Sallie's Here!

Sallie arrived safely here Friday night at 7pm. She left Minnesota Wednesday morning and drove through six big states in three days. One day she drove over 770 miles! When she got here we had some Chinese food (yummy!) and watched hockey, chatted and read until midnight.

I had printed out the CA driver handbook so Sallie could study up for her written test at the DMV. She read a lot of it Friday night and took the practice tests Saturday morning. She got a few questions wrong so had to do some additional studying. I hope she passes!

Saturday we went up to IKEA and bought chairs and lamps and dish scrubbers and bowls and meatballs. We'll definitely need another trip there after Sallie's big stuff arrives tomorrow and she figures out what else she needs. She's fallen in love with a very versatile gateleg table so we'll probably go back for that. I got two new dining room chairs to replace the ones that are falling apart. I have to warn people about them and that's not safe.

We stopped in Alameda to check out the new Borders location. It's right beside the coolest Safeway store ever. Then we stopped by Sallie's new place at Lakeside Village. We couldn't go in, of course, but she got a good sense of where the windows are and how far it'll be from her parking place.

I had gotten a big frying pan at IKEA so I made us some fried rice for supper from our leftover Chinese from Friday. We watched a couple movies (Sweeney Todd and An Ideal Husband) and a little Minnesota hockey (they lost).

On Sunday our goal was some comparison shopping for a monitor and TV. Sallie also wanted to get a DVD recorder with a built-in digital tuner so she can get all the digital TV channels through her antenna. We headed down to BestBuy but they didn't open until 11! So we went next door to OfficeMax (they had nothing) and then to Wal-Mart. I picked up a few tops and Sallie took notes on the TVs she was interested in.

At BestBuy we found a 17" monitor on sale for $150. Then we looked at 26" widescreen LCD HDTVs and couldn't resist the Westinghouse with its Energy Star rating and crisp picture. We determined that she could hook it up to her PC as well so we took the monitor back to the guys in the computer section. Then Sallie said let's take the TV home now instead of waiting. Now there's no need to drive back down there.

We discovered a Thai restaurant a couple miles from my house to have lunch at. I got the garlic chicken and it was awesome. Sallie loved her yellow curry as well. We got the mango with sticky rice to go and we had it for an afternoon snack. Sallie put together my new lamp and my two new chairs. They're lovely. We watched the Sharks lose to the Flames, forcing the first Game 7 ever at the Shark Tank tomorrow night (very exciting!). For supper I combined leftover garlic chicken from lunch and even more Chinese from Friday for another lovely bowl of fried rice.

This morning Sallie packed up and we picked up a cashier's check at the bank for the security deposit and first month's rent. Then we got her car smogged and I got gas in my car and we headed over to Lakeside Village. Sallie signed a lot of papers and got the key to her new home. We unloaded both our cars and Sallie decided which cabinets were for food and which for dishes. Luckily she found the TP in one of her boxes as the Village management had not supplied any. Sallie hooked up her DVD recorder/digital tuner to her little TV and we found loads of digital broadcast channels.

We had an appointment at the DMV at 2:15 so we grabbed a quick lunch and went to get Sallie a California driver's license. Unfortunately, she forgot to put her passport in her bag so all we could do was pick up the application form and hope to make another appointment another day instead. (I was just able to get one at the same time for Wednesday so now Sallie just needs to make sure she takes all the paperwork and documents she needs.)

After our disappointment at the DMV we felt a little retail therapy was in order so we headed over to our favorite store -- no, not Borders -- Target! Sallie picked up cleaning supplies and batteries and trash cans and a detailed map book for Alameda County (by far her favorite purchase of the day). When we got back to Lakeside, I watched Ellen on the little TV then Sallie broke out the new one. When she hooked up the antenna directly to it, we were able to get HD -- with her little rabbit ears!

We went back out for supper at Chili's (delicious) and then, since we were at the mall anyway, we went to Bed, Bath and Beyond for the dish drainer we had forgotten at Target earlier. Of course we couldn't just stop at one item so we got a bathroom trash can, a shower caddy, a paper towel holder, a shelf system for over the toilet, and covers to protect the stove's back burners that Sallie will never use. I dropped her off at home will all her new things where she will be sleeping on her airbed tonight.

We're meeting the movers at 9 tomorrow at the ABF service center and once they've moved everything into the apartment, the rest of the day is for unpacking and organizing. And maybe some grocery shopping. We're out of leftovers.

We're Approved!

I got word on my answering machine at home last night that Sallie has been approved for her new apartment! So that's all settled. Everything just fell into alignment, including a local moving company to help us haul boxes and stuff from the long-distance movers service center to the new place.

Here's a photo of a gazebo by a pond near Sallie's new home.

Big Move

For the past month or so I've been acting as a real estate agent for my sister Sallie who was hoping to get a job at a new Borders opening up next month here in the Bay Area. They delayed the opening at least once so she wasn't actually able to apply for the job until a couple weeks ago. She finally heard yesterday that she did indeed get the job. Woo hoo!

So all my visiting apartments.com and actual apartments were not for naught. I had already sent Sallie the application for my apartment of choice so she was ready to move on it. She faxed me all her proof-of-everything papers which I took over to the apartment complex last night. Now we just need to get approved (I applied as a co-signer to make sure our income was three times the rent) and we're good to go.

Here's the floor plan of the studio apartment we've reserved for Sallie:




I like this layout because the front door opens towards the kitchen so even if the bedroom area was a bit messy and the sliding accordion door was open, your visitor doesn't immediately see it! It's also 600 sq ft which is a big size for a studio. What the floor plan doesn't show is the balcony (it's on the second floor) which is accessed through a sliding glass door in the living room.

If you want to see photos of this apartment complex and the model studio apartment, visit my photos website, scroll down to the fifth row of photos where the label says "studio". The model is on the ground floor so, instead of the balcony area Sallie will have, it has a patio.

Sallie is leaving Minnesota next Wednesday and should arrive on Saturday or Sunday to move in on April 21. It's all so exciting!

How is That Possible?

or Why didn't I wear long sleeves today?

I was just checking the BART schedule in my Dashboard when I noticed my side-by-side weather forecasts for the Bay Area and Grand Rapids, MI. Three of the five days displayed had higher temps in Michigan than here. I guess I need to find that hoodie I didn't think I needed anymore.

Hope you're enjoying the warm spring weather, guys!

TV Updates

Dancing with the Stars
I’m having trouble getting behind any of the contestants this season. It was quite disappointing to see that Julianne was paired with that creep Adam Carolla. He just doesn’t seem to be taking it seriously enough for them to improve. They’ll be gone sooner rather than later I expect. Kristi and Mark are by far the best this year but she seems a bit dead in the face to me. I hope she can kick it into another gear.

American Idol
If David Cook would shave more often, I would get behind him 100%. His style of music is right up my alley. I have really enjoyed his performances. I really like Carly as well. I was so worried that week she was in the bottom. And I don’t care what clothes she’s wearing, Simon. I have absolutely no use for Kristy Lee. She should’ve been out of there a while ago. I think the most impressive this week was Michael Johns. His performance was spot-on and he’s just so hot.

Survivor
Can you say boring? Is anyone still watching this show? Does anyone still care? I’m just tuning in for Jeff at this point.

Deal or No Deal
After all the excitement with the Million Dollar Mission, things have quieted down over Howie’s way. This week a contestant was offered a family vacation but was required to say goodbye to one family member each time she said No Deal. Good thing she had some in-laws and a niece to choose. I love it when people go a long way into the game but if I were giving advice, I’d say as soon as the offer get close to a quarter million, take it and run.

Ace of Cakes
My new favorite DVR recording is FoodTV’s cake meisters at Charm City Cakes. Mary Alice is too cool to be real and the other employees in the bakery are characters right out of your favorite funny novel. Geof has to be my fave though for his understated style and amazing aptitude in creating architectural masterpieces out of sugary foodstuff.

Birthday Week

For my birthday this year I’m getting a great present. The Interruptor’s last day is Monday. Woo hoo! They finally had to let her go because of budget woes (and her incompetence). It makes me so happy even though I’m going to have to do part of her job. I just don’t care.

Oh, I also got a lovely check from my folks, a late-night-for-him phone call from my little brother, a funny voice mail at work at 4:30amET from Joanna and the kids along with various email greetings. I also got an espresso chocolate bar and a gorgeous little book, Heirlooms: Letters from a Peach Farm, by David Mas Masumoto, the father of one of our board members) at the all-staff meeting yesterday.

We had Monday off for Cesar Chavez Day which just happened to be Opening Day for many baseball teams so I took advantage and watched baseball all day. It was lovely pre-birthday gift.

Most Satisfying

That had to have been the most satisfying conclusion to a Project Runway season ever. I loved Christian from the start and was so so happy to see him win. His garments were amazing even with all the black. He really lucked out that Victoria Beckham was the guest judge because she loved loved loved him. I hope she does wear him sometime. What a coup that'd be for him.

I was sad to see that Jillian didn't come through. Her stuff was terrific separately but it was kind of all over the place. I'm sure she'll find success though; she is so talented. I especially love her coats.

I was never a big fan of Rami and when Tim visited him on the next-to-last episode the mustard color of some of his designs was so scary. I noticed that none of them made his final collection but I agreed with the judges that the colors he did choose were questionable. I didn't really like some of his dresses either. It's just not to my taste.

I'm kinda sad this season of PR is over. I guess I'll just have to hope that one of the contestants on Dancing with the Stars will strike my fancy. This season's crowd doesn't look too promising.

New Shoes

I finally got my butt in gear and bought some new shoes yesterday at DSW, just up the street from the office. I'm a big adidas fan but this time I wanted some slip-ons. I tried on over 8 pairs until I broke down and tried some with laces. I ended up buying two pairs, both Skechers.

The Urbantrack, a Sport Fusion shoe
I haven't worn this one yet. It's cute, huh?



The Urbanspike, a Sport shoe
I wore this pair home from work last night and I've worn them all day today. They're doing pretty good and are easy to put on (with the help of the long long long shoe horn I got at Walgreens!).

Hot Spot

It was freezing here in the office yesterday afternoon and into the evening. My hands were starting to hurt when I left around 6:15. There are a couple other people who stay later as well and they were still here when I left. Turns out they discovered where the thermostat for our floor is and turned up the heat. Waaay up!

When people arrived at the office this morning it was 85°! So not only did they forget to turn down the heat setting when they left, they also were under the impression that if you turn the heat way up, the space will heat up faster. Not true!

So it's been sweaty here in the office today. I'm glad I normally wear layers though my light sweater is still too much and I have the fan turned on to medium. Maybe I should open a window.

Drat!

I forgot to stick my umbrella in my bag this morning and it's raining! I need to go out and grab some lunch too. Maybe I'll check the radar and see if it's going to clear up anytime soon. I might be stuck with running next door for a slice of pizza (no!). Maybe I can make it down to the soup place. Mmmm, Grandma Mary's chicken soup sounds pretty good right now.

Raise Your Hand

Raise your hand if you're excited about the new Survivor! The series starts February 7 with a new Fans vs. Favorites format.

I was looking forward to this season until I saw that Jonny Fairplay is one of the "favorites" then I wasn't so sure I even wanted to watch it. I can only hope that he gets voted off early and doesn't make the jury so I don't have to see his smarmy face very long. Perusing the list of returning castaways makes me wonder whose favorites they are. Certainly not any of mine.

The most intriguing fan just from reading a few bios on cbs.com is Chet. He describes himself as "magical" and is a pageant coach for Miss America!

TV for Tonight

Project Runway

You know it's not gonna last long when the designers are excited about a challenge. You can just sense that soon Tim is going to be gathering around the designers to throw them for a loop. Chris was so thrilled about creating a look inspired by a hair style. Plus he was partnered with his mini-me, Christian. This challenge was right up their alley. Their avant garde look was amazing. I was a bit surprised by their choice of color. It wasn't really that pretty, you could even say boring. No one was happy about having to come up with a ready-to-wear version but C&C did an okay job. I was happy to see Christian win, especially after his scare last week.

I found it very painful to watch Victorya and Jillian try to work together (V kinda gives me the willies), but their final product was awesome. Jillian's coat was my favorite creation of this season so far. Pairing a satiny punk trench with riding boots and jodhpurs was inspired. Of the last-minute, surprise ready-to-wear dresses, I think Sweet P's was the best of the lot. Rami needs to lighten up on her.

Ellen DeGeneres Show

Poor Ellen. She's sick with a cold but she's still doing her show. For her monologue (currently sans writers), she stretched out on a sofa with an afghan and had a couple of her audience members dance around the set since she couldn't.

In one of the oddest segments I've see on her show, a crazy guy with a brush in each hand (then later with no brushes at all) slapped various colors of paint on a huge rotating canvas all the while dancing to some tunes. At the end he flipped the painting 180º and all of a sudden it became Ray Charles. They got some great reaction shots of the disbelieving audience as they rose in a standing ovation. I guess he's huge on YouTube.

Tonight on My Telly

American Idol: Dallas Auditions

I have a new favorite for Hollywood Week: Kyle, the Politician, with his red tie and adorable smile and curly brown hair. Right, that Simon is confusing sometimes. I couldn't believe he immediately said yes to this college boy. I guess what he admires is when people are themselves and Kyle was genuine and really didn't have that bad a voice.

Oh, dear. The teaser for this commercial break just made me pee my pants. A guy in a wig and floral print says, "Just give it a try. Pants can be restricting." Yes, you guessed it, a man in a dress. Can't wait to see Simon's reaction to this guy in pearls... .... .... ... Rats, he was just part of a boys-as-girls montage. Oh, well.

Wow, there's a guy from Edwardsville, Illinois, auditioning in Dallas. The rocker with eyeliner. Oof, he's horrible. Plus he has a really fake tan. The judges vote no.

Man, I love those montages when they have everyone singing the same song. Of course, since we're in Dallas, they're singing Kelly Clarkson's Since You've Been Gone. Such funny editing.

Deal or No Deal

Awhile back Howie was on the Ellen DeGeneres Show and they showed a clip of her guest spot on DoND. Well, tonight was that episode. Strangely enough on Ellen's show today I didn't hear mention of it. Maybe I just missed it. Sometimes when the heater's running it's hard to hear.

Like I said on Monday, Howie's on a Million Dollar Mission so tonight's contestant has seven cases each containing one million dollars. Let's play!

The case models come down the stairs but there's one spot missing so Howie has to call out for the last model and Ellen comes out (so to speak). She's wearing a green, sparkly, spaghetti strap dress. Don't have a heart attack! She's also wearing a black, long-sleeved shirt and black trousers and sneakers. Of course. Take a deep breath. When Howie starts explaining the Million$Mission, Ellen has to sit down on the stairs and call her mom. While they're taping!

Okay, on with the game.

1. Round 1: My first deal is $55k and Shaquilla, after sadly opening two million-dollar cases, gets a record-breaking first offer of $145k. No deal! *
2. Round 2: Another million-dollar case exposed for our contestant, but her offer goes to $166k. Mine dipped slightly to $49k. No deal!
3. Round 3: Ellen has now removed her dress and left the stairs to stand with the supporters. I guess the stage manager couldn't let her case remain un-modeled so they brought out a replacement model. But then the contestant chose her case (why?) so Ellen ran back to open it. She gave loads of different hilarious faces and finally opened the $300 case, then left (bye, Ellen!). My offer went up to $67k and after opening another million-dollar case, Shaquilla's offer went to $181k. No deal!
   
4. Round 4: Man, another million-dollar case gone for our contestant. Her offer goes to $197k. I still have my top two cases, so my offer increases to $78k. Two cases to open in the next round. I think she should take the deal but she doesn't. I'm refusing mine too. No deal!
   
5. Round 5: Ouch, my million is gone and my offer drops to $56k. Shaquilla opens both her remaining million-dollar cases. I told her! Her offer plummets $15k. Her highest case left is $75k. No deal!
   
6. Round 6: S's offer: $18k. My offer: $67k. No deal!
   
7. Round 7: S's offer: $27k. My offer: $107,730. Do I risk one more round? Hell yeah. No deal!
   
8. Round 8: Paid off for me. My offer is $154k. I gonna take it. Shaquilla's offer went to $36k. Everyone's telling her to take it. So she does. Deal!
   

Did I have the $750k in my case? Nope. Surprisingly enough we both had the $25,000. So we both made good deals. Tune in Monday for eight cases filled up with one million dollars. Should be fun.

*OMG, did I just see a Knight Rider promo??!! Get out! I will be all over that show.

Today in My Lunch

My friend Paul and I went to the sister restaurant of our favorite Thai hole-in-the-wall today for lunch. Our place is currently undergoing some rather significant remodeling so we are reduced to lunching across the street in the slightly higher-priced, somewhat fancier place which is owned and run by the same people. Our familiar wait staff are working over there now too.

We walked in and the place was packed and noisy. I decided I wanted to splurge and get not only a Thai Iced Tea (delicious) but also some spring rolls (yummy). I noticed that they had brown rice on the Sides menu (I did say fancier) so I asked for brown instead of steamed along with my ginger chicken (surprisingly less tasty than normal). Our waitress wasn't writing anything down so I just knew one of us was going to have something wrong with our order. Of course, me requesting no bell peppers in my entree didn't help either. But, hey, I like what I like.

Our orders came and, yes, we both had white rice. Bummer. Next time I guess.

Tonight on My TV

Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann

Ooo, I'm so glad my two faves were picked by Bruno. I did so want to root for his team. I admire Carrie Ann but I just luuuv Bruno. Zack is my favorite guy. He's got it all. He's good looking but not too pretty. He can really sing and he's got the moves. Bruno also picked my favorite girl, Kelsey. She's the one who came to auditions with her two friends both of whom didn't make it into the top 14. She's a really strong dancer and has a lovely husky voice. Bruno got to go first for the last two and picked my other favorite guy, Phillip. Carrie Ann had earlier picked my second favorite girl, Elizabeth, who is not a trained dancer but has an amazing voice and incredible green eyes. Drew Lachey is the host and is doing a great job. He got some practice when he filled in on Dancing with the Stars when Samantha Harris was out having a baby. I'm hoping Tom and Len show up sometime on Dance Wars. That would be hilarious.

Deal or No Deal

DoND has fast become my not-so-secret obsession. I love it so much. I'm even taping all the re-runs on CNBC. Howie Mandel is a perfect host for this show. Lately he's been on a Million Dollar Mission where if a contestant doesn't win a million, the next contestant gets that million in one of their cases. Tonight's contestant had six, that's SIX, cases with $1,000,000. Crazy.

1. Round 1: Her first offer, even after opening one of the cases with a million, was a record $131k. Needless to say, she refused that deal. I love to play along online (yes, I'm a nerd) and, without having so many million dollar cases, my first offer was only $50k.
2. Round 2: Her $170k second offer (she knocked out another million dollar case) was also refused, as was my $65k second offer (I still have my million dollar case in play.)
3. Round 3: My third offer was just under $65k after knocking out the $300k case (but I still have my top four cases). This time she didn't knock out another million dollar case so her third offer was again record-breaking -- $268,000!
4. Round 4: I opened my $400k case in the fourth round so my offer went down to just under $59k. Margarita opened another million case with her last choice so her offer also dropped to $239k. She only has to open two cases in the next round and there are still three million dollar cases on the board.
5. Round 5: Her husband had to use his inhaler. He is so stressed. Wow, after opening up two more cases, I still have the top three in play so my offer went up to $79k. Margarita opened up another million dollar case and the penny case so her offer was $284k. We both said, "No Deal!!" She has two million dollar cases left.
   
6. Round 6: Only one case to open: Ouch, mine was the $500k case; even ouchier, hers was another million dollar case. My offer went up, though, to $130k! Hers had to drop, down to $173k. Is she brave enough to open one more case? Her next highest case is $100k. But she's gutting it out. No Deal, Howie!
7. Round 7: Yes! My $100 case is knocked out and my new deal is $207k! Do I take the deal? No way! Margarita opened her last million dollar case. What a shame. I'm going to win more than her. Her deal is $22,000. Does she take it? No way. She's after the $100k.
8. Round 8: Oof. My million is knocked out. I should've taken the deal. But I'm going one more round. Margarita's offer is $33k and she doesn't take it either.
   
9. Round 9: I knock out my $5 case and my deal is $238k. I'm taking it. Margarita's offer went up to $40k and the banker adds in flying lessons for the would-be pilot making the offer $55k. She takes her deal too.
   

So did we both make good deals? Nope. Her case held $100k and mine, well, my game has stopped responding so I either had $5000 or $750k. I guess I'll never know. Tune in to the next DoND on Wednesday for seven million dollar cases. Will that contestant win the million? Will guest model Ellen DeGeneres successfully open her case? I can't wait to find out.

Greatly Exaggerated

Hi, I'm back from my self-imposed hiatus. Though my absence may never be fully explained I can refute the following strangely persistent rumors:

• I am not dead
• I did not become a chef and move to Nevada
• I have not lost my ability to speak
• I have not been on strike along with other writers
• I am not a contestant on American Idol
  

So, thanks for all your concern. Now, back to my book.

Twizzlers Are My Favorite...

Dress??

Yes, that's right. Only on Project Runway, of course. A dress made of the delicious strawberry-flavored licorice was one of the creations on a recent episode where the challenge was hosted by the Hershey's shop in Times Square. The contestants were set loose in the candy store with five minutes to collect materials for a garment they had to make that day. Only Jillian had the eggs to use an edible material. All of the others grabbed pillows and toys and wrappers. My favorite, Christian, used the brown wrappers from peanut butter cups glued to a brown halter dress. My least favorite, the oddball Elisa, was finally "auf" of the competition for her boring brown dress. Jillian's confection creation gave her a lot of problems but the judges approved of her finally completed design.

This past week's episode was a prom dress challenge where the clients were high school girls from New Jersey and were also the models. Christian's client was a design student herself who had very definite ideas for her gown. He was caught between trying to put in all the elements she requested and creating a garment that had his look. He wasn't that successful and on the runway he blamed his client for his difficulties. That turned off the judges and he only escaped being cut because Kevin had a really bad week. My favorite gown of the week was Chris' green creation. Lovely.

Lame Blogger

I am lame, lame, lame. I have had so many fun happenings around here and have told you nothing about them. I thought I'd get some photo editing and post writing done this weekend with a couple days off but I did not. And I apologize. Which does you (and I) no good until I actually get something done. I will try this week to upload some images and tell some stories. In the meantime you can check out my photos website for a peek at my parents' visit.

Back home

Our trip to Yosemite was great. I'll post some photos and stories from the trip later but, in the meantime, you can get a sneak peek at my photo website.

Anne & Don in California: San Francisco

So Sunday night I left Anne and Don at their hotel near Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco and loosed them onto the City. I didn't see them again until this afternoon. Here's a rundown of their week so far (sorry, no photos):

Monday: They woke up super early (pre-dawn!) so went walking about on the wharves. A guy on the street stopped them asking, "Are you hungry? I've got clam chowder in a bread bowl." They thought that sounded pretty good so they got a couple bowls and sat on a bench in the big parking lot watching the seagulls (and enjoying a good chowder). Later they took the cable car down to Chinatown and joined three dozen others in a walking tour. That's a lot of people to organize in and out of those little alleyways. Supper was a Wharf staple: Scoma's (Don had the swordfish).

Tuesday: It was clam chowder bread bowls for breakfast again (those crazy kids). Then they hopped on the F line streetcar around Herb Caen Way... to Market Street for their morning tour of the historic Palace Hotel. After lunch, they caught up with the historic Market Street walking tour in the financial district. They ended up near my office but Anne couldn't remember exactly which building it was (and had forgotten her cellphone I guess). They cable-car-ed it back up to the Wharf and I forget where they went for supper, somewhere delicious, I'm sure.

Wednesday: Chowder again for breakfast? Out at 9 and back at 2, Anne and Don spent most of the day out on the Rock, also known as Alcatraz. They had a late lunch at Houston's to fuel themselves for their hike up Telegraph Hill to Coit Tower. They found a different set of stairs back down and just kept walking back to the Wharf. They took a self-guided tour of the famous sourdough Boudin bakery and I think it was In-N-Out for supper.

Thursday: They were actually able to sleep in this morning so had to skip their chowder but after catching a cable car down to Union Square they found a nearby diner where Don had corned beef hash and Anne had a turkey breast omelette. They met up with the Victorian Home Walk group at Union Square where they caught a bus out to Pacific Heights. They got to see where Mrs. Doubtfire was filmed and where Don Johnson lived when he was here filming Nash Bridges.

They made their way back my way and decided to come by so I gave them a tour of our office and they met some of my co-workers. We made plans for tomorrow's pre-Yosemite rendezvous then I sent them to the BART station to buy tickets for their morning trip (after chowder, of course) over to my place. They discovered the movie theater in the mall next door so decided to see Dan in Real Life and by the time that let out it was suppertime so they checked in with me about plans for dinner. I was just finishing up a project for the day so was happy to get out of the office before 7. We had a lovely supper at Out the Door (shrimp spring roll, crispy vegetarian roll, grilled prawns with rice noodles, cellophane noodles with crab) where they told me all about their week so far.

Oh, my BART trip home was uneventful. Well, I did just miss a train and had to wait 18 minutes for the next one (had a book though {of course}).