Good Pickin'

The new Gomez CD, How We Operate, is good. The CD is definitely a departure from their past work of edgy or experimentation rock and more pop and production. I miss that guy with the gravely voice (I don't know his name). It's as if he is singing through saran wrap or something on this disc, like he’s pulling his punches. Good but not great.

I basically hiked and fished all weekend. I was doing more fishing than catching and came up short. We call that a "bagel" in tennis. Anywho, the hiking was tip top! Cataract Trail on Mount Tamalpais was the best of the weekend jaunts. My trip started from the Rock Spring Trail head and was roughly a 6 mile out-and-back trip. I'm not sure what was more attractive, Alpine Lake, the waterfalls, or the view from the hill on the Fairfax-Bolinas junction (the city, GG bridge, Muir woods, Stinson beach, the ocean, etc). That was one of the best hikes I’ve had in a while. I silenced my stomach and liver at the Sand Dollar on Stinson beach. I had two Mirror Pond Pale Ales and a burger with all the fixins while listening to some great country/blue grass from a local band. They covered everybody from Woody Guthrie, Chet Atkins, The Carter Family, etc. Then, I topped that off with an hour nap on Stinson Beach. What a day!

My step brothers would be proud. I recently walked into another women’s bathroom on accident. They have seen me do it a few times at the NE football games. I didn't realize it until mid stream and noticed a nice pair of women’s shoes facing the opposite direction in the adjacent stall. I started to laugh and as did she. I finished up, washed my hands, and b-lined it out of there. I ate at the bar, which was near her table, and over heard her telling her girlfriends what just happened. They laughed for five minutes. My job was done.

Gene, how’s the grammar?

The Sax Was Great!

I was impressed with last night’s attendance for V for Vendetta. Entertaining. I believe the release date was early March? So, it has been some two months after its release and obviously still strikes a cord with many folks. George has few friends nowadays but I wonder if history will be kind to him. I’m not soo sure.

Short hair or not, Natalie Portman is hot. She gets me right in my Lois Lanes.

I'm not sure what's worse, the person (usually short) who reclines his/her chair all the way back (without looking) or the woman who drapes her two feet of hair over the back of the chair. In all likelihood, these folks fly maybe one time a year, if at all, and usually wear their beach attire to/from their destination. In either case, they get a pair of knees in the back for the entire flight. I don’t miss being in a plane twice a week.

1999 Honig Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley. My last bottle which I picked up for $20 at Gomers in KC four years ago. The wine is finally all together with a lovely garnet hue, mild tannins, and long finish. The beak picked up dried berries, cedar, and soil. This Honig went perfect with my chicken and tater (new potatoes, avocados, clover sprouts, olive oil, sea salt from Jamie Oliver) combo I wiped together. This is a reason to cellar as I tasted the wine a week after I bought it and was not impressed (I managed to drink it, begrudgingly (sigh)) but was told it needed time. "They" were right.

I must be getting old because I look forward to my Sunday mornings with my NYT and coffee. During the same time, I've also enjoyed CBS Sunday Mornings with Charles Osgood. For me, that show makes me want to go out and buy a TV...tonight. They often do a sketch of something in the Heartland. God bless'em.

I can safely say I've recovered from last Sunday's Bay to Breakers. I was part of the Plinko crowd. Good times, good times. I saw too much in the way of naked dudes. I realize I'm living in SF but please. My Scottish friend, Stevie said it best, "For f!#K sakes, what are you walking around proud for man, give it a rub".

I’ve read a number of reviews regarding the new Studs Terkel CD with all his past interviews with musicians is fantastic. I guess I also need to get a stereo.

During the unpack, I recently went thru boxes of old clothes and found all my fraternity tees. Damn, it was a trip down memory lane. I could use a summer of jacking around, drinking canned beer, 5 movies for $5, hanging out on the porch, borrowing Gene’s (and everybody’s for that matter) car, eating Ben & Willa’s food, and wearing nothing but shorts, tees, and flips.

These are a few of my favorite things

I caught my first striper the other night. She was tagged (#262317) and a real beaut, weighing in at just under 8 lbs and 28 inches long. I was using a 4” Storm Wilde Eye Shad Bait in Chartreuse. I’m going to send in the tag and see what I get from CA Fish & Game. I gave the fish to the guy (Tim) who helped haul her in.

I celebrated that momentous occasion with a BLT. The key ingredients in any BLT are smaller ripe tomatoes, real bacon, and mayonnaise. The bread and lettuce (iceberg) are secondary. In fact, cheap white bread is the best. Ever since I got back from Europe, I use mayo on my BLT. There were some years I was on a health kick and avoided it like the plague. I find, however, that mayo ties everything together and keeps it moist. I'm not opposed to a few drops of Tabasco either. Aggressive but tasty!

Finally, I washed that down with a few Anchor Summer Beers. Move over Stella (at least for the summer)! This has all the taste and back bone of a Stella and crispness of my beloved Coors Lite. This is a post mowing or tennis beer, hands down. If you do have the means...

Here we go...

During my travels, I kept a small hard cover book where I logged all things of interest to me. It was dark blue and had 50+ pages of new songs/artists, great restaurants, books I was told I should read, tasting notes, cool spaces, people I met, random thoughts, trails hiked, words/quotes, history bits, countries I needed to visit, foreign flicks, recipes, etc. Much of these morsels were picked up during conversations with friends and random folk. I shared much of this knowledge and felt like I got a lot in return. “Take a penny, leave a penny”.

Anyway, I have since lost the book thru numerous moves (sucks!) and I’ve always thought I should pick it up again. What better time than now! Especially given I have recently shifted gears and settled in a new town with plenty of new adventures. So, the way I see it, these hi-tech vignettes are a modern day extension of my travel chronicles. Now, with a little hope, I won't lose this one. More to come...