Water

Obama in 30 seconds

So now that we're all getting nervous about the November elections, maybe it's time to start with a warm up vote.
This video is entered in the "Obama in 30 seconds" video contest. And it's really pretty good. Ok, I'm biased. No, not cause it's the one featured in Wired. It's the candidate I vote for... and my mom happens to be the mother in the video.
Anyways, on monday (the 21st) they open the polls for people to vote for the one they like most. There's a lot of good ones out there. So hopefully people who read this will at least look at them.

For anyone confused, the video is the last page ("9th image") in the gallery.

Because it's Awesome. "Hero"

Horticulture Therapy

So I've taken several strategies in pulling myself out of the depression I've been in.

One is gardening. I've taken to haunting plant nurseries and our back yard. I've gotten a book on plant propagation and now, as Irwin and my sister would put it, I've turned into a gardening machine. I've got seedlings in our kitchen windows for a bit of the greenhouse effect.
I've started growing peppermint and basil in the back yard. I'll have to find a new home for the sunflowers once they get big.
It's also been nice and sunny, which not only is great for the gardening bit, but helps get me my vitamin D, which San Franciscans can be severely lacking in. It's interesting to note that in San Francisco Seasonal Affected Disorder is one of the most common psychological disorders.

Another thing is I've taken the cookbooks off my shelves. I made a really good dinner night before last, with the help of the wonderful basil ripper, Irwin. And there will be more food to come.

My longtime family friend, Amelia's birthday is coming up on Tuesday, and I intend to make her a cake just as soon as I can get over there to see her, family in tow. Speaking of horticulture therapy, her mother is one of the greenest thumbs I know, so that will be good too.

Oh yeah, and I've taken to eating more of my happy foods. It's odd how much food can effect your mood. When you eat something you're not excited about, it's less fulfilling. Personally, I've been going back to food that makes me smile. Indian Coconut Lamb Curry. Vietnamese Jook. Thai Tofu Satay. And always, Japanese Sushi. And I have all of these in my neighborhood.













Now I need to find a place with a pool. Or go up to Silver Lake. I really want to swim. But there aren't really any good places around since I'm not insane and have no intention of swimming in the Bay or the Ocean. At least not here. The water is toxic, the riptides are strong, and the sharks are plentiful... So if any of my friends are interested in a trip up to the mountains for some lake swimming, I'll help with the gas money.

Pie

So on Saturday my friend Jimmy had an opening at Cafe Di Bartolo in Oakland. Irwin and I took public transit out to see it, and ended up getting slightly lost on the 1.6mile walk from the 19th street bart station to the cafe... Ok, so it was my fault. I wrote down "walk until you see it" as the last part of the directions, not anticipating a rather confusing and obnoxious jump in address numbers. Anyways, we DID make it, and Jacob and Grayson met us there. Afterwards we left to find food and headed back to Jacob's where I fell asleep waiting for David to get there. So they went to play pool without me and I got a little sleep, slightly disturbed by allergies and something that bit one side of my body and not the other.

Sunday I went to the Walnut Creek Farmer's Market and got some Rainbow Orchards Apple Juice, which I brought over to WCI where Irwin and the guys were playing basket ball. After they tired themselves out I shot a few hoops while they were trying to decide where to get food.
Jimmy came up with the brilliant suggestion of getting pie at Marie Callender's, so we went and got some lunch and two pies, which ended up being a little too much, but immensely entertaining, as Jimmy tried to cut it and distribute it. There were six of us and unfortunately Marie Callender's likes to insert a blunt ineffective slice divider that cuts each pie into five.

So anyways, I told Matt I'd put up some pictures of people up here. Here are a few. Maybe this summer we can get some with YOU in them with us, Matt.

Pictures from our trip to Hearst Castle

The Drive there was beautiful. We had some new CDs to listen to, which made the traffic bearable. There were some huge dunes. A sand factory. A peninsula which when the oceans were higher was actually an island. Oh yeah, and a helicopter parked on the side of the ridiculously twisty narrow highway 1.































































The Castle itself was amazing too. And don't worry, I didn't forget to look up. They imported centuries old European ceilings. It would have been a waste not to look. Although I feel a bit bad for the villas and monasteries that got stripped for this building project. I suppose they did get paid when they were in a recession... So it was good for them right then... But still, that's centuries of history they sold and it would be worth much more now... And a lot of the antiques and art that William Hearst bought is now sitting in warehouses... Can you believe that?

















And then there was the drive back home. We stopped along the cliffs to watch the sunset. Then drove home in the dark.