Northern California Autumn

We drove north to Sebastopol on our color hunt. Do grape leaves count?

Bix Birthday

Yesterday my favorite person (the Chef!) sailed through another year -- this past one full of his amazing alphabetical booze adventures. It was just last Saturday afternoon he was sitting on a bar stool drinking a series of "M" drinks here. That includes "the Minnehaha" Cocktail, which reminds me of visiting the Librarian in St. Paul, and "The Millionaire" which makes me sing the Mekons chorus. I hope the N-Z cocktails summon equally good memories. That is, if we remember anything after another year of cocktails. hic. Happy Birthday to The Chef!

We celebrated with our first trip to 40's style SF restaurant Bix. Naturally, there were cocktails.

Special thanks to Mrs. Virus, who directed us to the right alleyway when we were wandering the streets of San Francisco trying to find this tucked-away-in-an-alley restaurant. We made it!

Eighteen Years

We celebrated appropriately by watching a depressing movie about prostitution and teenage abortion. (It was a toss up between this indie film or another episode of Mad Men Season One - a television program of nastiness that never fails to leave me feeling hollow inside.) Although it must be 2008 -- viewing was on a lap top whilst sitting on the couch and certainly not at the Majestic Theatre, which now has, huh? crappy concerts? Just like the Pinkney Street Hideaway (now a parking lot!) and O'Cayz Corral (burned to the ground!) the majority of our early dating landmarks are gone gone gone. Except for the Plaza Tavern.

No matter, we're still here. Tra la la.

Royal Stories

"Many amusing anecdotes to share after this, my favourite being when X was enthusing about The R*yal Channel to Prince Ph*lip. His retort? "I haven't got a clue what you're talking about..." At which point he turned his back and swept off, without even bidding him farewell..."

"I told the Queen that my job was to help as many people around the world view her content from the R*yal Channel, to which she replied "does it go overseas?""

Prince Ph*lip also said to X "Is there sport on this YT caper? Hmph. There should be more."

the Queen!

You can bet we didn't quite believe it when we heard that one of our co-workers met the Queen yesterday in the London office. Here he is with one of the people who uploads videos on the right, and ahem, on the left -- THE QUEEN! The hat! She is interested in "the place"!

Garden Spider

Now I can't go back to the garden because I am afraid.
It's a Golden Garden Banded Spider!

Chicken Hat

They do not like to wear the chicken hat.

Burning Down The House

Everyone loves David Byrne SO MUCH that the crowd gave him a standing ovation when he WALKED OUT ON STAGE?! Harumph! Shouldn't he have to sing first? "Oh yeah" said the chef, "I guess the Talking Heads were played on the radio." It's hard to pay attention surrounded by that kind of eager enthusiasm. I'm a tough sell on ovations, they must be earned. Unless you are Johnny Cash and say, "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash."

However, all grumping was forgotten when the Extra-Action Marching Band came out for the encore -- what a welcome surprise, their edgy pom-pom-strippers-plus-horns skank completely balancing out the happy Up With People cheerleaders dressed in white. I won't brag about our seats, but we were closer than the person who took this video from the rafters.

Hardly Strictly

The schedule:

11:00: Jon Langford's Skull Orchard f/ Sally Timms
and the Burlington Welsh Male Chorus
12:20: Hazel Dickens
1:00: Ben Kweller
2:30: Elvis Costello's High Whines & Spirits
3:25: Iron & Wine
4:40: Justin Townes Earle

Welshmen

Jon Langford and the Burlington Welsh Male Chorus.