Haus Frau Inc.

Somewhere In The World

2011-04-23T23:34:00.001-07:00

Somewhere in the World

Somewhere in the world
something is happening
which will make its slow way here.

A cold front will come to destroy
the camellias, or perhaps it will be
a heat wave to scorch them.

A virus will move without passport
or papers to find me as I shake
a hand or kiss a cheek.

Somewhere a small quarrel
has begun, a few overheated words
ignite a conflagration,

and the smell of smoke
is on its way;
the smell of war.

Wherever I go I knock on wood—
on tabletops or tree trunks.
I rinse my hands over and over again;

I scan the newspapers
and invent alarm codes which are not
my husband's birthdate or my own.

But somewhere something is happening
against which there is no planning, only
those two aging conspirators, Hope and Luck.

"Somewhere in the World" by Linda Pastan, from Traveling Light. © W.W. Norton & Company, 2011. Reprinted with permission. (buy now)

2010 Travels

2011-01-03T11:30:00.001-08:00

In 2010 I went to a lot of places and was too busy to blog. I even scored "Executive Premiere" status for the first, and what I hope will be the last time. Travels are fun, but I do like to stay home and sit on the couch with my sweetheart and the menagerie. However, I am very grateful I had a peek at the Red Carpet Lounge at Heathrow.

Here's where I went: Memphis, Austin, Chicago, SPAIN (Barcelona, Bilbao, San Sebastian, Oviedo, Santiago De Compostela), PORTUGAL (Porto), Manchester, TN, Minocqua, WI, New York City, back to New York City, back to New York City, back to New York City, DENMARK (Copenhagen), ENGLAND (London), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Portland, OR and a holiday road trip to Sun Lakes, AZ (via Palm Springs to and Bakersfield on return).

It seemed like most of the year was work work work but now that I've highlighted the fun vacations in green -- I'm seeing that I had way more fun than I imagined. I hope my luck continues through the next 365. Happy New Year!

Tinariwen @ the Palace of Fine Arts

2010-02-21T23:00:00.000-08:00

Mardi Gras

2010-02-16T23:45:00.001-08:00

The Chef on the gumbo, red beans & rice, cornbread perfection. Anita & Cameron brought the Queen of King Cakes. Amanda dropped off V.4 sazerac ice cream + who scored the baby? Does this mean that I can ask the Chef (nicely) to do it all over again next year? Best Mardi Gras yet.

the walk home

2010-01-31T12:40:00.000-08:00

Haus Frau's Best of 2009

2009-12-22T08:33:00.000-08:00

Things I listened to this year and liked, but still...certain I missed a few favorites. You?

1. Mulatu Astatke & the Heliocentrics - Inspiration Information 3 (Strut)
An Ethiopian legend matched with UK funky jazz upstarts, it provided much inspiration and a little "Cha Cha" rescue in the nick of time.
2. The Dodos "Time To Die" (French Kiss)
Don't give up, wait for the confetti. This band comes with vibraphone and foot tambourine.
3. Animal Collective " Merriweather Post Pavillion" (Domino)
Best video and summertime singalong of the year. I do believe their show @ Oakland's Fox Theatre made me deaf in my left ear.
4. Zee Avi "Zee Avi" (Brushfire)
Well-deserved rising star.
5. Neko Case "Middle Cyclone" (Anti)
Another amazing release + the Harry Nilson cover makes me teary every time.
6. tUnE-YaRdS - BiRd-BrAiNs (4AD)
This is Merrill Garbus and she is amazing. I was lucky to see her in Montreal.
7. David Kilgour & Sam Hunt "Falling Debris" (Arch Hill)
New Zealand represents! Thanks to Mr. Underhill for tracking this down from down under.
8. Marianne Faithful "Easy Come, Easy Go - 12 Songs for Music Lovers" (Decca)
Music lady legend backed up my some of favorite jazz players. This performance on Letterman inspired an impulsive and fantastic trip to NYC to watch her perform.
9. Wilco "the album" (Nonesuch)
Another cheer up from old favorites.
10. Girls "Album" (True Panther Sounds)
A cheer up from new favorites - thanks to DJ Big Cookie for her enthusiastic alert to this act.
11. Vetiver "Tight Knight" (Subpop)
I missed this very performance at SXSW because I showed up at the wrong time. doh!
12. Clarinet Thing "Cry, Want" (BC Records)
clarinets! clarinets! clarinets! + Beth Custer magic.
13. Elvis Costello "Secret, Profane & Sugarcane" (Hear Music)
I missed this stop at Amoeba Records, but the live stream made me feel like I was right there.
14. The Clean "Mister Pop" (Merge)
New Zealand represents again -- thanking kiwi lucky stars!
15. Telekenisis! "Telekenisis" (Merge)
Quite charming and catchy this geeky multi-instrumentalist.
16. Vic Chesnutt "At The Cut" (Constellation)
Oh Vic will be missed, but it sounds like he was ready to go out on a high note.
17. Tinariwen - "Imidiwan: Companions" (World Village)
More funky sounds from the desert!
18. Grizzly Bear "Veckimest" (Fat Cat)
After I got down off my skeptical pony I decided that this band was more than okay.
19. The Bats "The Guilty Office" (Hidden Agenda)
New Zealand represents, three times! 2009 was a wonderful year.
20. Thao "Know Better Learn Faster" (Kill Rock Stars)
Thao makes it seem easy to put out two great records in just two years.
21. Daredevil Christopher Wright "In Deference to a Broken Back" (Amble Down)
I went all the way to Montreal to see this band from Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
22. Dark Was The Night by Various Artists (4AD)
A double disc compilation for a good cause with strong contributions from all involved.
23. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart s/t (Slumberland)
Go Go Go Slumberland - this is just one of many great '09 releases from a kick ass indie label.
24. Speech Debelle "Speech Therapy" (Ninjatune)
Mercury prize winning hip-hop w/ an accent + cool collaboration with Micachu.
25. Bar Kokhba "Lucifer - Book of Angels" (Tzadik)
Kind of a cheat as it was released in 2008, but I discovered it this year after seeing them perform live @ Yoshi's in March. Why do I like it? Because it combines John Zorn "easy listening instrumentals" with latin, Sephardic, jazz & surf music, of course.

Merry Mom & Dad

2009-12-20T13:07:00.001-08:00

hey, wait a minute -- is that a crumpled beer can on the tree?

Merry Monty

2009-12-20T13:04:00.001-08:00

NYC Hotel View

2009-12-13T00:38:00.000-08:00

working on my laptop @ the window with feet up on the radiator is not ergonomically friendly, but can't beat the big city view (Lincoln Center on left).

Christmas in Brooklyn - on the way to Joe's Belated Birthday Bash.

Halloween Humiliation

2009-10-31T14:23:00.001-07:00

the classic! how could we resist?

Top Banana...

Cats who laugh at banana outfits have to wear the pumpkin hat.

@ the Rose Bowl

2009-10-30T12:54:00.001-07:00

The Chef's Birthday

2009-10-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

...and then last week the Chef had a birthday with cocktails and cake. We are getting to the denial #'s, but who can really believe that all of this has lasted so long. Happy Birthday Erik!

3 o'clock Bombe

2009-10-26T20:51:00.000-07:00

Rodeo Queen put this Baked Alaska Bombe in her oven and it turned out just right.

and Montréal QB

2009-10-16T22:56:00.001-07:00

At Pop Montreal Festival -- there were married duos that rocked.

Matt & Kim (the other ones!)

Lullaby Arkestra

+ Holger (Brazil), Ninjasonic (Brooklyn), Tune Yards (Vermont), William Blakes (Denmark), By Divine Right (Toronto), Butthole Surfers (Austin), Nutsak (Montreal), Roxanne Shante (Queens, NY), Tiohtiake Drum Circle, Mittenstrings (Portland), Destroyer (Vancouver), Avec Pas D'Casque (Montreal), Hannah Georgas (Vancouver), The Daredevil Christopher Wright (Eau Claire, WI!).

+ good advice from Buffy Saint-Marie ("Keep your nose on the joy trail.") the confusion between oeust and oust, autumn leaves, Portuguese grillades, Phonopolis record store spree, hockey game cheers, pomplamoose et parapluie, jambon et brie baguette, Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, chatty cab drivers who like Obama and bi-lingual everything.

NYC

2009-10-06T22:14:00.001-07:00

Recent weeks of whirlwind travel. NYC for fun and friends and Montreal for work (okay, it was fun too, or rather beaucoup amusé). What do I want to remember before my brain turns to mush? So many highlights - it's a blur....especially from the back of a taxi cab.

NYC: friends! food! drink! (The Spotted Pig, Fatty Crab, Prune, The Ginger Man, PDT, Spuyten Duvel & Diner in Brooklyn) Here is the printed menu @ Diner vs. the secret one that is ultimately written on the table by the cheery waitress.

music! (Marianne Faithful @ Town Hall w/my favorite hip jazzsters Marc Ribot, Joey Baron, Rob Berger & Greg Cohen and the Death by Audio Maze installation noise provided by ELECTROPUTAS) I was won over by Marianne's self-deprecating stage presence, as if she could fool us by pretending that she was a regular middle-aged lady. I'm not buying it Marianne.

Below - M&N enjoying the Electroputas, but not as much as The Chef who had to be pulled out of that scene by his neck scruff. I knew as soon as I heard the cacophony that he would be in heaven.
ART! photography: Robert Frank "The Americans" & Dennis Hopper (that's right, Dennis Hopper) "Signs of the Times" + funny faces @ the Met.

Nature! walking the High Line, Central Park and my friend the turtle @ the Brooklyn Botanical Garden.

One more memory from the Hell Elevator.

p.s. I lost my wallet in the back of a taxi and the world didn't end.

part two: Montreal....

Goodbye Again

2009-09-15T21:27:00.001-07:00

Proof that I am feeling mature these days. Instead of watching the VMA awards on Sunday night (which I like to do for, ahem, "professional" reasons) I forgot all about stupid Kanye blah blah blah and opted for the 1961 classic "Goodbye Again" starring Ingrid Bergman, Anthony Perkins and (that cad) Yves Montand. Highly recommended if only for the scene where Ingrid Bergman yells down the spiral staircase after her young suitor "I AM OLD! I AM OLD! I AM OLD! I AM OLD!" gulp.

Armstrong Woods

2009-09-07T14:08:00.000-07:00

Outside Lands

2009-08-29T12:13:00.001-07:00

In the production truck there are many screens.

Tom Jones brings out the hits and the undergarments.

Backyard Beer Drinking

2009-08-16T23:28:00.000-07:00

...featuring the Italian Modernists.

Proof!

2009-08-11T22:32:00.000-07:00

Sunday in the Park

2009-08-02T22:07:00.000-07:00

In our neighborhood there is an enclosed dog area at St. Mary's Park.

The Chef was going to practice tossing the ball w/ Monty, but there were so many distractions.

(just moments earlier below)

Why chase a ball when I can be dog wrastling?

Redonk Work Dessert #2

2009-08-01T13:37:00.000-07:00

Israeli Couscous with an orange reduction & sugared thyme.

The couscous was a bit heavy, even for a tapioca & rice pudding fan like myself. The concept seemed more appealing than the reality. That's right, I only ate one of these.

Mekons!

2009-07-30T20:29:00.001-07:00

"Memphis, Egypt" has never sounded so good to my ears.

destroy your safe and happy lives before it is too late,
the battles we fought were long and hard,
just not to be consumed by rock n' roll...
capitalismos, favorite boy child, we must apologise,
up in the rafters a rope is danglin',
spots before the eyes of rock n' roll...
we know the devil and we have shaken him by the hand,
embraced him and thought his foul (stinking) breath was fine perfume
just like rock n' roll...
east berlin can't buy a thing, there's nothing they can sell me,
walk through the wall no pain at all
i'm born inside the belly of rock n' roll...
it's something to sell your labor for when hair sprouts out below,
i'm a microscope on that secret place where
we all want to go, it's rock n' roll.

In Season

2009-07-29T21:38:00.000-07:00

A few summer surprises at last weekend's Farmer's Market, although I'm not quite sure what we are going to do with our big bag of lemon cucumbers. Suggestions?

Lemons? no. Cucumbers? yes!

I used to not like tomatoes, but now I do.

I think "ouch! ouch!" is much better than explaining "do not touch!"

On the other hand, Rambutans are not that prickly.

Speaking of cactus, El Huarche Loco makes the best nopales tacos ever.

zzzzzzzz

2009-07-29T20:37:00.001-07:00

Shhhh. Do not wake up this dog.

Redonk Work Dessert of the Week

2009-07-23T09:41:00.000-07:00

Roasted and chilled strawberry soup with sweet basil syrup and Greek yogurt sauce. I ate two.

Garden Griping

2009-07-21T08:39:00.001-07:00

We recently resigned from our community garden space. Why? People are annoying. Also, I suffer from a severe monthly open house neighborhood potluck phobia. More time to spend in our own backyard.

Dear X,

I DID approach you in person in the garden about your dogs. I asked you to put them on the leash as is required by our bylaws. Your dogs startled me when they both ran at me and my 3 year old son.

I did not talk to you directly about bringing alcohol to the garden because I needed to read the city policy on this. I thought it was a great idea but unfortunately against city rules.

I did not know for sure that your dogs pooped in the garden. I made the assumption your dogs did it because two out of three where off leash and the feces where fresh. Thanks for cleaning it up and again please put your dogs on the leash. This goes for all gardeners. Even if you have a friendly dog. If you insist on having your dog off the leash you should at least keep your dog under voice command so they can not run at other gardeners.

I will in the future try to be more direct to you if I see any issues again.

About this comment of having children under control. I would be in favor of adding language to our bylaws that makes it clear to parents to keep their children under close supervision in the garden. Children can destroy plants or ornaments (as my kids have in the past done so when I did not pay attention).

However your comment implies that my son was doing damage and or taunting your dogs. I did not see any of this. I would like to hear from any gardener if they see this behavior. Feel free to be firm with my kids if you see them "taunting dogs" or "picking things out of plots" and let me know.

> dear X.
> with all due respect, my dogs were under my control and right next to my garden plot and the dog poop that you found on the path were not from my dogs but I picked it up anyway as i did a bunch of catshit and other garbage lying around. maybe we could also implement a rule of having more control of children that come to the garden not just wandering about unsupervised picking things out of plots that aren't yours and or taunting dogs that are in the garden.
> If you have any other issues in the future please approach me in person like an adult and don't just send a lame e-mail.
> thanks X and two dogs (which by the way were praised for good behaviour by another gardenmember also with a dog off leash)

Cats Vs. Monty update

2009-07-13T23:03:00.001-07:00

Sweetpea & Mr. Monty have made an agreement. It's called: I will not run but I will meow. Loudly. You are not the boss of me!

Clementine twitter updates #bedroomrecluse "that thing still here, day 44"

This picture makes me laugh - blink and blink duo.

Wilco at the Winery

2009-06-29T21:20:00.000-07:00

Monty @ the Beach

2009-06-29T21:00:00.001-07:00

First stop - North Beach

Second Stop -- Fort Funston

Monty and his dachshund friend.

These ears block out the Golden Gate Bridge view.

The Chef + Monty

2009-06-12T12:11:00.001-07:00

Definitely Monty

2009-06-02T21:13:00.000-07:00

First day on lap!

What is going on in there?

Monty and rawhide stick blur.

New favorite toy.

Monty Woolley indeed (beard + eyebrows, thanks Kim!)

New Arrival

2009-05-31T18:57:00.000-07:00

Um, today the chef & I adopted a new member of the family. We've been talking about it for years -- and, well, we saw this picture, agreed immediately and filled out an online application at wonderdogrescue.org. Right now we are crossing our fingers that the cats will come out of the bedroom eventually and bond with their new little brother -- a 6 month old dachshund norwalk terrier mix with giant ears. He likes to sit on laps. So far, no hissing! We are thinking Marty -- for Martin Scorsese, he of the legendary eyebrows.

Turboprop

2009-05-27T21:59:00.000-07:00

The turboprop outside my window from CWA to Minneapolis. Doesn't it look fake?

Concert Spree

2009-05-16T00:58:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been full of amazing live music. Starting with an evening of exotic dinosaur serenades -- Dengue Fever performing the score to "The Lost World" @ the Castro Theater.

Friday: Hauschka + Magik Magik Orchestra @ Swedish American Hall. Highlights - the charming story behind the song written for all the women in his life with gaps between their front teeth. Also, the bag of ping pong balls dropped upon the piano strings.

Monday: The Vaselines -- touring twenty+ years after their debut release. Biggest surprise, Francis McKee's onstage patter descends into filth more than just a few times. Who knew? I'm just now connecting the dots to song titles like "Rory Rides Me Raw". They look so innocent!

Thursday: Steve Earle instore @ Amoeba -- who, along with strumming his guitar, shared many great stories about his friendship with Townes Van Zandt. Did you know that Townes' biggest influences were Robert Frost & Lightnin' Hopkins? Steve Earle said that ("for years") anyone who didn't immediately understand this he just didn't have time for (and dramatically shrugged) but it sounded as if this was still the case.

HomemadeTreasures

2009-05-06T18:40:00.000-07:00

Isn't it cheeky to complain about faux-birthday blues when I'm showered with such amazing treasures? Thanks to Mrs. Virus and Kim Bitter for these wonders. I am adding them to my altar of happiness.

...and I shall name you, um Daisy Navel?

...Jonboy L. sends birthday greetings by jumping out of a cake AND music inside (OMG!)

Reclaiming April

2009-05-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

In April there was more than this: Thursday Drink Night, Masa mistake, balsamic ice cream in the Mission, Easter Egg 3 o'clock, faux-birthday, strawberry rhubarb pie in Pescadero, sock monkey pillowcases, airport shoeshine, flying business class upgrade with a ringer for Dick Cheney, hanging out at Juilliard, the Romanian violinist who pleaded "I must go outside and walk around in this country!", staying up all night waiting for videos to upload, Ms. Eiko on toy piano, box seat at Carnegie Hall, bonding with a member of the Vienna Philharmonic about our mother's shared birthdays (Hitler's Birthday!), secret burger hide-out at the hotel, vloggers!, six tickets to a millionaire's party only to have to be rescued from the bouncer, taxi rides, orchestra rehearsals, almost getting shushed by the Maestro, documentary crews, press conferences, work overload, 30 minutes in Central Park, open mic night, girls night out at the Crab Shack!, 9th wedding anniversary, tulips!, melt card, romance-aquarium dinner splash, garage door lunch, anticipating Napa -- and so happy to be home.

post-symphony text

2009-04-20T08:58:00.000-07:00

sent 4/16 at 1:23AM:
I have six tickets to millionairrew partuy do you want to gop ?

Annual Egg Party 3 o'clock

2009-04-08T22:25:00.000-07:00

Indigo is victorious egg boxing champeen. It was a draw!

Joe visits SF

2009-04-04T18:26:00.000-07:00

The day after I returned from SXSW....Joe came to visit us! We took him to the Broken Record - one of our new favorite spots in the not-yet-so-trendy Excelsior District. On our first try, we interrupted the weekly "Trivia Night". Everyone was focused on tallying their answers to random incomplete phrases being read from a microphone (really) and, even stranger, the kitchen was closed! However we returned a few nights later on Joe's request -- he couldn't stop thinking about the sausages.

Afterwards, a regular stop on our tour == Mitchell's.

Joe opted for the exotic UBE flavor. That's purple yam ice cream. Also, we discovered that Mitchell's had remodeled since our last tour -- new marble counter tops and they took away the bankteller-esque high plastic screens. We can't decide if this is an improvement.

Joe didn't care about any of that --but he did like the ice cream. Purple!

SXSW '09

2009-03-29T22:46:00.000-07:00

SXSW 2009

Nonstop fun in Austin, Texas. MUSIC, kebabalicious, j. langford fix, mad laughter, nice label folks who listen to Pacifica radio, Reivers + 22 yrs, La Bl0g0teque intro, riot grrrl in the elevator, Daniel J., BBQ, ponytail joy and pinata candy, and a rockin' the chair heads gone astray reunion.

I've already booked a room for next year. See you there? Think about it!

Kim Bitter Birthday

2009-03-27T07:10:00.000-07:00

A Happy Birthday to the one & only Kim Bitter --

...and here's to many more years of Rockin' The Chair!

Daniel J.

2009-03-26T21:56:00.000-07:00

After all those years collecting the home made tapes in the '80s,

...last week in Austin I finally saw Daniel Johnston perform.

Daniel sang one of my all-time favorites. I forgot that I don't approve of people singing along at concerts while I sang along.

I was in such a blissful state, I wasn't even bothered by the guy in front of me with the fuzzy hairdo.

For the rest of you "learning to cope with the emotionless mediocrity of day to day living", here's another gem.

Last Night In Austin, TX

2009-03-22T22:54:00.000-07:00

Being showered with candy by Ponytail!

Pea Portrait

2009-03-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

Watermelon Radish

2009-03-03T22:23:00.000-08:00

Saturday Farmer's Market Find -- Watermelon Radish. Mmmmmm.

Holy Street View

2009-03-02T22:23:00.000-08:00

The current scene on the street where we live.
Who needs a front yard?

Noise P*pped

2009-02-28T14:03:00.000-08:00

Tobias & John D.

A solo Mr. Mould

Bob & fan singing "Celebrated Summer"

NYC Food & Drink Awards

2009-02-22T12:23:00.001-08:00

Perfect single dish and "last meal" nominee -- Momofuku Ramen

Best Cup of Coffee in NYC -- Sarge's Diner. (also best waitresses!)

Most ridiculous dessert @ the office. Choco something puddin' squirted into a perfect egg cup and eaten with tiny spoon - created by Le Bernardin guest pastry chef Michael Laiskonis (!) Best associated ridiculous celeb chef sighting - Eric Ripert (!) bussing his tray back to the self-service Goog cafeteria clean up area. Redonk.

Best Snack in a Dive Bar - Pickles at Bushwick Country Club.

Best Bar Tap Handles! Brooklyn's Fette Sau (that's "Fat Pig" in German)

The Human Blockh*ead

2009-02-14T12:18:00.000-08:00

Chinese New Year Parade

2009-02-08T12:12:00.001-08:00

Gum Lung was the star of Saturday's Chinese New Year parade. A new arrival from Hong Kong, this golden dragon is 238 feet long.

It's the Year of the Ox. mooooo.

The SF Police dragon, nicely coiled. note "pearl of wisdom" on stick.

I touched the Kung Fu dragon many times for everyone. Above? That very well may be DJ Big Cookie's hand on the luck as it dances past.
Happy Ox Year!

Love parades? Me too! More pictures here.

So Long LUX

2009-02-05T20:30:00.001-08:00

Drunk on kamikazes and in the front row at G.S. Vigs, I watched slackjawed as Lux Interior climbed up on the drum kit and bashed a giant hole in the ceiling with his microphone. He was amazing.

They didn't fix that hole for a long time and it turned into legend. People would point to the ceiling and say "Lux Interior did that!"

RIP LUX.

The Latest Phrase

2009-02-04T21:55:00.000-08:00

Today in a four hour meeting I heard the phrase "I think we peanut butter it." I quickly wrote it down. What? We are "peanut buttering" things at work?

Later I asked people what it meant and there was some disagreement. One person said, "laying it on thick!" and another said, "that we are spreading ourselves too thin!" Then there was a long conversation of creamy vs. chunky and Skippy vs. store brands.

Funny.

Crescent Venus

2009-01-31T11:30:00.000-08:00

Last night we stumbled upon a few sidewalk astronomy enthusiasts who pointed out the Crescent Venus in the sky. Aha! They had set up big telescopes on the corner of Irving & 9th Avenue, attracting a small crowd of city stargazers who stood in line and waited patiently for a close up glimpse of crescent moon lined up with planet Venus. OOOOooooooo. Just a reminder to look up sometimes.

Callie and Neko

2009-01-30T07:42:00.000-08:00

Talking Music. (but the music was the best part.)

Theresa Gets Mobbed

2009-01-27T21:52:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while I have the opportunity to invite someone who uploads videos to the place to stop by and perform at the place -- usually in front of a bunch of engineers who have forgotten all about the real people who are behind the success of the place. Theresa A. (an amazing Swedish musician now New Orleanian) will also perform on the Conan O'Brien Show on 2/4. I doubt that they have will as many engineers in the crowd who will rush the stage after the performance.

My favorite part?
This vinyl LP was looped into the mix -- just add a little Smokey.

Barfly Sunday

2009-01-26T21:30:00.000-08:00

Just another night perched on a bar stool - watching the Chef stomping through the Sunday Savoy Night @ the Al*emb*c.
Even DJ Big Cookie had the opportunity to imbibe.

Perspective Duck

2009-01-16T00:24:00.000-08:00

A big thank you to Rodeo Queen, who reminded about the magic Perspective Duck. It's all rushing back to me and making me feel better -- the life saving squeak-quack and all. I bet I still have that little duck in a box somewhere in the garage. Like I thought I was done with needing perspective. The search is back on!

Go Getters

2009-01-12T19:53:00.001-08:00

I was in the bathroom at work when I heard in the next stall....clickity clickity clickity and then ping ping followed by clickity clickity click. That's right. The f*&cking Go Getters take their lap tops into the bathroom so that absolutely nothing interrupts their constant connection with technology. Would Miss Manners approve?

My Favorite Music of 2008

2009-01-07T20:58:00.000-08:00

If anyone tells you that there isn't any good music these days, please give them a punch from me. These are just a few of my favorites from 2008.
Al Green "Lay It Down" (Blue Note)
*I played this CD for my mom and she thought I discovered Al Green.
Herman Dune "Next Year in Zion"
*French Scandahoovians? So sweet, the "safe place" lyric will make you weepy.
Dawn Landes "Fireproof" (Cooking Vinyl)
*you say Lucinda, I say Dawn Landes. Banjo alert!
The Dodos "Visitor" (French Kiss)
*local kids who tour with a giant marimba. Witnessed live at SXSW (thanks Scrabbel).
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds "Dig! Lazurus Dig!" (Anti)
*disclaimer, I've had a Nick Cave revival going on in my head for the last two years.
Kelly Stoltz "Circular Sounds" (Sub Pop)
* I saw Kelly sing a duet w/ his mom. Just add bubble machine.
Monade "Monstre Cosmic" (Too Pure)
* French! Stereolab! The perfect background music to ANYTHING.
Bon Iver "For Emma, Forever Ago" (Jagjaguwar)
*From Wisconsin, but the "wrote songs while living in cabin in the woods and eating venison" PR hype really cracks me up.
various "Calypsoul 70 - Caribbean Soul & Calypso Crossover 1960-1970" (Strut)
* just groovy.
Notwist "The Devil, You & Me" (Domino)
* Germans can sing blip hop melodies too
William Parker Quartet "Petit Oiseau" (Aum Fidelity)
* I always love it when the "out" jazz folk go "straight ahead".
Evangelicals "The Evening Descends" (Dead Oceans)
*cheery indie noise, nothing born-again about it.
Frightened Rabbit "The Midnight Organ Fight" (Fat Cat)
*disclaimer. Scotland!
2 Foot Yard "Borrowed Items" (Yard Work)
*disclaimer member Carla Kihlstedt played at our wedding as part of Tin Hat Trio
Ponytail "Ice Cream Spiritual" (We Are Free)
* Need some screaming? here it is!
Del the Funky Homosapien "Eleventh Hour" (Definitive Jux)
*old school hip-hop for old people. but young people like it too.
Son Lux "At War With Walls & Mazes" (Anticon)
* this has nothing to do with Son Volt.
David Byrne & Brian Eno "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today" (Opal)
* The Chef both downloaded this and then bought it on CD. This is his pick.
Goh Nakamura "Ulysses" (self-released)
*disclaimer, I am pals w/ Goh and his crew, including album art wizard DJ Big Cookie -- but I would love this album regardless.
Port O'Brien "All We Could Do Was Sing"
*Indie folk! Pleasant!
Mochipet "Microphonepet" (Daly City Records)
* disclaimer, I met David Wang and admire his punk rock attitude. However Mochipet is NOT punk rock. But he wears a dragon costume when he DJs which is totally punk rock
Flight of the Conchords s/t (Sub Pop)
* This is a comedy CD, and I like to laugh.
Minisnap "Bounce Around" (Pocket)
* NEW ZEALAND alert and former member of THE BATs.
Justin Townes Earle "The Good Life" (Bloodshot)
* disclaimer, I'm a Steve Earle fan and cynical, but son Justin Townes is his own real deal.
TV on the Radio "Golden Age (Universal)
* I usually think this band is over hyped, but this CD lives up to it.
King Khan & the Shrines "Supreme Genius" (Vice)
* Garage rock meets Little Richard!
Death Vessel "Nothing is Precious Enough for Us" (Sub Pop)
* Their name screams heavy metal, but that would be untrue.
Thao w/ the Get Down Stay Down "We Brave Bee Stings and All" (Kill Rock Stars)
* disclaimer, I was on a plane from NYC with Thao and overhead her conversation where she was explained to the woman next to her that she was in a band. I thought. wow! It's thao!

Plus, I'm still listening to and tracking down the "Eccentric Soul" series CDs. Each one is a winner, no matter the year.

New Robe

2009-01-06T22:43:00.000-08:00

Best X-mas robe ever. cats+snow+trees+flannel.

Resisting 2009

2009-01-05T19:59:00.000-08:00

Why does it seem like I finally made it to the finish line, collapsed in a soggy heap only to realize I have to get up and begin again. Really? I was under the illusion that if I tried very hard my reward would be an entire year of sleep, but Borpoh & I have to start all over. Dammit. Why kant iz ignore mez? Don't tell Borpoh.

Okay, fine. Happy New Year. Just give me a few more days to get the hang of it and I'll be okay.

Cacti Claus in AZ

2008-12-24T20:59:00.000-08:00

Ornaments Old & New

2008-12-22T12:57:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Rock Mama, Papa M and Rosebud for our new tubular Christmas ornament. We love it! Note that the tiny spoon must have fallen off at some point on the journey, so we reattached it near the top.
This is one of my favorite ornaments from the Frau family tree -- glitter gnome's specially-abled pipe cleaner arm just adds to his holiday magic.

Celebrity Barman

2008-12-17T09:09:00.001-08:00

Savoy Cocktail Night @ the Alembic, SF -- with surprise Underhill Lounge bartender!

Gingerbread Slide

2008-12-15T17:46:00.000-08:00

Before

After.

Holding it all together.

Note: I did not participate in the making of this gingerbread house as I am um, inept. However, I shouted encouragements whilst eating gumdrops, shouting "huzzah" to the 3 o'clockers + kidlings. That's something, right?

Yule Tree

2008-12-09T08:48:00.000-08:00

I forgot how much I love the smell of tree in the house. This is the first time in ages we've gotten out the hatchet and hiked up Mount Shasta to harvest a California Christmas tree. Or maybe we just went to the traditional Delancey Street outpost to support a good cause. Tonight I search for my John Denver & the Muppets Christmas Album and string up the lights. Holiday spirit here I come!

Hangar One Tour

2008-12-08T23:07:00.001-08:00

It's just across the bridge.

Searching for Santa in NYC

2008-12-07T10:24:00.001-08:00

My mother's response to my grumbles of having to travel to NYC on business the weekend after Thanksgiving? "Oh well. Santa will be at Macys!" Reason #723,834 of why I love her so.

In A Nutshell

2008-12-05T22:41:00.000-08:00

"My work self is suffocating my life me" -- Liz Lemon to Oprah

Clementine Bitters

2008-11-29T23:58:00.000-08:00

Local expert has been "toying with such concoctions" for several years!
hic. more mentions in the press. will it end?
Speaking of bitters, I feel a double dare challenge coming on.....! Is there any gentian root in Pardeeville?

Faux Thanksgiving Eve

2008-11-27T18:23:00.000-08:00

The Chef & I are celebrating Thanksgiving....tomorrow...so that all the usual suspects may attend. We thought it would be a lark to postpone the turkeytime, but today we are feeling a little melancholy and lost. We substituted the family drama by going to a matinee showing of "Rachel Getting Married" and just when we thought that the recorded voice of Kaiser Permanente was our only holiday pal, a good friend rang to say hello. Still, thankful no matter what day we celebrate!

The Big Show

2008-11-23T21:06:00.000-08:00

Stage Peek

2008-11-22T11:06:00.000-08:00

Julia's UKE

Magic Moments

2008-11-15T12:18:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the recent visit of M&N from the UK -- the past few weeks have been a blur of activity. Halloween, the historic election *yay*, dining at neighborhood restaurants, Speakeasy Brewery open house, walking on beaches and a trip up the coast to Point Reyes National Seashore. Oh, and we finally made it to the new California Academy of Sciences -- is it ever amazing! We are in search of the next visitors who will accompany us there. There even is a penguin cam!

this is a "frog fish"

Star of the Academy -- the albino alligator.

Halloween Bus Ride

2008-11-03T20:35:00.000-08:00

Wedded Bliss

2008-11-02T23:13:00.001-08:00

A happy (second) wedding day was celebrated earlier this week -- congratulations to Rodeo Queen and the Great & Powerful Oz on their shotgun nuptials. Those resourceful longtime sweethearts wanted to make a historic broom jump (again) and now their bliss is of the wedded sort. Again.

As they stated so beautifully in their announcement of this occasion to celebrate: As we have often repeated: if we needed legal & societal approval in order to sustain our commitment to each other, we would certainly have broken up long ago. So our wedding marks a different kind of tipping point: a moment of political & cultural significance-nothing less than a watershed between love and hate. The fact of our marriage signals this moment in history, when the State of California has reached a new level of commitment to us, the moment at which we are no longer seen as second-class citizens or as perverted, threatening monsters, but as legitimate, adult human beings capable of true love & deserving of equality under the law.

Our wedding, then, is a celebration not just of our relationship with each other, but of our evolving relationship to society, culture, and our home state of California. We would like to believe that we are entering a new era of love.

...and don't forget to vote No on the Hate, that's a No on Proposition Eight. It's a love vote.

p.s. we look forward to the cake.

Northern California Autumn

2008-10-27T19:03:00.000-07:00

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

Bix Birthday

2008-10-23T19:13:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-21T21:37:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

"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!

2008-10-16T21:32:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-14T19:57:00.001-07:00

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

Chicken Hat

2008-10-12T20:32:00.000-07:00

They do not like to wear the chicken hat.

Burning Down The House

2008-10-08T23:10:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-06T08:55:00.001-07:00

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

2008-10-04T13:05:00.001-07:00

Jon Langford and the Burlington Welsh Male Chorus.

Garden Blooms

2008-09-28T18:49:00.001-07:00

The random bloom explosion. Orderly rows? Nope.

So fancy -- Formosa Lilies

Spotted Bee Balm

Remember the "green zinnia" sprout? A few months ago I misidentified it amidst the "volunteer" Cosmos that are now taking over the plot (plus the one next to ours and the pathway, oops.) There is no sign of green zinnia blooms. sniff. Don't care for hot pink cosmos, but the bees are having a good time, but why are they not on the spotted bee balm?

Tunnock's Caramel Wafer Biscuits

2008-09-23T20:26:00.001-07:00

It is very hard to find a bar of unscented soap. That is why it was with great sadness (and much anxiety) that Hausfrau realized that longtime favorite "Pure & Natural" unscented soap, made by the Dial (TM) corporation, was being discontinued. Note that this soap was far from "Pure & Natural" -- it even had "fragrance" it was just not super perfumed. It was only being carried at ONE store in town (Andronico's) requiring a specific destination shopping trip to replenish the supply. No more. Desperate, the first thing Hausfrau did was check online. Could this special smell-less soap be delivered to the door? At drugstore.com there was only one case available. That's 72 bars of soap for $130. The thought of a giant case of soap sitting in the garage was too much for Hausfrau - depleting one bar at a time over a period of just how long? Hausfrau hates change, but it was time to find a new soap.

That's how she ended up at a grocery store in San Bruno on a desperate soap hunt. The closest thing was "Simply Ivory" with "just a little scent" -- oh yeah, how about NO SCENT, JUST SOAP dammit. Is that so IMPOSSIBLE? No Mountain Fresh, Sport Scent, Almond Honey, nothing! just SOAP. Frustrated, Haus Frau turned the corner and spotted the special British Foods section in this particular grocery store...and a smiling face. The "famous cheeky face of the Tunnock's Boy." Hausfrau was relieved that this was not a wasted trip.
Tunnock's wafer biscuits! Turns out along with a police station, traditional main street shops, pubs and rail station, there is one big biscuit factory in Uddingston, Scotland.

Even better, each wafer biscuit was individually wrapped and the shiny wrapper boasted "4,000,000 of these biscuits made and sold every week? How was this possible? Who is buying all these Carmel Wafer Biscuits?

Interesting Facts:

The Chocolate used on the caramel wafer is made from condensed milk (that must be why they are so chewy)
An individual Tunnock's Caramel is devoid of a sell-by date, though the multipacks do have one. (another reason why they are so chewy).
St. Andrews University has a Tunnock's Caramel Wafer Appreciation Society (a college cookie club that attempts to cover up obvious cookie nerdness by raising money for "charity". Sure, charity. They even have a "constitution". Unfortunately, there are no photos of the members, but the President is an Astrophysics major and there are links to "Lord of the Rings" and uh, the cartoon "Pearls Before Swine"? I would love to attend one of their meetings. Please add pictures Appreciation Society!
This is the best, from "begining" spelled wrong to the "Rustic Maiden Fair" who says things like "I come hither bearing you a wondrous gift of Tunnock's Caramel Wafers." Warning: Biscuit Porn.

Note, Dial has just re-branded their unscented soap in a much smaller bar (unlike Tunnock's which is "still original size.") It's called "BASICS - Hypoallergenic" tested by Dermatologists even when all Hausfrau requires is NOT to smell "Mountain Fresh". Hausfrau may be obsessed with unscented soap, but she has yet to form an appreciation society.

Nick's Birthday Party

2008-09-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday today to Nick Cave, who is still a spry blur at fifty-one. The Chef & I (plus geek girls PVC and Usher Supreme on the floor) were lucky to see NC & the Bad Seeds a few days ago where he leaped about the stage, knocking things over in his furious path with well-timed high kicks to prove that he is still the same ol' punk -- even more so off the smack! We were exhausted just watching him in the sauna seats up in the rafters. Along with the sonic rants from "Dig, Lazerus, Dig!" we were thrilled to hear a few oldies, "Tupelo", "Deanna" even "Stagger Lee". All the classic Murder Ballads rolled out to cheers from the crowd.
p.s. there is no better mountain man on the violin than recent Bad Seed (and Dirty Three leader) Warren Ellis.

Nashville

2008-09-19T21:16:00.000-07:00

DJ BC lights up Ritual

2008-09-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

It was a treat to catch up with Mz Tancho this weekend. We took a swing past Ritual Coffee Roasters to view the glorious art of DJ Big Cookie lighting up the walls. Congratulations DJ BC! Mz Tancho and I could not resist annoying the nomadic laptop "office" brigade by leaning in w/ loud ahs and ooohs. Hipsters gave us the stink eye and we just laughed. Getting older means you don't give a fig what strangers think.

"I Live in San Francisco"

Portrait of the artist in the gallery.

We look forward to receiving one of these happy Chinese New Year postcard delights in the mail each year. That DJ Big Cookie sure is something, like a super croissant, but better.

...check out how this beauty was created.

So much happy laughter. Plus, Mz Tancho scored some nice burlap bags.

Lemony Merritt

2008-09-11T23:17:00.000-07:00

Accordionist meets curmudgeon -- a conversation brimming with sarcasm, yet between friends (whew) witnessed tonight at the Herbst Theatre. Plus the usual melancholy music that makes people laugh. There were no Gothic Archies songs, but it was in the same key as below: "smile: no one cares how you feel/be vicious, vain, and vile/everything's yours to steal if you just smile/ always the best disguise/a license to defile/everyone you despise will die/so smile. "

Hornocopia

2008-09-07T22:00:00.000-07:00

Hornocopia hits Dolores Park.

We had to sneak away when the pressure to dance became overwhelming (despite our obvious love for brass). Cheers to the Brass Liberation Orchestra and Blue Bone Express!

Maximus

2008-09-06T11:02:00.001-07:00

It takes a team of skilled professionals to find a video this cute:

Chihuly @ the DeYoung

2008-09-02T19:35:00.001-07:00

Slow Booze '08

2008-09-01T10:27:00.001-07:00

Before the masses hit the "Spirits Pavilion"...

...the Chef readied his samples -- a slow booze "Corpse Reviver" w/ lemon juice, cointreau, Death's Door Gin, Underhill Lounge Swedish Punsch and a touch of Absinthe, and the Vodka Cobbler crowd pleaser also known as "that pink thing".

My favorite spot was the Pickle Pavilion (featuring brined objects from Picklopolis.) Not only do I love pickled anythings, but since I was ticketless volunteer, the nice Pickle people were not checking tickets when giving out samples and I "relished" going through the line a few times. ha! get it? relished!

The fancy food crowds didn't know that the lines were shorter at the farmer's market. I felt spoiled, as we shop local each week just a short stroll away (with plenty of slow booze demos right in our kitchen). No tickets or "slow dough" required.

Monk's Kettle

2008-08-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

A Friday night spent with good pals Dr. & Mrs. Virus -- enjoying delicious beer and giant pretzels to celebrate the end of a long week. If you come and visit us we will take you here.

Radiohead @ Outside Lands

2008-08-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

When you go to a summer music festival in California, there is foo foo-fancy pants concert food available. Fresh fruit? yes! organic ice cream? yes! Cowgirl Creamery cheese? Oh yes. We didn't eat any of it however, as we rushed to claim our close-to-the-front territory with towels and wide leg stance. It's all about the land grab. OK, it was in the VIP section. Don't hate me.

It was a great show, but ranking at #3 personal best Radiohead experience. Lower on the list because of the uber fans standing next to me singing every single song with hand gestures. I don't like that. I want to hear Thom Yorke sing the songs. Is that so crazy? Sing along to the CDs alone in your room why don't you!? When did live music concerts become participatory and not just about LISTENING? Those people sang their hearts out for two hours, but they were not Radiohead. I would not pay to come over to their house and listen to them sing "Karma Police". Would you? Still, it was Radiohead, the sound went out twice, but who cares.

Team Dinner

2008-08-28T18:29:00.000-07:00

In NYC we had a "team dinner" in the kitchen -- but no one was cooking there, it was just the secret location setting behind a big door to make us feel special. I thought that was funny. I can't remember the name of the restaurant but hoo boy, it was TRENDY. All I know that it was half a block from the Indian restaurant, Spice Market, and that I wished I was eating there (@ Spice Market), alone. At work dinners there is so much small talk that who can actually taste the food? It was Italian, or something. I like food too much to not taste it.