The real deal

My friend Elaine took me to a hole in the wall sushi place
in the Richmond - it doesn't have a sign - it's just called "Tekka." Nigiri was obscenely big - food was OK - average for Japan, amazing for the US. I might go back, but the attitude from the wait staff was a little hard to take. To her credit, she softened a bit towards the end.

Birthday

Happy Jen...August 9th was a day of indulgence. I had a plan
to get a car and drive it north - I decided to check out Orr Hot Springs, a clothing-optional complex of indoor/outdoor baths, pools and saunas, filled with real spring water. It was really great, but I can't help but pine for the Japanese baths...here in California, it seems like the emphasis is more on being naked than anything else. People assert their individuality so strongly here (at Orr, in California, in America) that it literally invades your space. Bathers might learn a thing or 2 from the Japanese - a culture in which nudity was never really taboo. There, people are mindful of people around them so as to not disturb other people, thereby cultivating a sense of peace and tranquility. So yeah, I didn't get THAT at Orr, but I did get beautiful, lush surroundings, the sound of babbling water pouring into the pools, and enough peace & quiet to really melt into my own thoughts. I want to go back for sure.

So on my way back to SF, I drove through Mendocino and re-discovered Brutocao winery.
Way back in 2000, I had visited the winery with Krishnan, a guy I was seeing, and we together discovered Schoolhouse Red - a surprisingly delicious red table wine which at the time was less than $10. It's gone up to $17.99, but that didn't stop me from buying 2 bottles for old time's sake. It's not even as tasty as I remember it being before, but it didn't matter. When I saw the sign, I literally sat up and yelled "Schoolhouse Red! Omigod!" to myself in the car. So much fun to re-discover a piece of my past. It was another great birthday present to myself.

hot in the city

believe me when I tell you that it was HOT in the subway! We actually departed New York before the serious heat wave hit, but I would take that weather any day of the week over the winters. I have to admit that I have a masochistic side that really likes the changing of the seasons - it makes you really appreciate what you have at the moment - sweltering heat makes you relish the first cool autumn breezes - you stop and appreciate the passing of one season to the next. If only I could fast-forward through the winters, not SKIP them but just make them pass more quickly, I'd consider moving back to the east coast for a while. I miss the grittiness of it, and the in-your-face energy of the place. Things are much more straightforward there, too - look like you know where you're going, and don't look at anyone else. Although I have to say that I believe that 9/11 did change New York. People DO look at each other more - they have softened a bit, become more human. Thank god, too - I really believe that something good can come out of tragedy. It has to.

living proof

This is the label from a t-shirt that I bought!

ESPRIT!!!!!!

I am in New York, and today I made a joyous discovery - ESPRIT is alive and well
and is once again part of my wardrobe. www.esprit.com

I must be thinking about the WTC also because I'm heading to New York tomorrow - since I am newly single, my mind drifts to various ways in which I meet the next Mr. Dreamboat. Just now, I thought about how it would be nice to sit near one on the airplane - not next to one - I would like to feel free to drool in my sleep or let my gut hang out if I feel the need. Although, maybe it would be a good exercise to just let go and do that in front of someone. First impressions be damned - along with silly games and childish thinking. And dishonesty - that goes down there too. AM I RIGHT? Lemme hear ya!

musings

I am ovewhelmed at the hypocrisy, arrogance and general idiocy demonstrated by our current administration. It is shameful. We do not deserve the prosperity and ideal quality of life that we have. We hog the world's resources and then shit on everyone in return. If we had just taken a moment after 9/11 to reflect on WHY this was happening - why are these people so desperate as to sacrifice their lives and forsake their families to drive planes into the World Trade Center? Could it have POSSIBLY had something to do with us?? No, we say - they're EVIL. They're the ones who are CRAZY. What have we done??

I think about those poor people jumped from the World Trade Center windows to avoid being incinerated alive. Do you think that they were thinking that whoever did this was EVIL? Um...don't think so. At the brink of death, I imagine finally attaining a sense of clarity that comes only from being humbled to the core; being acutely aware of every passing second and how precious it is to have blood flowing through our veins, to have people who love us; and fully aware that we are all CONNECTED.

On that horrible day, I went to church. That's where the above picture is from. I wanted to feel connected, to make sense of it all, and to grieve. What I think was happening for a few precious days afterwards was that America, shocked and grief-stricken, was humbled. Grief and loss washes away all that is irrelevant, petty and false. We are left with what is real and true, and precious. If we had just continued down that path, retaining that humility, realizing that we as a country also have the capacity to do the same great harm as what had been done to us, I think that there would have been some hope for us as a nation. Instead, George Bush, who apparently was never taught how to mourn or to grieve, and for whom humility is probably seen as a weakness, got on the soapbox, rattled his saber, vowing revenge, and turned the nation down the path of a blind Crusade. His word, not mine - well chosen, because the current conflict seems as futile as the original Crusades.

Democrats are even more guilty, let's not forget. They let it all happen. They had a responsibility to speak out against an unjust, totally unredemptive war; against a president who is so clearly and so painfully incompetent. IN-COM-PE-TENT; no one had the guts to stand up and utter a word. Not Kerry. Not Gore. The Democratic leaders abandoned us all, in hopes of saving their own asses. Shame on all of you, and what a horrible mess you've gotten us into.

Sunday at Ocean Beach

This kite was so huge - the entire scene was typical surreal San Francisco - massive kite expertly flown by a certifiably insane dude talking to himself (or the kite??).

This lighting made me look so good, I didn't want to leave the bathroom!
Me and Miss Lian - veteran models for Saffron, and for Yugala before that. She'll be leaving for grad school soon - going to "Hah-vahd."

Fashion show - BOCA

Trippy fashion show at BOCA (Bar of Contemporary Art, SF) -
in a stroke of pure genius, this model grabbed a fake leg from a nearby art installment, threw it on top of her leg and started posing for the camera. I'm sure the installment's creator is none too pleased, but I have to hand it to her, posing with that leg was artistic genius!

maybe someone watched "Love and Death" and thought that Woody Allen was saying "meat" instead of "wheat"...makes more sense that way, but I reckon that this slogan, like so many other hilariously random Japanese-English quotes, was purely random from the beginning.

Gyoza stomach anchor

If there ever was a food that made expressly for hangover cravings, this has to be it. Huge steamed dumpling with greasy bbq pork or beef inside? Initially, I thought the name in Japanese is supposed to 'gyoza dog' - both signs indicate otherwise - it's either a 'gyoza dock' or a 'gyoza dork.' You decide.

Japan does cuteness like no other country in the world. This was taken near Takayama in Shirakawa-go, an historical village full of old farmhouses.
If you dare ask why a cute stuffed animal belongs in an historical farmhouse village,
well, inevitably you will be dissatisfied with the answer - it's Japan!

Break-up (round 2)

Someone who was recently a guest at Grace Cathedral's Forum said,
"Things really started to turn around when I decided to give up on having a more perfect past."

I'm not sure what I am looking for. Someone with an expansive world view, forward momentum and sense of contentment with himself while honestly recognizing his faults - who sees the cup as half-full and can appreciate all the little miracles of daily life. Someone who recognizes joy and embraces it, and reflects it back to me. In my past relationship, I felt like I was trying to alleviate some pain that I couldn't take away, and I wasn't experiencing enough joy to balance things out. Devin has a broken heart and I grieve for him - as much as I love him, I don't want to grieve anymore. It's the end of a 5 and a half year relationship.

Time is the great healer, right? Time, a drink or 2, a cat in my lap - work, work, work. If you know of anyone who wants me to take them to Japan, send them on over!

shigoto ga owatta!

Another successful tour finished! Yay!!! Sue, Harumi, Doi-san, Masako and Izumi-san, thank you soooo much. The Friedlands were very pleased overall, I think. Can't wait to go home for a little r&r - although I'd be happy to take refuge somewhere in the mountains at a remote onsen...that would work too!

Jibuni!

Kanazawa specialty - yummier than it looks, especially with
an ice-cold beer! After this meal, I have a hard time thinking about the fact that I have to go back to San Francisco...

I love Engrish!

This is a choice and increasingly rare example of the Japanese government's ineptitude at English - or at least ask someone how to spell words correctly before posting it on signs! As you can see, the sign exhorts you to be careful while wearing a "hut." I love it. Laughed so hard.

zack in Tokyo!

Zack and I were treated to a feast of o-soba last night
by Ren and Hiroko at a restaurant in their neighborhood. Who would think that a buckwheat dumpling could get Zack to SMILE for a picture?? ; ) Hang on - is that really a smile?? I am going to count it on the sole criterion that his dimple is visible.

birthday par-tay - 1976

it was a 'stone groove!' definitely more fun that I'd expected. since I don't know Pat's friends REAL well, I tend to lower my expectations when I go to his parties. Silly me! We had a blast, and Pat is now the proud owner of a righteous disco ball, which I hope will have a permanent home in his dining room. Roller skates and the soundtrack to Xanadu were the only things missing - I brought Carvel ice cream cake which sent me hurdling back to my childhood - soooooooooo GOOD!

the babies