A-Hole in A Hummer!

Today I had a job in downtown San Francisco, and I parked in the Stockton/Sutter Garage as I often do because it is way cheaper than getting a parking ticket. As I walked to the elevator I spotted a H3 Hummer parked in one of the COMPACT stalls. Now I know an H3 is a smaller version of its military grade big brother, but it is far from being a "compact". The first thought to come to my mind was "What a 'effin A-hole!" The second thought that came to my mind had to do with destruction of private property, malicious mischief, a bit of vandalism and a touch of disorderly conduct thrown in for good measure. I chose to walk away, but not before snapping a photo. The funny thing is there was a true compact, a SmartCar parked to the right of it. I should have got a photo of both of them. DAMN!

I think this picture represents part of what is wrong with so many people these days. A lack of common sense and courtesy. The driver of this vehicle didn't care about anyone else but him/herself. Maybe they didn't see the large COMPACT sign painted on the ground, but with a simple glance as they were walking away, they would have noticed that the vehicle was too wide for the space. And could have moved it to a more appropriate spot. There were more than a few less than 20 feet away. So many drivers park so stupidly it amazes me. They paint lines on the ground to denote the space and so many times they are ignored. This practice is especially annoying on the parallel parking spots along the streets. And often I will be between the lines of my spot and some idiot will park inches behind me which makes it difficult to leave at times, especially if the car in front of you does the same thing. If one person doesn't park correctly it starts a chain reaction and makes it harder for the next person to park or leave. SF DPT is quick to ticket you for an expired meter, too bad they don't focus on proper parking.  FYI, there in no parking enforcement of any kind in the Stockton/Sutter, so there is no need for folks to follow the rules I suppose. OK end of rant!

 

Will work for food...

This afternoon I got a call from my friend Allison, who (with her husband Russ) owns Camino, a great restaurant in Oakland. It seems someone, or something, removed the box that houses all of their phone lines from the side of the building. Their DSL and Fax lines were down and needed to be fixed before they started serving dinner. So I loaded up my truck, headed to O-Town, and two hours later order was restored.

Lucky me, Allison offered to buy me dinner for my assistance. I sat at the bar for a cocktail. Here is what they were offering this evening...

I had the Tequila Reposado Cocktail, on recommendation of the Bartender. It was refreshing and damn tasty to boot!

I was then shown to my table, ordered the Lardo Toasts, some sparkling water and took a look at my choices for dinner. The menu here changes daily, here is what was offered this evening...

I ordered the Salted Ling Cod, Potato and Leek Salad, the Grilled and Braised Duck and a glass of 2006 Stéphane Tissot-Trousseau Singulier with the help of my server. 


Everything was fantastic. The drinks, the meal, the service, the weather, all top notch! The funny thing is I was trying to go there for dinner last night, but it didn't happen. All is well that ends well I suppose. Thank you Russ and Allison!

Thanks Morgan...

My 9 year old niece drew this very funny picture for me this Thanksgiving...

It is a depiction on me walking my dog with her brother Phil. As you may or may not see, Cooper is growling and barking at the flower. The brown volcano thing behind him is a fresh pile of poop. I am saying "EWWW! I'm not picking that up!" To which my nephew responds, "Me Either!" and then his cell phone joins in and says, "LOL, me either"! LOL indeed! My niece is a funny little girl. Even if she cant spell my name correctly.

POST BIRTHDAY/HOLIDAY DECOMPRESSION

It is the day after Thanksgiving, which this year was the day after my 42nd birthday, and I am back home after visiting my mom in Sonora with my sister Valerie and her kids.  My brother Chris and his family were there as well. I brought my dog and trusty companion Cooper with me too. He had so much fun running around mom's yard and playing with the kids. I even took him to play some fetch in the park and he got to play in the creek as well. I used my iPhone to record him playing fetch with his squeekie ball and now I have a new ringtone. Yippee!

I made the traditional turkey, and I have come to realize that I don't really like turkey. Why did I go through so much trouble to make something I don't really like to eat? If only them Pilgrims would have made Prime Rib or Sushi on that first of Thanksgivings so many years ago... Next year my birthday will actually be on Thanksgiving day so I will see to it that Prime Rib (or at least a Rib Eye steak) will be on my dinner plate! I also made some Garnet Yams, some Kale and my brother made a ham so I wasn't stuck just eating turkey thankfully.

On Wednesday, mom, sister and I went to Alfredo's for drinks, food and to celebrate my birthday. We all had a few Margaritas and I had Chile Verde for my meal. For dessert, instead of ice cream with a candle, I got a shot of tequila that was engulfed in flames! It was very tasty. And yes, I did blow the flames out before drinking the shot. Back at mom's I had a couple of beers then went to sleep. My sister woke me at 3AM to inform me that my dog need to go out. As I walked out the front door I looked up into the star filled sky just in time to see a meteor streak through the night. It was simply amazing. I walked through the neighborhood looking up at the stars, not necessarily hoping to see another "shooting star", but just enjoying the view of the night sky. Living in San Francisco you just don't see as many stars as you do in the foothills, and you can forget how many stars are out there sometimes. I took another late evening walk last night for one last look at the stars. There was a half moon as well, and it was cool out, but not cold, so the walk was quite pleasurable.

Thanksgiving day was quite easy until it came time to prepare dinner in the tiny kitchen with not enough ovens and room. But everyone was happy and full after, so I guess sis, brother and I did good. It was a nice time and I am so happy that half of my family was there. My only regret is I didn't get to the cemetery to visit dad. I haven't been there in a while and there probably is some maintenance to be done. Plus I wanted to see how the Gardenia tree I broke then fixed with the band-aid from my finger is doing. It was heathy the last time I saw it.
Anyhow... It is good to be home. Tomorrow I know not where I will be but I will be thankful I am there... Unless of course I am in jail!