Here's the Tree

Just about tinder-box dry right now....but here's a pic.

The Cult Plays Del Mar

This past Saturday we got to see 1980's glam rockers The Cult. They happened to be playing at the Del Mar racetrack, as the featured post-race entertainment. We arrived for the last four races of the day, and I bet $11 total and won $14.20. Minus the $6 admission to the races, seeing one of my favorite bands cost $2.80. Not a bad deal.

nils biker boy video

a short video from del mar

This blog is NOT abandoned!

I read not long ago that there are something like 220 million abandoned blogs in this country. That's a lot of stalled ambition.

My ambition inre: blogging was stalled for a while, too. That and forgetting my login info for blogger. So there you have it.

Anyway, the only reportable excitement is that our neighborhood has a regular ice cream truck. Who knew? And what you don't see in the photo shown here is the little kid down the block absolutely SCREAMING for ice cream. Good to know some things never change.

And that's enough small town news for today.

Art and Commerce

On this most recent Sunday, we went to the birthday party for the lovely and wonderful Annie Galvin at Ireland's 32 on Geary.

We haven't seen Annie or her husband Eric for quite a while. Too long, in fact, since they're both sweet, funny and generally terrific people. They're both pursuing their artistic passions, and Annie is a so talented...and I want the wrestler painting (pictured with this post) from her Wexford Girl website!

One of the more interesting moments during the party was that someone asked me if I was an artist like Annie -- the answer in my case being no....

However, it did strike me that so many of our friends have combined art and commerce to hammer out a living AND follow their dreams....Annie paints, Eric is starting a printmaking business, Lauren is a photographer, Joel and Noami cook, Carter is a textile designer, etc., etc., etc. Only question is -- WTF am I doing???

Right on to them I say -- and as for myself, I better get on it and find my muse. Or maybe my muse is just stuck somewhere on MUNI....

More anon.

1 for 2 on local recommendations...

So, we got two recommendations on local joints -- the first for Chinese and the second for coffee/breakfast.

The Chinese joint, called Chinatown -- as in "I'll take you down to Chinatown" -- is on Kentucky Street in the heart of downtown P'luma.

We ordered some shrimp chow mein, potstickers, orange chicken and sauteed spinach. While the potstickers were good, the rest of it was drowned in cooking oil -- such that if have a biodiesel in need of a fillup, this is could be your spot.

We'll try it again, but order carefully.

Our second local pick, the Tea Room Cafe, was much more successful. This is a coffee/tea house that serves breakfast and lunch/brunch-y stuff. We went on this most recent warm Saturday morning, and it is a warm and inviting space, and was plenty busy. We ordered breakfast and grabbed a seat outside to enjoy the morning sun. Jen had some potato cakes (kind of a pancake made of mashed potatoes) with a side of bacon, and I enjoyed some banana-pecan pancakes. Both yummy, and sustenance enough to see us through out shopping trip to the Saks outlet....