google schmoogle

someone found my blog by googling the words "michael vartan saggy balls" (w/out quotes). if only i had actually written on that subject. but i didn't. 'cuz i know nothing about michael vartan's balls. but if i did, i doubt they'd be saggy.

roundtable

sure, it's the offseason, but that doesn't mean that baseball is hibernating! the bullpen baker is participating in an a's roundtable over at the pastime. ryan's posting responses to a variety of questions every few days, so check it out.

let them eat cake

after burning off some post-work stress at the gym on friday, i came home and needed something do to, something to keep my mind racing back to work issues. i had come across this recipe for banana caramel cake earlier in the day, and baking seemed like the perfect anti-depressant (as did eating some of it afterwards). mine turned out pretty good, even though i don't have a heart-shaped bundt cake to turn it from regular ol' cake to lovey dovey mouth-watering goodness.

take cover

i realized the other day that i've been putting the toilet seat cover on upside down for my entire life. now, everything that i normally do i've been second-guessing or having to pause and think is that really the way to pour water into my hot chocolate or sharpen a pencil or get on a bus or open my eyes. what's next, i don't breathe right? wait, i don't--i'm a mouth breather. my whole right nostril doesn't work. darn. foiled again!

what a blockhead

i've had writer's block for the past week or so. this morning, as i was getting ready for work, an idea popped into my head, and i thought "yes, that's what i'll blog about today." only then i turned on the radio, and listed to npr. and that ruined it for me. now, i normally listen to npr's morning edition, but today it hit me harder than usual. i heard about today's death toll in iraq and how older people are being kidnapped left and right in Baghdad for ransom, only to never be returned to their families. i have an fm band on my mp3 player, so on my way to work, i continued to listed to the state of the world, and by the time i got to work, not only was i embarrassed to be an american, but my blog idea was long gone (which honestly is the least of our worries).

as i tried to explain the concept of pdf to a coworker, the idea of ipods and "checking out" versus npr continued to plague my mind, and i wondered that for those who listen to ipods full of music and self-selected content via the commute, do they get a more sanitized version of the world via headphones? true, you can download podcasts from npr/kqed and such, but is it the same thing as listening to the morning's news and opinions in a more free flowing manner? are there happy, nonchalant people who listen to public radio, or are we all moody, cynical people who cringe at any reference to bush: the bushman, hedge trimmers, and brazilians, for example? and would i be happier if i just listened to whatever made me happy (perhaps 99.7 "where the music makes you feel good" and not "where the music makes your brain spin uncontrollably in a zig zag pattern and create peanut butter-flavored mucus that clogs up your nasal pathways") and proud and unaffected by the world? as soon as i thought that, i figuratively slapped my wrists, as checking out isn't my style. although i don't have much style, anyway.

for those in the bay area, kqed will be beginning their pledge drive soon. to support kqed, you can pledge online.

the end

this weekend we drove up to Mendocino for a quick little getaway. as if the bay area wasn't cold enough, right? we hit some wineries (about 8), went horseback riding on the beach, and stayed at a lovely inn on the 1. but with all that wonderfulness, there had to be some incident to make it slightly less than perfect. and that was me navigating as todd careened around redwoods (and slowpokes). normally, i print out a whole step-by-step itinerary, complete with mapquest directions, phone numbers, aerial shots compliments of nasa, etc., but as we just decided on thursday to brace the chilly weather, i only printed out a few brief directions and mainly used our fodors guide and wine country map. in hindsight, this mini-detour was inevitable:Publish

ring my bell

and i thought some of those telemarketer calls were strange...

b (picking up ringing phone at work): this is becca.
male caller (w/ a pretty good sounding british accent): hallo. um. i don't know who you are.
b: were you trying to call me?
caller: i don't know. i was going through the contacts in my rolladex, and i found this number with the letters "bh" next to it, so i thought i'd call.
b: ok! hi.
caller: eh. uh. ah. so... who are you?
b: my name is becca and i work at [insert my thriving do-gooder employer here].
caller: west-what? what does your company do?
b: educational research and development. we're a not-for-profit in san francisco.
caller: oh. i've never heard of you.
b: yeah, i've sort of gotten that idea. what's your name?
caller: sean [last name].
b: and where do you work?
caller: i used to work at [insert now-defunct student loan company here].
b: oh! you know todd [last name withheld just for the fun of it].
caller: yes. i know todd!
b: in fact, i think you were his boss!
caller: that's right. (pause) how did you know that?
b: oh, todd's my boyfriend, and i've met you before.
caller: oh....
b: so why do you have my work number with my initials in your rolladex?
caller: um. dunno. gee, i guess i should go now. it was nice speaking with you.
(click.)

so note to boyfriend: stop giving my number out to coworkers. i don't do that kind of thing anymore. k?

save ferrets

if you were worried that all that's on the government's mind is war, where to legally smoke, and immigration, well, you're wrong. surprisingly, they're also trying to help rescue black footed ferrets! these little guys are cute. wonder if alphie'd like one...

i've got a secret

at victoria's secret's webpage:


Unfortunately, due to certain trademark, labeling, product content and embargo restrictions, we currently do not ship all products to all countries. If you have a restricted item in your bag you will receive a message during checkout that lists the restricted item along with specific instructions to remove the item from your shopping bag or change the shipping method or address if applicable. The following list outlines those restrictions:

.....
All Victoria's Secret Brand, Beauty and Fragrance Products:
Argentina

Second Skin Satin®:
Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Vietnam

Speedo®:
Japan

Timberland™:
Japan

Countries That Have Multiple Product Category Restrictions:
Taiwan

Countries That Are Restricted From All Shipments:
Mexico, Burma, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Myanmar, North Korea, Sudan, Syria


1. burma and myanmar are basically the same country/statehood/territory. the name only changes based on who you ask. here in the us, we recognize it as burma.
2. poor fidel won't be getting his ipex demi cup or angels lace thong anytime soon.
3. argentina must be the best smelling country ever.
4. que pasa con mexico? guess VS doesn't like puppies south of the border.
5. thank goodness someone's banning speedos.
6. sadly, in most of the world taiwan is not a fully recognized country. but i'm glad that vs is taking a stand (even if they don't know it).

eat well

after tasting eatwell farms' lavender salt for the past few years, i gave in and finally bought ourselves a jar. i thought i'd use it sparingly, perhaps to add a little hint of flavor now and then to bland leftovers and such. but i was wrong. it goes well with everything. buttered sourdough toast when you're sick? check. atop green bean and shitake mushroom risotto? check check. homemade dried fruit and nut mix? make that triple check. breakfast potatoes tossed with cumin and parmesan? check again. the farm guy even said one woman he knows sprinkles it on her oatmeal (which may be going a little too far for me). if you can't get to the sf ferry building to get some of your own, martha stewart suggests a "homemade" recipe. although i doubt it's as good as the bay area original.

a picture is worth a thousand words

i never thought i'd say this, but i'm in love with my new phone. if it had a ring finger, i'd probably pop the question. but it doesn't, so i won't. two more interesting pictures from the past few weeks:

exhibit a. this was taken 3 days before jan. 1st. as in during the month of december. in the year 2006. what's that you see? a complete wall of valentine's day candy? (and this from the place that just got robbed by people with an ak-47. perhaps the robbers weren't feeling very loved.)



exhibit b. saw this on my way to physical therapy yesterday. there's a banana slug crossing at pine and fillmore. guess this is where all of those uc, santa cruz grads hang out. i'm glad to see that the slugs have a well-lit crossing. good use for leftoever x-mas lights!