Yesterday, we drove to The Fillmore to buy tickets for the upcoming Brand New concert. Since it was a beautiful day, we decided to finally visit Alamo Square, a park about 6 blocks away. Alamo Square is best known for its view of San Francisco’s archtypical Victorians, sometimes juxtaposed against the downtown skyline: Personally, I…
Month: February 2007
Who Killed the Electric Car?
I finally saw Who Killed the Electric Car?, my sight-unseen choice for Best Documentary of 2006. It was actually better than I expected. I thought, like too many documentaries these days, it would have its share of one-sided conspiracy theories. Sure, it does have David Freeman (an energy advisor for the Carter Administration) spitting out…
The Dresden Files
Both Raymond Chandler and Tim Powers rank high on my list of favorite authors, so it’s no surprise that I love Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series as well. The hero of all the novels, Harry Dresden, is a hard-boiled detective who also happens to be a wizard as well. As a new job inevitably turns…
MG versus Alfa Romeo
So I just finished watching the movie “Two for the Road.” It’s not really that good: it’s kind of about an English couple’s dysfunctional relationship over the years. In short, Albert Finney loves himself and Audrey Hepburn spends the rest of her life trying to get his attention, up to an including wearing a dress…
The Notorious Tale of San Jose’s Grant Family
Last fall, we took a tour of the Grant family home in San Jose’s Joseph D. Grant park, and we heard a riveting story of gold-rush wealth, local nobility, homosexuality, alcoholism, and homicide: the rise and fall of a great family in just three generations. The history of the San Francisco Bay Area is rife…
The Art of Children’s Valentines
When I was in elementary school, the valentines the children exchanged were the small paper kind that were sold in bulk in boxes. Those are still sold, and they’re my default for what I get for Neil to give to his friends. But as I realized when Neil was in kindergarten, sometimes the children will…
Carnation Day
My junior high school had a delightful tradition called Carnation Day. I don’t think it actually took place on Valentine’s Day, but the sentiment of it was similar. In short, for $1 students could fill out a card to be sent any other student of their choice. On Carnation Day, all the cards were delivered,…
A Walk in Your Shoes
One of the best documentary series I’ve ever seen, A Walk in Your Shoes, was produced for and aired on a children’s television cable channel, Noggin, a few years ago. It was simply a show in which preteen (or teenage) children exchanged their places, families and lifestyle for a few days, and kept a journal…
The Rolling Stones Mailing List
When I bought a ticket for the Rolling Stones concert I didn’t go to, I got added to the “Rolling Stones Fan Club.” Being a member of the Rolling Stones Fan Club means getting offers to buy Rolling Stones branded merchandise before everyone else does. And, boy, do the Rolling Stones ever pimp their brand….
Fairy Bowling with the Cub Scouts
I was doing great until Mike commented on my “fairy prance” bowling style, and I got all self-conscious about it. I guess I do play like a fairy. I approach the lane with a leap, skip and a hop, let the ball go, and as the pins fall, I complete my move with a victory (or sorrow) twirl. Sometimes I’ll even bobble along with a pin that’s threatening to topple, but won’t. Hey, it works for me! When I tried just rolling out the ball like a guy, I fell down and the ball rolled right into the gutter. I had to accept the fairy inside in order to get my game back.