this way up

this morning, i hopped into the elevator in the lobby, and there was already someone in it. i expected him to get out (as the lobby is our lowest floor), but he didn't. i hit the button for the 5th floor, and the 3rd floor was also illuminated. the elevator stopped at the second floor, but nobody got off. or on.

becca: is this your stop?
random guy: no.
b: but were you here a minute ago? did you push the up button?
rg: yes. i wanted to go up, so i got in, but the elevator went down.
b: did you notice if the down arrow lit up before you got in?
rg: arrows? i don't know these things. i pushed the buttons [yes, he pushed the buttons.], the doors opened a few minutes later. but the elevator went down. i don't get it.
b: does this happen to you a lot?
rg: actually, yes.
[and he exited when we reached the 3rd floor.]

with this in mind:

dear career counselors, recruiters, and people lacking vital life experiences,

life skills are important. without them, people may remain stuck in elevators for life. and never realize why. there are only so many lost souls i can help.

b.

SFB, Program 1, January 27, 2009

San Francisco Ballet
Program 1: "Prism," "Diving into the Lilacs," "The Four Temperaments"
Tuesday, January 27, 2009

The city may be experiencing a slight chill, but last night, San Francisco Ballet opened Program 1 with sizzling pizazz. There was nary a tutu in sight, but the dancers onstage displayed classic technique combined with a refreshing sincerity, providing the perfect warmth to melt any cold winter’s night.

Yuri Possokov’s “Diving into the Lilacs” provided the evening’s subtle dash of royalness. Set to Boris Tchaikovsky’s hauntingly beautiful “Sinfonietta for String Orchestra," Possokov played with dark, wintry moods and full shapes, reminiscent of his youth in Russia. He succeeded in highlighting the women in “Lilacs”; adorned in Sandra Woodall’s flowing chiffon dresses, they looked to be in full bloom, and the men complimented them as supportive stems. The dancers jogged, tiptoed, and skipped backwards, sweeping their bodies in arc-like ways, and partway through the third section, Anthony Spaulding leaped through the gaggle of women like a child running through a garden on a warm spring day. Maria Kochetkova, in a pale pink-purple, resembled a coy butterfly, fluttering effortlessly between the traditional ballet steps and contemporary movements with Pascal Molat. Yuan Yuan Tan, adorned in an almost-white purple, graced the stage with her lean, long limbs, a stunning contrast to Spaulding’s protective demeanor. And while Lorena Feijoo looked lovely in deep purple, she didn’t seem to be in sync with her partner, Joan Boada; but this was a minor glitch in what was otherwise a lovely build over 25 fast-paced minutes. Not to be outdone, former principal dancer Benjamin Pierce collaborated with lighting designer David Finn to create a kaleidoscope of copious blossoming lilacs against the backdrop that, depending on their lighting, simmered vividly in varying pastel hues. With numerous intricacies and tiny details, this is a special work that easily deserves multiple viewings. It’s just that good.

For more, go here.

Yuan Yuan Tan and Anthony Spaulding
in Possokov's "Diving into the Lilacs."

© Erik Tomasson

special forces

we stopped by café gratitude for a quick bite last week. on the way out, i stopped to look at the attractive display of olive oils and plates in the retail section (i'm a sucker for all things sea salt, organic, and/or artisan), and todd proceeded to the register to pay.


hostess: do you want to answer the question of the day?
todd: sure.
h: what makes you special?
t: oh, there are too many good things to count.
h: good answer!
(i wandered in from the back room)
becca: what did I miss?
h: do you want to answer the question of the day?
b: ok!
h: what makes you special?
b: all the people around me.
h: hmmm. yeah.
(todd and i head out the front door)
b: todd, what was your answer?
(silence. total crickets.)
t: um... not that one.

did you read that closely (notice the proper usage of the adverb! love your modifiers, and they’ll love you back)? i gave credit to everyone in my life with making me who i am today, and todd pretty much credited himself with tons of infinite specialness. on the way home, i called him on it. who wears the special pants now, mister?

he's just so catty

in his new budget plan, the governator is trying to add sales tax to veterinary services (in addition to appliance repair, vehicle repair, and golf). From The California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) recent action alert:

Governor Schwarzenegger recently announced his plans to add a sales tax on veterinary services as part of his budget plan to stimulate the California economy. This was part of a larger combination of program cuts and revenue increases to solve the multi-billion dollar budget shortfall. It is particularly disturbing that veterinary services were included with “appliance and furniture repair, vehicle repair and golf.” All of the other healing arts professions were excluded from the sales tax proposal.

if my healthcare or your kid's pediatrician's visit isn't taxed, then why should my cat's bloodwork for a chronic thyroid condition be? and when we have so many animals being surrendered to shelters, do we really want to increase companion's costs of housing an animal? what's next, stealing money from kids? oh wait... never mind. vet taxes seem pretty low and dirty, though, on the part of our strong, able-bodied, and well skiied leader.

so what can you do about it?
1. send a well worded message to arnie and your representatives via the Humane Society's website.

AND

2. call the governor's office at 916.445.2841.
-select your language choice.
-press "5″ to leave your opinion on a current issue.
-press "1″ to select the issue of extending the sales tax to veterinary services.
-press "2″ to "oppose" the veterinary services tax proposal.

cookies make the world go 'round

i wasn't too productive yesterday, what with an entire day off and a large list of "to do's" that never quite got tackled (vacuuming, cleaning the fridge, flea treating the cat, and getting new dsl service, to name a few). but one thing i did accomplish was making inauguration chip cookies. finally, a good use for white chocolate chips! pair these cookies with a glass of chilled hazelnut milk for a very presidential experience.




Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Source: Baking Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen)

Makes about 18 large cookies.

These oversized cookies are chewy and thick, like many of the chocolate chip cookies sold in gourmet shops and cookie stores. They rely on melted butter and an extra egg yolk to keep their texture soft. These cookies are best served warm from the oven but will retain their texture even when cooled. To ensure the proper texture, cool the cookies on the baking sheet. Oversized baking sheets allow you to get all the dough into the oven at one time. If you’re using smaller baking sheets, put fewer cookies on each sheet and bake them in batches.

• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (10 5/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
• 1 cup packed (7 ounces) light or dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used one cup of semi-sweet and 1 cup of white, totaling 2 cups!)
  

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.

3. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in the chips to taste.

4. Roll a scant 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough’s uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.

5. Bake until the cookies are light golden grown and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets with a side metal spatula.

the land of port

one of my favorite images from last week's trip to portland.

brain ooze

i'm having a mental writer's block. it may be from the 5 hours of sleep i got last night. or the 90-min conference call w/225 people this morning at 8am. or the realization that in 8 hours, i'll be boarding a plane to portland for 3 days in the oregon cold.

we went to portland for the first time back in september, and i loved it. it's not san francisco, but still, it's probably my second favorite town in the U.S. in memory of our last (and much warmer) visit, here are my three favorite portland finds:

we tried the dragonfruit drink, which was light, slightly sweet, and filled with little pieces of dragonfruit pulp.

we see some odd combinations here in SF, but subs and bentos? all in one? is the bento box carved out of the hoagie bread?

sold alongside fine soaps and lotions in the pearl district.