deep thoughts from chicago

the chicago manual of style, that is.

Q. A friend and I were looking at a poster that read “guys apartment.” I believe it should read “guys’ apartment.” She claims that it should read “guys’s apartment” and that the CMS specifically gives the example of “guys’s” to make “guys” possessive. I looked through every section on possessives and did not find the word “guys’s” or any rule that would make this correct. Some people say “you guys’s apartment”—did I overlook the word “guys’s” as used in the attributive position? (I don’t think I did.)

A. “Guys’s” is acceptable in the way that “youse guys” is acceptable; that is, neither is yet recognized as standard prose, and if your friend can find it in CMS, I’ll eat my hat. Plural nouns that end in s (like “guys”) don’t add another s to form the possessive, e.g., the students’ lounge. “Guys’ apartment” is the standard spelling. If you want to make “guys” attributive, you can get away without the apostrophe, but you might test the idea with a plural noun that doesn’t end in s to see whether the attributive actually works: I doubt you’d write “the women apartment,” so you shouldn’t write “the guys apartment” either. And shame on your friend. It must make you wonder what else she’s capable of.

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Q. What is the proper comma usage in describing a series of nouns with a single adjective? For example, “This spring’s collection emphasizes sexy lingerie, blouses, skirts, and mukluks.” I am devoted to the serial comma, but should a comma be included after the third item if I want the adjective to apply to all four items? I write for an online retailer and often find myself stumped by this little conundrum.

A. If the adjective applies to all four nouns, a serial comma is harmless. The problem arises if the adjective is meant to apply only to some of the nouns. In that case, the comma is the least of your worries. To avoid ambiguity, you should put only the modified nouns after the adjective: “This spring’s collection emphasizes mukluks and sexy blouses, skirts, and lingerie.”

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Q. Your copy editing leaves something to be desired. In section 8.64, the correct spelling is Baudelaire, not Beaudelaire.

Also, you might want to add a place on the website to suggest corrigenda.

A. Thank you for taking the time to write. We depend on the kindness of our readers—and reader kindness overflowed when this typo made it into print. The error will be corrected in the next printing of the manual. You will find a place to send comments just above the place where you submit questions. Perhaps in future revisions of the Web page we can add a place for corrigenda and—what the heck—while we’re at it, one for chastisement.

paneer masala would be a pleasure

prior to seeing good night, and good luck (plug plug plug) this weekend, todd and i walked to other avenues grocery (an all veggie grocery in the outer sunset) and feel real cafe, an all veggie restaurant. yes, walked. the bison were all sleeping, and our H3 had guzzled all the neighborhood gas and my tricycle was in the shop, so we had to do it the way cavemen did, and strut our stuff through wind, sleet, hail, and... well, blue skies and gorgeous weather. we traveled 3.9 miles, and it looked somewhat like this:

(the wavy circle-like object is our starting point and the crude x our final destination. luckily, we didn't walk to the movie- that would have been another 7 miles up, down, and up hill.)

what made it all worth it (beside the yummy tofu scramble with tomato chutney and mashed potato pancake) was this indian restaurant's window down the street. if you want to go, it's near judah and 46th.

orange you glad i didn't say banana

this house near the panhandle used to be blue. or grey. or some lighter color. a month ago, it all of a sudden turned orange w/blue painter's tape, so i thought the orange was some primer for a nice dark reddish color. but no. that blue painter's tape was actually blue painted trim. and the bright carrot top orange? the actual color of the house. behold, the biggest eyesore this side of haight (besides the hobos and bohos).

finding a purpose

today we saw good night, and good luck, a film george clooney directed (and co-wrote) about the newsmedia's attempt to report on the communist witch trials spearheaded by mccarthy during the early-mid 1950's. this movie literally blew me away. todd asked me afterwards what was my favorite part, and because it wasn't a comedy, i didn't feel i could point to a gag or scene that stood out. the entire movie created a sense of purpose and responsibility to our rights as american citizens. and i felt that it was this ability that made it a great movie and probably one of my favorites of all time. sure, the acting proved solid, and the direction was flawless. film of mccarthy was used in place of an actor to display how he truly was. and all of this made me feel that one person really can make a different. that ed murrow and fred friendly pointed cbs in the "right" direction, and they impacted society. and this is currently being debated today. how much should our newsmedia get involved? who should be controlling the media? should we only have so much say over what is aired, who is sponsoring it, and what gets left behind closed doors? how much of the information that gets to us is funnelled, sanitized, and cleansed for the purpose of some other higher organization?

i want to do just what the newsmedia at the time did. not lead cbs on some crusade or mission, but make an impact, affect change, be part of some socially conscious effort to produce a better future. now the question is, how do i do this? do i wait, being apathetic for a few years, until i can find a job that fulfills me on all fronts? or do i jump in somehow now? i'm leaning towards the latter, so for the next few weeks, i'll be researching ways to volunteer and get actively involved in making more of a difference in some aspect. not just donating money or one weekend a year, but something more longlasting. they say admission is the first step towards conquering a problem. well, ok. i'm a do-gooder, and i'm proud of it.

best trivial pursuit questions of all time

Q: how many gears are there on the average unicycle?
A: none

Q: what nation ritually sacrificed 100 cows to at one for being slow to explode ancient statues of buddha? (verbatim from the card!)
A: afghanistan

something to give thanks for

E! Online
By Marcus Errico
Thu Nov 24,12:58 AM ET

This time it's for real. Honest.

After months of speculation on their marital status, Newlywed duo Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey have come clean and announced they are breaking up.

"After three years of marriage, and careful thought and consideration, we have decided to part ways," the couple says in a joint statement issued by their respective publicists, Meredith O'Sullivan and Rob Shooter.

"This is the mutual decision of two people with an enormous amount of respect and admiration for each other. We hope that you respect our privacy during this difficult time."

For more of this article, click here.

For more juicy gossip, click here.

my 15 minutes of fame

tvguide.com has a great weekly column written by mike ausiello. people send in questions to be answered and some center around tv and some don't. finally, this week, my gag question gets answered (2nd from the top)! i've had letters to the editor at the sf chronicle printed before, and poems published in elementary school, but this proves that i've finally made it. whew.

things not to be thankful for this year

awful pink pants that make trashbag sounds everytime you move. or breathe. these retail for $1,350 so at least you get your money's worth.

flannel nightgowns that only my grandmother wears. available in 4 different plaids, one for every other night of the week. sure to put some "spark" back into the bedroom. as in, i'd-douse-them-in-kerosene-and-light-a-match type of spark.

big guys grunting and getting paid big bucks to chase balls. how is that different from guys in everyday life?

now, i like eddie's earlier stuff, but fox decided to show daddy day care for their thanksgiving night movie. bad bad bad choice. i want to see eddie as a tough yet humorous cop or a lost african man in the wilds of new york or even a slightly off donkey (c'mon, he was in love with a dragon!) in a magical fairy tale land. but an ad exec who turns his house into a day care? and up against the biggest fish in the pond? thanks, but no thanks.

"Wow! Brazil is big." —after being shown a map of Brazil by Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brasilia, Brazil, Nov. 6, 2005

"Listen, I want to thank leaders of the — in the faith — faith-based and community-based community for being here." —Washington, D.C., Sept. 6, 2005

"See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda."—Greece, N.Y., May 24, 2005

photos courtesy of bluefly.com, llbean.com, espn.com, imdb.com, and about.com

pillow talk

Dot: All we know is that we like you. We have no taste, but we like you.
"Plane Pals" from Animaniacs

we got a new pillow this weekend, and i had great sleep last night. it felt like i was drifting on marshmallows, ones dipped in dark chocolate and fed to me on fondue sticks. it's a king-sized pillow, so if i roll, it's still there, ready and waiting for me. plus, it has extra support so i don't need two pillows, one of top of another. so i highly recommend the tommy hilfiger "traditional" support pillow in king. you can thank me later. good night and sweet dreams.

if only i had fresh squeezed orange juice

breakfast this morning included morningstar "bacon," potato pancakes with apple sauce, tofu scramble, and grapes. yum.

to make tofu scramble:

• saute your choice of veggies (today mine had sweet potatoes, peas, broccoli, sweet peppers, and kale).
• when cooked, add crushed/mashed firm tofu and saute.
• add a little bit of cumin (for flavor and scrambled egg color) and a pinch of curry powder.
• mix in a little bit of shredded cheese and stir until melted.
• serve with ketchup if desired.

my little purrball

alphie's not very photogenic, but i felt it was time to document him at 8-10 years old. and obviously, he looks much different from the last pictures in august or whenever. yep, i think he's starting to spout some grey hairs...

did you say ocean fish? i love fish. especially tuna. but not the chicken of the sea kind. feed me! now. meow.

my, what purry faws you have.

this isn't my best side, see, part of my ear is missing. i hate the paparazzi. go away! or feed me. now.

the real world, minus the skunks, drunks, and mtv

some people tell me i'm too honest. or that i don't sugarcoat things enough with the appropriate amount of adjectives. or that other times, i'm too quiet, and i don't speak up enough. or that other times i speak up too much. and i want to change this, somewhat, but others have to treat me the same way. no more "that color looks grrrreat on you!" when i blend in with the walls or "no, you smell like roses, and you don't need deoderant." or if i overstep my boundaries and hurt feelings, not to tell me. really, it's time we're all honest and upfront about things. otherwise, we'll continue to stew in our own mixed bag of issues, letting it all sit way past it's due date. this includes eurotrash smoking man at frjtz, coffeehouse barista who makes my soy hot cocoa too soy-ey and not enough cocoa-y, and the humongo woman who takes up her bus seat and half of mine. ok, maybe not her- i'd rather live than be squashed for all eternity. and you know how i love squash.

union square celebrates... arbor day.

thought i'd add a few pictures of the tree getting strung (but not strung out). it went up on november 1st, which to me is WAY too early for a christmas tree. don't we still have thanksgiving to prepare for? anyway, the tree adds some festive flair to union square, and i'm glad i don't have the lucky task of stringing lots of tiny lights around it.

click on the images for larger versions.

open up wide

last year i switched dentists from the singing musicals dentist (down at the embarcadero, if you're looking for one) to a stanford alumn over by union square. went to the dentist today and had one of the best cleanings ever. really great cleaning, with plaque flying everywhere and kanye west crooning in the background... and then mr. dds walks in and asks what i'm up to, where i'm working now, etc. and it turns out he knows my boss because she too goes to him! funny, yet slightly awkward. ho hum.

holiday schmoliday

i get anxious around the holidays. one reason is all the quality family time, which most times is overwhelming and used to require me to split my holidays or trips between two families, one of which was greatly more psycho than the other. but the main reason is i have a tendancy to question the legitimacy of the holiday itself. for example, why do we celebrate some great feeling (valentine's day) just once a year? why not celebrate our love (or lust, for some) every other day? or better yet, every day? i also have major concsious-cluttering issues with "historical days of significance." take thanksgiving as an example. we, the lovely tribe-killing, disease-spreading white man, encourages everyone to celebrate that we have a "land" of our own. unlike july 4th, where we celebrate... a land of our own. so we give thanks for all the hard work those white christians did in creating positive relations with the local indigenous peoples.... before we wiped them out or stole their women and land or hoarded them into camps and tried to assimilate them and then drove them to their new lands which were reservations "given" to them by the us government complete with us post office and trading outpost for national and international tourists. or new year's, which is where we glorify a day determined by ancient christian scientists who decided to allot 24 hours to a day and then 365 days to a year along with an extra day every 4 years. then those christians also decided that january 1 denotes the beginning of a new year as oposed to march 1 or august 16. so we're really celebrating the christian calendar, and this allows us a day off from work and champagne galore along with a midnight kiss.

i know it seems like i have issues with christian holidays, but we don't get many that aren't christian based. there's memorial day, where we honor the dead who went and fought for us (most times in the name of god or if god told us to go to war), and this one seems justified (i don't support the military, but i support our troops. really, it makes sense), but we only honor them one day a year? maybe these holidays are mainly enforced to give government and bank employees their 10 days off a year. but i guess what i wish is that we could be more objective about our "holidays," and take a critical eye to why we do things the way we do. i don't want to sit around the table, staring at someone's turkey carcass, and pretend to give thanks for all in the world. and i am thankful, i am. but i don't want to ignore that injustice prevails every day, that just because i'm some white girl from florida who lives in the liberal city by the bay. that i don't think and contemplate, that i don't see that for the most part, i've had it easy, and i'm lucky to be where i am. that you don't control who you are, yet you can control who you become. so that's what i'll give thanks for this year: that eventhough you're one measly person, you have a voice, you make a difference, and you matter, yet everyone else also matters, and you should be conscious of this, no matter who "they" are. unless they're white christians. (just kidding!)

sqawk squawk gobble gobble

this thanksgiving, why not save a turkey instead of eating one? farm sanctuary's adopt-a-turkey program can provide your saved turkey with a happy life instead of a burial on your dinner table. and if you still want a turkey-like edible thing to adorn your feast, why not try an unturkey or a tofurkey or field roast's celebration roast? that is, something without any meat products in it. it'll be good for you, and even better for the turkey.

live from my couch, it's saturday zzzzz!

i was forced to watch basketball on saturday night. had my ankle not been swollen and utterly incapable of moving, i would have run far, far away. but instead it was propped up on a pillow, and if i needed anything, todd carried me back and forth. so i watched sweaty men run up and down the court for a few hours; it wasn't the end of the world. plus, our couch is really comfy. i totally tranked out, until part-way through when the commentators said something like:

commentator a (regarding steve nash's shot): whoa, he's ambidextrous!
commentator b: does that mean he can shoot underwater?

totally made my night.

curly, larry, and moe

recently i've been unhappy with my hair. i've always had really curly hair. and it's not round little ringlets, it's more like uncontrollable spirals of death. i didn't realize how evil the curls were until, at the tender age of 5, my mom decided to cut my hair. on her own. without a licensed professional near by. of course, curly hair looks much longer wet because when it dries, the curls bounce up and you have about 1/3 the hair you had wet. yeah, so i had a boy cut, and everyone kept telling my mom what a lovely little boy she had. maybe this explains my sci-fi and early nintendo tendencies.

ever since i could hold a hair dryer, i've been blow drying my hair straight. ok, at first it wasn't straight. wielding multiple brushes, hair serum, and blow dryer, it started out as frizzy straight. i didn't quite get the whole "wrapping it around a brush and pulling" type of thing. plus, in those days, when it was 95% humidity outside, my hair never quite dried fully. but if it was "almost straight," i could do stuff with it without looking like i had stuck my finger in an electrical socket, and this gave way to what is now more commonly known as the onion 'do. there were two versions, i think. one, where i pulled the sides up to the back crown of my head and tied it with an elastic. the other was pulling ALL of my hair up into a high pony tail. definitely loved looking like an onion for 5 years. there was also the triangle hair look, made fashionable by the stuck-in-the-early-80's bleach blonde stylist. if i wore my hair semi-straight, it looked ok, but if it was curly, the curls would take on the shape of a christmas tree and my awful claire's earrings became the ornaments. so not cool. and there was no star on top of my head, either.

the late high school years actually went by ok, even with all the hair gel and bun wearing. although, putting semi-curly hair into a bun proved impossible, since i always had fizzies and little curls that had minds of their own. and most other girls in my class had long, stick-straight hair and attracted all of the boys, so i wanted to at least blend in. at this lovely college prep school full of peer pressure and pine, curly hair was never applauded.

college, though, gave me some of the best hair days of my life: the weather was dry, and if it snowed, i had an excuse to wear a beanie or parka. moving to san francisco, i had to initially battle fog, and this totally ruined any potential good hair day. really. i didn't want to frizz or curl, but i wanted to be able to go a day without washing my hair, so out came the trusy beanie, which lives in or near my purse and can be whipped out at a moment's notice to deflect any chance of liquid action. and lately, if it rains, maybe i want to just go curly for a day or two. with the right cut, it's possible. but for 4 years, i was having trouble finding a stylist who could give me a decent cut for both curly and straight hair. for instance, the 2nd to last sytlist i saw was anthony, an androgenous looking stylist (originally female, but refers to self as a he), and i thought "this is good. if he/she can possibily go both ways, so can my hair." but no. i got bangs. short bangs. evil, son of the devil, not even 1 inch bangs. and when they curled, they were 1/4 inch bangs. eek! so finally, i went to pitch salon, where i got a great, basic layered cut. phew. but i still can't let myself go curly for more than a day. and i'm trying to figure out why. what is my real, deep down issue with curly hair? is it because it's uncontrollable? is it because of the frizz? is it because it reminds me of my dad, whom i don't speak to anymore? is it because straight hair lets me blend in and not bring attention to the fact that i'm different? i think it's yes to all of that. but i'm ok with it all. really. now where's my flat iron?

seeking sterling, va

i have a site counter and sometimes people get to my blog from pretty strange google searches. like "sourdough turban bread" and "sorenson interpret," and i've had numerous hits for people searching for reviews on compagnie jant-bi. take that, chronicle. i wrote a letter to the editor a few weeks ago ( i even used proper grammar and punctuation), and said:

Dear Editor,

I’m incredibly disappointed with your lack of performing arts coverage, specifically visiting dance companies. For example, Compagnie Jant-Bi’s two-night run at Yerba Buena shone brightly as one the past year’s major dance highlights, and Compagnie Marie Chouinard recently swept into San Francisco, yet the Chronicle didn’t review either of these companies. San Francisco serves as an arts mecca, and I would hope that the Datebook would support our cultural ideas and process of expression rather than simply write about passive, couch-type activities that really don’t require a lot of press and hype such as new television series, badly written movies, and what’s new out on DVD. Arts companies and presenters don’t have the big budgets that, for example, ABC, Universal, and Clear Channel have, so how about supporting them (the arts, that is) a little bit more? And maybe then, I’ll renew my subscription.

Regards,
Becca H.

P.S. Two wonderful companies are coming to town in the six months. Have you assigned reviewers to Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE and Doug Varone & Dancers?

to which i got a very timely response (let's just say less than 4 hours) from david wiegand, whom i have met a few times before in the sfb press room way back in the day. david said:

Hi Becca, I am sorry you're disappointed, but the reality is that we probably offer more dance reviews than reviews or features on any single art form. Really. Ironically, we don't have a dance critic, but we have actually reviewed MORE dance programs using freelance writers than when we had our own critic. Can we get to every dance event in the Bay Area? Not at all. And we never can. I guess we prioritize Bay Area dance companies because they are Bay Area companies. For example, while we were not able to do Compagne Jant-Bi, we did choose to do the Yerba Buena program on up and coming Bay Area choreographers. Datebook serves many masters and many readers. You may not have any interest in TV or films, but I'm sure you understand other readers do. Our hope is to try to offer a balance. Again, I am sorry you're disappointed but assure you that we will always do our best. We make choices. We have to, and they are never easy.
Thanks so much for writing,
David Wiegand
Acting Deputy Managing Editor for Features

too sad. obviously people want to read about the touring companies. why else would i be getting hits on my reviews from people in san francisco and beyond? and perhaps there's some real reason, besides the dot-com bust and online newspaper access, as to why the chronicle's circulation has decreased dramatically in the past 4 years. but that wasn't the real point of this post.

there are several people outside of san francisco who read my blog on a regular basis without a link from blogger or some other random blog generator. the one that jumps out at me specifically is someone in sterling, virginia. now, i don't think i know of anyone in sterling. or in virginia. actually, i've heard that someone i knew from way back might be in virginia, but i don't think it's sterling. i know people in new york and connecticut and florida and peru. but no one in sterling. or richmond hills, ontario either. who are you, sterling? are you the person who liked to watch the free play-per-view at my mom's house in high school? or are you some rogue, on-the-run blog reader?

no smokin' here.

one of the things i love about california is that all restaurants (indoor and outdoor) and bars are smoke-free. at least, intended to be. but i've noticed a lot recently that some restaurants, specifically if they have an outdoor seating area, are turning a blind eye to smokers. i'm one of those "annoying" people who will go up to the smoker and request that they put out their cancerous death-inducer, and i know that bothers some people, especially those i'm sitting with because then we get the "you're such a goody-goody" look. but i don't want to inhale. ever. i want to live long, be healthy, and breathe in the fresh, clean, pacific coast scent of the western US air. i've been keeping a mental list of these "smoke tolerant outdoors" places, and perhaps it's time to share. this doesn't mean i'm encouraging you to boycott them, but to be aware and perhaps be ready to toss your water (accurately or not- it's up to you) at someone's butt. but not their rear end.

tolerates outdoor smoking:
bia's on haight
frjtz on hayes - almost everytime i go, i have to ask someone to stop smoking out on the back eating patio. i swear i'm on their $h1t list. and they give ashtrays when you ask. or sometimes bring you when you're already smoking. so wrong.
absinthe on hayes
rose's cafe on union

i know there are others, but these are the ones that stand out.

so much better than fruit of the loom

Lorelai: [upon entering the church] Would it kill God to dust?

oh yes, a random quote at the top. you know what this means. i love/hate/desire a material, tangible object or item!

this weekend, todd and i went to the green festival down at the exhibition center, and on a spur of the moment type thing, todd decided to buy sheets. but not just any sheets, organic pima cotton sheets from native cotton. and let me tell you, these are incredibly comfy. they breathe but keep me warm, and they don't smell funny. right now, i'm at work, but all i can think about is going home tonight and lying in bed while petting the cat, soaking up the luxurious feel of GMO-free and chemical-free cotton, and reading a book (right now, it's the second summer of the sisterhood, the follow-up to the sisterhood of the traveling pants. thank you, san francisco public library system). sigh. now, though, i have to be nice to these sheets. no spilling cookie crumbs in bed or washing them in red gatorade or using them as a blanket in golden gate park or accidentally leaving them at the laundromat (i miss you, deep purple body by victoria secret bra!). i'll have to protect these sheets with my life. but i'm not home all the time, so maybe i'll install some nifty anti-theft/tracking device on them. yeah, that's the answer.

hi, i'm jane, and...

when you sit down next to someone and introduce yourself, DO NOT follow that with "and by the way, i forgot to put on deoderant today." it really kills the mood.

you're toast

sunday i made my special french toast, and since we had fresh satsuma mandarins, also a warm topping of bing cherries and mandarins along with a side of trader joe's veggie sausage patties. tres yummy.

becca's "carmelized" french toast
ingredients:

• sliced bread (sourdough or challah work best)
  
• 3 eggs
• 4-5 cups soy milk
• 2 tbs cinnamon
• pinch of hot chocolate dry mix
• brown sugar

directions:

• preheat skillet to medium.
• combine 3 eggs and 4-5 cups of soy milk (depending on how "eggy" you like your french toast).
• add 1-2 tablespoons of cinnamon and a pinch or two of hot cocoa.
• dip pieces in the egg mixture, lightly coating both sides as the bread will seep up the mixture.
• put dipped pieces on a place and coat "top" of bread with brown sugar. press sugar into bread so that it sticks.
• "PAM" the skillet.
• place dipped pieces brown sugar side down in the skillet.
• keep an eye so that when that side browns, you flip them.
• serve with a yummy fruit topping.

something smells a little fishy

i'm still recovering from the marketing conference. while interesting, a lot of it was common sense. plus, it was held at fisherman's wharf, so i'm still trying to get over the influx of tourists, overpriced nicknacks, and trying to avoid fish for meals. in fact, the first night of the conference, they held a dinner where they offered three main course options. three, you say! what choices! yep. beef, chicken, and fish. where's the veggie option? i asked the conference head and he said "fish." um. no. fish isn't a vegetable. it's got eyes, a skeleton, produces eggs that give way to more little fishies, etc. just because salmon is orange and carrots are orange, this doesn't not equal salmon with carrots. the associative property or whatever it is doesn't work in this instance. so i feigned a sinus headache to get out of it. whew.

pumpkin cookies

last weekend, in a sudden urge of baking creativity, i made pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting. while i've made pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies were a whole new ball game. the recipe made about 36 cookies, and todd took about 5 days to finish them off. because they turned out so well, i'll share the recipe with you below. you might want to experiment with how much pumpkin and spices you use. i felt a little more pumpkin and either pumpkin pie spice or extra cinnamon is in store for my next batch.

pumpkin cookies
ingredients:

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup shortening
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup canned pumpkin

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Grease cookie sheets.
3. In a large bowl, cream together sugar, egg, shortening, and vanilla.
4. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture.
5. Stir in the pumpkin, raisins, and walnuts.
6. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
7. Bake 10-15 minutes in the preheated oven.
8. Allow to fully cool before you top with frosting (see below).

cream cheese frosting
ingredients:

• 8oz of cream cheese (room temp)
• 1 stick of butter (room temp)
• 2 cups of powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla

directions:

• mix cream cheese and butter together in mixer.
• add in vanilla.
• slowly cream in powdered sugar.
• top cookies with frosting or refridgerate for later.

your feet smell and your nose is running.

i'm stuck in a conference for the next 3 days. i may not get to post much, so i thought i'd leave you with this nice little thought:

is it wrong to deoderize your feet?
for odors that they might secrete?
like underarms, they're flesh,
so why can't they smell powderfresh?
use secret; they'll stop smelling in the heat.

things i learned today while waiting for a bus

cabbies will not stop for you:

• if you simply stare at them.
• if you stare at them as they drive past you and then you pout because they didn't "know" that you wanted a cab.
• if you mentally think really really really hard about how much you want and desire a cab at that very instant.
• if you squeeze your hand and then wrinkle your mouth with dissatisfaction.
• or if you yell "jesus christ" a few times.

none of these are universally recognized methods for hailing a cab. instead, try:

• checking to see if the yellow light that says "taxi" on top of a cab is lit.
• if so, raise your arm and wave, while looking at the cab.
• if necessary, also yell "taxi." this works best in conjested areas like union square.
• calling a cab. in san francisco, i highly recommend luxor cab company(415.282.4141)

you might need to resort to desperate measures. if so, try:

• flashing the cabbie. this only works if you have a rack. if you're male and have more than an aa cup, DO NOT attempt. this will be a surefire way to NOT get a cab.
  
• jump in front of the cab. verify that you have adequate health insurance beforehand.
• starting a new profession as a cabbie. think about it. you'll always have a ride somewhere. although you'll have to make sure your brakes squeak, there are at least 2 cigarette burn holes on the back seat, and that you always speak in another language on your cell phone (which is adhered to your ear by a nifty velcro attachment) 24/7. oh, and you'll listen to smooth jazz.
  
• taking a bus. wild, yes, but crazy, no.
  

november 8th is almost here

it's the beginning of november, which means elections are right around the corner. next tuesday, to be more precise. i've always cherished the right to vote. in fact, i pre-registered in high school so at the first possible moment, i could cast my ballot and feel my voice was heard. but it's sad that not everyone does this. it's like voting is an extra-curricular or something. and this year, in california, every vote counts.

why? because not only do we have local elections, but the governator has put state propositions on the ballot that can affect each and every one of us. that's right. he and his buddies have spent millions of the state's and their own dollars to hold a special election. for their own interests. like for redistricting (to be determined by retired judges picked by.... the government. not our legislators whom WE elect). and making it harder for unions to lobby. and for teacher evaluation periods to be one of the longest in the country (increasing it from 2 years to 5). and for the governor to be able to edit his own budget (increase or decrease) without legislative consent mid-year. and to require all minors to gain parental consent or that of a court prior to getting an abortion. that's right, if you don't have the balls to tell your potentially abusive dad or have the money and ability to get yourself to a courthouse several times, too bad, no abortion for you. just deal.

there are a few other props, but really, these are all bad, bad, bad propositions. all of them. and yet i'm surprised by how many people are saying they don't vote. period. ever. even if they don't like arnold or bush or newsom or whoever is in office or attempting to pass new laws. why? we all got nice little voter information guides in the mail (both local and state) giving us overviews of the props. and local papers have done op-eds and investigative reporting on them. and if you don't vote, it's not like your decision counts. if only those who support arnold's props show up and vote, then they win. and if you feel like you aren't informed, get informed. read your packet. read a newspaper. check out who REALLY sponsorswhich props, and make a difference. because if you don't, then you lose. so don't be apathetic. on november 8th, let your voice be heard.

• check out this article for some "reasons" why people won't vote. or why they will.
• the california voter guide can be found here.
• if you live in san francisco, you can find your polling place here.
• the san francisco voter guide can be found here.