom's cooking, I will channel her and make my own version. My Mom used store bought mayo and poached the chicken. For our version, I used home-made mayo and store-bought roasted chicken. Instead of using elbow macaroni, we used

bittersweet

2008-11-07T21:03:00.000-08:00

The election was a bittersweet victory. Obama was elected but Prop 8 passed. We were all hopeful that prop 8 would not pass but we knew that the race was going to be tight. I am happy that Emmanuel and I were able to have our moment but sad for the others who can't (for now). The fight will continue; it ain't over yet.WHO IS TO BLAME? THEM

a change is gonna come

2008-11-04T23:28:00.001-08:00

We finally did it! The citizens of good old US of A chose the right person to lead the country and make us be proud of who we are. We all have spoken that it's time for change and hope. I am so happy that this election will not be contested as to who the winner is, unlike the 2000 and 2004 elections.Indeed a historic day! Cheers to us all!

with this ring I thee wed

2008-10-21T18:29:00.000-07:00

the day finally arrived! i didn't think much of it but it was quite an emotional moment. as we did not really prepare nor plan anything, we both went to work after the ceremony. as soon as i got to work, i announced to everyone that i just got married. my boss got flowers, some were teary-eyed, a lot of applause and happiness for us. someone got a cake for the "bride" but, alas, since it was last

No On 8

2008-10-17T19:50:00.000-07:00

No On 8, Don't Eliminate Marriage For AnyoneIt’s not the government’s place to tell couples who have been together for years whether or not they are allowed to marry. In California, we let people decide what is best for themselves – without government interference. Eliminating fundamental rights for same-sex couples treats them differently under the law – AND THAT’S WRONG. Vote No on 8.Regardless

ding dong, the bells are gonna chime

2008-09-18T12:41:00.000-07:00

Whenever I hear of people getting married, this snippet starts playing in my head. On November 4, the California same-sex marriage will be put to the test. I just read that Brad Pitt has donated monies to oppose the ban on same-sex marriages."Because no one has the right to deny another their life, even though they disagree with it, because everyone has the right to live the life they so desire

rihanna

2008-07-25T18:38:00.001-07:00

rihanna

2008-07-25T18:35:00.001-07:00

Bill came to town

2007-11-03T18:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Friday and Emmanuel and I usually had our usual late Friday lunch. We opted for Max's at the Opera Plaza. Certain areas of the plaza was cordoned off and people were standing around, some with cameras. Curious that I was, I found out that Bill Clinton was doing a signing of his new book at the Books Inc. Looking out the window, I saw Gavin Newsom walking towards the back entrance

washington dc day 4 & 5

2007-10-31T22:13:00.001-07:00

Our 4th day was spent on the National Mall. First stop was the Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. We started inside the building first then finished with the garden sculptures. The garden was soothing to walk while looking at the artwork. The garden tour took longer than I thought as there were 60 pieces spread around the garden.Across the way is the National Gallery of Art which is

washington dc day 3

2007-10-03T22:07:00.000-07:00

Cheesy pictures in front of the White House followed by a quick visit to the Corcoran Museum and Renwick Gallery. We sorta rushed through the museum as we had matinee tickets to see West Side Story at the Wolf Trap in Alexandria, Virginia. The production was okay but the setting was fabulous. On our way back to DC, we stopped at the historical Union Station, a Beaux-Arts style architecture. (We

washington dc day 2

2007-09-29T11:19:00.001-07:00

We went to the Smithsonian Freer and Sackler Galleries in the morning. The Peacock Room is a must-see, as well as the Asian art. We had tickets for the US Holocaust Memorial Museum at 12noon. What a very powerful and moving exhibit! It was very emotional and educational experience. I will always remember this. As my co-worker said, "Everyone should visit this museum."Without realizing it, we had

washington dc day 1

2007-09-26T19:20:00.000-07:00

Emmanuel and I went to Washington DC over the Labor Day holiday. We left Thursday night red-eye and arrived in DC early Friday a.m. Neither of us had been there and we didn't have any expectations nor plans. We stayed in the downtown area and the hotel allowed us to check in when we showed up at 9:45 am. We were quite close to the White House.We got tickets to visit the Washington Monument in the

it's september

2007-09-19T20:44:00.000-07:00

Emmanuel and I went out for a post-birthday dinner last Saturday with some friends. we went to Ristorante Milano in the Russian Hill area. parking was a bitch, we circled around for 15 minutes until we chanced upon a parking lot that charges $10 (what a deal!). the attendant asked us if we were headed to a particular restaurant and we told him, he said it would only cost us $7 (an even better

attack of the supermodels

2007-07-28T17:23:00.000-07:00

french patriotism

2007-04-21T22:26:00.000-07:00

the French (including E) were out in force today voting for the first stage of the electoral process. it was amazing to watch the french stand on line in the rain, some, like us, for over two hours.

you're invited

2007-04-08T11:23:00.000-07:00

Napa experience

2007-04-04T14:08:00.000-07:00

We went to Napa last Saturday to check out Copia. It was also an excuse to buy a case of Twenty Bench Cabernet Sauvignon (we got 9 of the '05 and 3 of the '04). It is full bodied with notes of plums and blackberries, well balanced and very affordable. The wine is drinkable now and it could sit up to 3 years.We decided to have lunch at Julia's Kitchen at Copia. I was looking forward to eating here

on the scene

2007-03-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks back, E and two of his friends decided to have a very late lunch and since one of them works at the old Hawthorne Lane now reincarnated as Two, they decided to eat there. The bar is open all day and so is the kitchen. I was lucky enough to be invited to tag along after work. When I got there they were already on their second bottle of Chilean Pinot Noir (Tobiano, Casablanca,

feeling good

2007-03-02T11:31:00.000-08:00

sheer madness, utter genuis

2007-02-05T20:09:00.000-08:00

I just saw the video for Christian Dior by John Galliano. Fabulous is all I can say.

babel and duck legs

2007-02-04T15:45:00.000-08:00

We went to Chinatown yesterday in search of I forgot what. In and out of stores we went and then we found a store that carried frozen duck legs. After much debate, we decided it would be that evening's dinner. Not really sure on how we were going to cook the duck, we picked up some eggplants, bell pepper, mushrooms, carrots and snow peas. I was thinking of red curry sauce but E vetoed that saying

girls night out

2007-01-27T09:52:00.000-08:00

My friend Nel and I met for cocktails and oysters at Mecca. After that, we headed off to La Ciccia, an Italian restaurant specializing in Sardinian cuisine. The place is long and narrow and the space was maximized to the fullest with a semi-open kitchen. The food was good but the service was somewhat spotty.

the devil was entertaining

2007-01-24T15:56:00.000-08:00

Guilty pleasures alert! I watched The Devil Wears Prada immediately after I finished reading the book. I was somewhat disappointed that in the movie, Miranda Priestley was transformed to a somewhat likable person. In the book she was supposed to be British and a royal bitch. Meryl Streep did a fabulous job as always. Favorite scene was where she just interviewed Andrea and told her that she had

it's his party...

2007-01-22T16:15:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was E's birthday and we basically lazed around the house. After spending/wasting time in front of the computer, we decided to go see a movie at The Parkway. The Parkway is dubbed as a speakeasy and we love going there especially if we get to snag a couch. What's great about it that they serve wine , an actual kitchen that provides food, and the price of admission, $5. It's like watching

nature 2

2007-01-19T23:43:00.000-08:00

lake tahoe, december 2006

nature 1

2007-01-17T21:41:00.000-08:00

joshua tree, september 2006

yabba-dabba-doo

2007-01-08T12:51:00.000-08:00

We completely forgot that we had made plans (in December) for some friends to come over for dinner on Saturday. To ease the stress, we opted for something easy, like a stew. Lamb shanks with dried figs and apricots braised in red wine and beef stock was perfect for that cold, winter evening. We served it with couscous and harissa. To nosh on while the lamb shank finished cooking, we opted for

a new year

2007-01-01T20:13:00.000-08:00

it was nice to see snow. it has been awhile since we've been to Lake Tahoe and we had a great time. truckee, california

Happy New Year

2006-12-30T13:09:00.000-08:00

I wish for JOY throughout 2007. We're off to Lake Tahoe for the weekend.Market Street, December 29, 2006

Wishes for 2007

2006-12-29T21:53:00.000-08:00

May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts. May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills. May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips! May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires and may happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy. May the problems you had, forget your home address!

a good time was had by all

2006-12-26T22:49:00.000-08:00

In hindsight, the dinner menu was quite ambitious. How to divide the time to cook, serve, drink and entertain all at the same time? What was the timing going to be like? Will we be able to cook correctly after a few drinks? It took a lot of pre-planning and plotting and the food came out looking and tasting fab. Our friends who were all foodies were happy and since we were discussing the current

happy Christmas

2006-12-24T19:46:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day dinner menu with friends.

sprouts in brussels?

2006-12-18T12:31:00.000-08:00

Thanks to buzzgirl, I can now say I like brussels sprouts. She has a recipe that completely turned me around. Instead of bacon, I used pancetta that I blanched beforehand to remove some of the saltiness. And like her, how I wish lardon is readily available here in the US. Funny anecdote, the last time E and I were in Paris, we bought a couple of packages of lardon and froze them. We put them in

you're welcome, Dr J

2006-12-15T12:51:00.000-08:00

and congratulations on being a Vamp pick at JanesGuide.I just found your blog! Didn't realize you twowere on Blogger too.I am so grateful that you listed mine. My hits areincreasing, and I bet some are from your readers--or their friends.Loveto Emmanuel--and see you next Thursday?J

what I am currently listening to

2006-12-13T14:17:00.000-08:00

This, to me, is by far the best of the Hotel Costes series. Every time I listen to it, it just reminds me of Paris. Très chic. Favorite track is demain matin by Djako.

red ribbon

2006-12-01T12:33:00.000-08:00

I've added a red ribbon to the left to commemorate World AIDS Day today and to remember friends who died.

happy thanksgiving

2006-11-23T10:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I saw the movie The Queen. Helen Mirren was fantastic in the role of Queen Elizabeth II and so was the actor who played the role of Tony Blair. I have a feeling that she will get an Oscar nomination for this role. This movie is a must-see and as an added incentive, it's only about 90 minutes running time.Today, we saw the new James Bond movie, Casino Royale. Daniel Craig is realistic

Last Dance Raid

2006-11-21T16:01:00.000-08:00

A friend is working on his doctoral project, a documentary about a dance that occured before the infamous Stonewall Riots. The Mardi Gras Costume Ball took place at the California Hall in San Francisco and was a fundraiser for the Council on Religion and the Homosexual. The title is Last Dance Raid. What was meant to be an evening of fun ended with arrests and police brutality/harassment towards

watch out for the bikini bandits

2006-11-17T10:26:00.000-08:00

Note: Annoying auto-play video removed. Please click on the link to see the video.

what are you reading?

2006-11-06T14:46:00.000-08:00

I picked up this book completely by accident. This is the English translation from the French book, Au Piano. This is a story about Max, a pianist, who suffers from major stage fright and is an alcoholic. Early on, the author warns us that Max will die in 22 days but he doesn't know it yet. This book is completely witty and thoroughly engaging. A must-read indeed.

trick or treat

2006-10-31T14:24:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween! It's going to be crazy in the Castro tonight packed with revelers in costume or not. The real queens of the city will be out in-force.

french macaroons

2006-10-06T13:39:00.000-07:00

Awhile back I read on somebody's blog about her recent trip to Paris and she made mention of french macaroons. I didn't pay it much attention then but for some reason it recently nagged at me. Having a love for baking, I did an internet search. Ladurée is supposedly where the macaroons were created. And it comes in different flavors. Must try next time I'm in Paris.Domestic goddess Martha Stewart

it's my party

2006-09-27T13:47:00.000-07:00

It was my birthday early this month, E and I celebrated it at César on Piedmont Ave in Oakland. This is their second location, the original is in Berkeley. The concept is a Spanish-style tapas bar. The restaurant was packed and we were told there would be a 20-minute wait. Dimly lit, there were large rustic picnic-style tables that are near the bar that sat several parties, and a more intimate

catching up

2006-09-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I made an actual post. I have not been inclined to post nor visit other blogs lately.Over the Labor Day weekend, E and I went on a roadtrip to visit his Maman's new house in Idyllwild. We left on Thursday morning and came back on Monday, Labor Day. We didn't realize that she moved high up (7300 feet) in the mountains of San Jacinto. Idyllwild is a sleepy alpine town with

Tomlinson v MI6 (it's back!)

2006-09-20T14:10:00.000-07:00

Life imitates art.

the day after

2006-08-31T08:09:00.000-07:00

we had friends visiting from Australia and this was what we consumed!

where did August go?

2006-08-30T12:51:00.000-07:00

We were inundated with guests this month as well as gifts.

what's in your pantry?

2006-08-09T18:30:00.000-07:00

Part of our lunch last Sunday. Nora, E's longtime friend from Eugene stayed overnight on her way to visit her family in France. As it has been almost 10 years since we've seen her, we decided to be a bit decadent. The foie gras was served over toasted baguette slices and the truffles were shaved over mixed salad greens along with shaved parmigiano regianno. Cheese course to end the meal, we had

fields of color

2006-08-04T22:31:00.000-07:00

a very well tended and watered field in Gilroy

obsesión

2006-08-01T15:52:00.000-07:00

Em says that I am obsessed with Project Runway. It doesn't take much to be hooked. There's drama, humor, suspense and 100% guilty pleasure in every episode. It's like a mystery novel where the characters are one by one killed, in this case auf'd by Heidi Klum who is assisted by the fabulous Tim Gunn. Fellow show fanatics speculate on who's in, who's out and who will win. I read and listen to Tim

garlic ice-cream?

2006-07-30T16:05:00.000-07:00

We went to the Gilroy Garlic Festival on Saturday. The smell of garlic was everywhere since garlic was the star of the moment. We had garlic fries with crabmeat and garlicky aioli, fried calamari with garlicky watercress pesto, calamari in garlicky marinara sauce, garlic bread, oysters on the halfshell with garlic, garlic this and garlic that but we drew the line at garlic ice-cream.

salad days

2006-07-26T21:25:00.000-07:00

It's been so hot lately that all we can think of eating was some salad. It's good and healthy and does not require lots of kitchen time.

zidane and materazzi

2006-07-13T11:04:00.000-07:00

Bravo Zizou! He apologized for his action and I admire him for that.Check out this video of Materazzi.

allez les blanches?

2006-07-07T10:51:00.000-07:00

A friend emailed us last night not to cheer for les bleus lest we want to root for Italy. Apparently Italy will be wearing blue and France white.

allez les bleus!

2006-07-05T14:24:00.000-07:00

ZiZou did it again! With the recent French visitors we had, we somehow got caught up with the World Cup hysteria. It's fascinating to see les francais so hyped up that France will be in the finals on Saturday. I hope that it will be repeat of the 1998 World Cup.

tourists in our own backyard

2006-07-03T14:42:00.000-07:00

We played tour guides yesterday and visited Fort Point.

Corinne Bailey Rae

2006-06-29T13:11:00.000-07:00

I love this girl - I hope she makes it big here in the US!Music

calm

2006-06-28T21:29:00.000-07:00

this was taken before the start of the pride parade

what a night

2006-06-26T11:58:00.000-07:00

Friday: Nel and I met at the Metro for drinks. The place was jumping but access to the bar area was not too difficult. After our very watered-down drinks, we headed off to The Bar on Castro. The drinks were much better as you could actually taste the alcohol. That place was packed, too. I haven't been there in awhile and the place looks better though the beer smell is still there. Then we headed

summertime and the living is easy

2006-06-23T09:38:00.000-07:00

It was HOT yesterday! Public transport was free yesterday and today as well to encourage everyone to Spare the Air. Hopefully, it will cool down some for the parade on Sunday. (I'm still debating whether to march or just watch from the sidelines.) June is a crazy time for me at work, and it's also a crazy time in SF! I so need to sleep in this weekend but I have to get up early both days.My

the flags are up

2006-06-16T13:35:00.000-07:00

The rainbow flags are up on Market Street in anticipation of the Pride Parade. The SF Int'l LGBT Film Fest is also on-going. There are three films that are of particular interest to me: Stray Cats, The Maaseur and Paper Dolls. Alas, the times are not good for me. Hopefully, Netflix will come to the rescue.

Pink Martini

2006-06-14T22:13:00.000-07:00

I am so stoked! We have tickets to see Pink Martini live on July 28 with the San Francisco Symphony. It's going to be lots of fun!Pink Martini is a 'little band' based in Portland, Oregon. They sing songs in various languages (French, Spanish, English, Greek and even Japanese) that are part cabaret, samba, torch, classical and fun. Some of their songs have been featured in lounge music

biscuit chinois

2006-06-13T15:03:00.000-07:00

I cracked open a fortune cookie and it was in French:Un conseil confidentiel vous amortira une transaction financiere juteuse.How unusual to receive one en francais.

and yet another restaurant in Oakland

2006-06-11T10:54:00.000-07:00

A restaurant experience to top it all. Had a late lunch at La Furia Chalaca, a Peruvian Seafood restaurant in Oakland on Saturday. The salsa music playing, albeit somewhat loudly, in the background did not match the somewhat oppressive feel of the dining room. It did not help that the server was moving sluggishly and was somewhat unfriendly. Her immediate response to any request was "Yeah, sure,

fun things in the sun

2006-06-06T16:00:00.000-07:00

"Hola, me llamo Barbie." Old Town San Diego Tijuana Border, Mexico Imperial Beach, Calif

dining out San Diego-style 2

2006-06-05T15:53:00.000-07:00

Saturday night and the place is jumping! That night we went to Blue Ginger. For the longest time, we could not find the restaurant. In hindsight, I wish we hadn't found it. We were excited at eating there as we thought that this was somehow affiliated with Ming Tsai's restaurant in Boston. It's not. When we got there, the hostess told us we had to wait at the bar and it will be a 15 minute wait.

dining out San Diego-style

2006-05-31T19:35:00.000-07:00

We got to San Diego (Hotel Circle area) on Thursday night around 9:30pm so it was too late to go downtown. Since we were only there until Sunday morning, we figured we can dine at two nice restaurants. Armed with printouts of restaurants in the Gaslamp, downtown and Coronado areas, we were ready to venture.Friday night we went to Chive. I read great reviews about it and was really hyped about

at the zoo

2006-05-30T16:41:00.000-07:00

"I feel pretty!" synchronized sleeping "I wonder if they can tell us apart?" "Where did everyone go?" "Come see what the neighbors are up to!" "Hmmm, that looks good." "We've had a long day, okay!" "It must be here somewhere."

guilty pleasures and then some

2006-05-25T09:24:00.000-07:00

AI ended last night and the winner wasn't a big surprise. There was no drama, in fact it was anti-climactic. The best bit was when Prince finished his song and he was standing on the stage acknowledging the applause; the camera partially zooms out and you can see Ryan Seacrest walking towards Prince and Prince turns around and walks off the stage. Btw, what's up with Clay Aiken's hairstyle! Is

anonymous posted 37 times

2006-05-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

I checked my email on Sunday and I received 37 notices that anonymous posted 8 times at 7:42 am and 29 times at 7:43 am. I had been spammed!

vitruvian man and mona lisa

2006-05-17T21:27:00.000-07:00

I'm so not getting into the hype of this book, and now the movie. I have started this book a year ago and just can't get into it. I've made progress though as I'm on chapter 33. So far I found the book very predictable and somewhat plodding. I will finish this book, hopefully before the DVD is out.News from Cannes: the movie is loooooong and the critics 'hate' it!

farmers' market find

2006-05-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

Went to the Farmers' Market on Lakeshore Ave and it now has a vendor Fabrique Delices specializing in saucisses et pates. I was like a kid at a candy store as I wanted to buy everything. Thierry who was working the stand that day was kind enough to keep offering a taste. I sampled some duck rillettes and chipolatas which we bought and also some merguez for when we make couscous dinner. I'm

pretty flowers everywhere

2006-05-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

I don't know what these are but they're everywhere in my neighborhood.

dining out Oakland-style

2006-05-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

I think Emmanuel and I found a 'new' favorite in Oakland: Mezze. We've been there before and forgot how good their food was. We went there two weeks ago and went there again recently. I love how they change the menu constantly. The previous time I had the tuna tartare (it was better than Hawthorne Lane) and this time I had the baby beet salad. I had the lamb shank for my main this time (I swear