Adventures in Gastronomy

While he may have been singing about “Sailing” back in 1980….I’ll be doing the real thing this weekend. Our friend, Peter, has invited us out on his sailboat on Saturday afternoon. I must admit to being a bit nervous. Aside from the paddleboat Randy and I used last weekend and a few 60-minute riverboat cruises along the Siene (in Paris) and the canals (in Amsterdam), I’ve really not had much seafaring experience in the past few decades. I honestly think my last time on an actual sailboat was when I was about 11 or 12 years old: an overnight trip off of Oyster Harbors on Cape Cod.

Since then, I’ve taken a few high speed ferry rides and managed to feel sufficiently queasy each and every time. But time spent on an actual sailboat? None.

All of this is pretty pathetic considering I was raised on Cape Cod (a spit of sand completely surrounded by water). I should have been born with sea legs. Instead, I’ll be armed with a handsome collection of Ativan, Dramamine, ginger snaps, (all-natural) ginger ale, wrist bands, and anything else that’ll keep my breakfast where it’s supposed to be.

August 1st, 2007
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: Comments Off on Christopher Cross Has Nothing on Me!

Tuesday=a lazy day for me. So, I’m stealing one of those blog survey things and thinking less. You’d think that thinking any less than I normally do would mean I’m comatose…but my mind is really quite active. It’s my body that lags behind.

1 – Do you still have tonsils? Yes

2 – Would you bungee jump? At 36, no. When I was younger, quite possibly.

3 – If you could do anything in the world for a living, what would it be? Honestly, (and this is really tragic) but I just haven’t really ever thought of that. I mean, as a kid I wanted to be an architect, but as an adult, I’ve never really had huge career ambitions. I suppose the politically correct answer would be a philanthropist. There…how’s that?

4 – How many tattoos do you have? None.

5 – Your favorite fictional animal? God – his stories are so funny.

6 – One person that never fails to make you laugh. Karyn..even when she’s down she can toss out a one-liner that’ll get me to literally LOL…for real.

7 – Do you consider yourself well organized. Overall, yes. But there’s room for improvement.

8 – Any addictions? None that are officially diagnosed, but I do seem to go through phases where I get something (anything: food, real estate, music) in my head and obsess over it.

9 – From what news source do you get the bulk of your news? Depends on the time of day. First thing in the morning, CBS News. Throughout the day, Yahoo! News. After work, CBS News. Evening, Fox 25 News (not the cable channel, but the local Fox affiliate).

10 – Would you rather go to a carnival or circus? Neither…there are children at both. At least at a carnival you can walk around, though.

11 – When you were 12 years old, what did you want to be when you grow up? See #3. Though, at that age I was conflicted between being an architect, a chef, or a bus driver.

12 – Best movie you’ve seen this year? I’ve actually not been to a theatre once this year (yikes).

13 – Favorite alcoholic drink? I’m not much of a drinker, but I’d likely say red wine (cabernet sauvignon, petit syrah, zinfandel….I’m not picky). I did taste a fabulous Gallo Meritage in California recently (at $55/bottle).

14 – What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? Um, open my eyes?

15 – Siblings? Yes, a brother (2 years older).

16 – What is the best thing about your job? Oh, there are lots of great things (honestly…and this isn’t just because my blog is on a work server). It’s a toss up between the amazing benefits and an amazing boss. I think I’ll go with the boss (and, for the record, he doesn’t read this…besides, we already got our raised last month).

17 – Have you ever gone to therapy? Oh yeah.

18 – If you could have one super power, what would it be? To read/control other people’s minds.

19 – Do you have any furniture from Ikea. Not really furniture, but I do have some pieces around the home (mirror, area rug, desk lamp).

20 – Have you ever gone camping? Yes, as a child only…Cub Scout camp and, gasp, bible camp.

21 – Gas prices. First thought? They’re ridiculously low in this country. I think the government spends too much money subsidizing gas for cars. Raise the prices, encourage (and improve) public transit, and force automakers to build more fuel-efficient cars.

22 – Your favorite cartoon character? I don’t really know of any contemporary ones. I used to like Droopy…or Shmoo.

23 – What was your first car? A 1980 Pontiac Sunbird. Navy blue.

24 – Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual. No, but I still don’t think it’s for everybody.

25 – The Cosby Show or the Simpsons? Simpsons.

26 – Do you go to church? Only to view the architecture (in Europe).

27 – What famous person would you like to have dinner with – living or dead? You know, this is one of those questions you get asked throughout your life and I’ve never had a good answer. I”m fascinated by twisted minds, so I’d probably have to say somebody like Hitler or Jeffrey Dahmer. I don’t want to know them personally, but I’d love to use my mind reading superpower (see #18) and find out why they did what they did.

28 – What errand/chore do you despise? Um….going to the post office. So many other things can be done online or more efficiently…but the post office is a pain in the ass (particularly when I’m collecting mail that’s being held while I’m on vacation).

29 – First thought when the alarm went off this morning? “I wonder if I’m suffering from jetlag. I’m so tired in the morning lately.”

30 – Last time you puked from drinking? Never – I’ve never been drunk.

31 – What is your heritage? I’m guessing you mean ethnic background….German/English….50/50.

32 – Favorite flower. I don’t know enough about them…they all smell like stale urine to me (except lavendar). Hmmm, I’ll say lavendar.

33 – Disney or Warner Brothers? Warner Brothers.

34 – What is your best childhood memory? Oh, this is tough. Throughout my life I’ve had this knack for blocking our the bad stuff and only remembering the good stuff…so all of the memories I have are positive ones. I can’t think of a “best” one. Vacations at the cabin on the lake in Maine were good. Playing kickball in the yard was good. I even enjoyed elementary school. But if I had to pick one specfic moment, I guess it would be the excitement/build-up before my family’s first trip to Disney.

(note: how long is this freaking survery? sheesh)

35 – Your favorite potato chip? Not a big chip fan (prefer sweet things over salty things). If I had to choose, Baked Lays or Pringles.

36 – What is your favorite candy? Dark chocolate (anything but Hershey)

37 – Do you burn or tan? I tend to tan – which is surpsiging considering my genetic make up. I guess it has to do with spending every day of my childhood summers on the beach.

38 – Astrological sign? Gemini

39 – Do you own a gun? Hell no.

40 – What do you think of hot dogs. I like turkey dogs. It’s all about the condiments: saukraut, nacho cheese, chili (not necessarily all together).

July 31st, 2007
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: Comments Off on Oh No…Not Another one of THOSE!

I actually didn’t spend very much time this weekend in the city (of Boston, at least). On Friday night i went directly to Randy’s after work and then hung out with our friends Scott and Deano. We went into Arlington for dinner at some burger/rib joint (yum). An hour or so later, we drove to Logan Airport to pick up Randy (who was returning from a business trip to Minneapolis). The rest of the night consisted of good conversation and some fiercely competitive games of Taboo.

Saturday we headed south to Pembroke to attend our friend, Jeff’s, birthday party. He lives on a pond so most of the day (from 2PM until 10PM) was spent in his backyard/beach …either eating, drinking, swimming, paddle boating, talking, or swatting mosquitos (the photo above was from his yard). A good time was had by all…and now Jeff officially joins the rest of us in that evil concept known as “our 30’s.”

On Sunday Randy and I got a late start but ended up driving up to Marblehead, MA. Randy had never been and I wanted to show him what I expected Mendocino, CA to look like (based on reports that Mendocino looked like a seaside New England village). We then went to Deveroux Beach (in Marblehead). We’d intended to go to Crane Beach (much prettier…and sandier) but we weren’t up to the drive. Deverouz was pretty – in that you could see some rocky islands off shore – but there was almost no sand; the entire beach consisted of pebbles. Uncomfortable, bumpy pebbles.

And now it’s Monday. And it was raining. And as you know, Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.

July 30th, 2007
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 2 Comments

That “ew” could refer to many things from this week’s news: Lindsey Lohan’s recent arrest, that guy from Big Brother/Big Sister who molested his little brother, astronauts taking off while drunk, the South Korean shot by the Taliban, the Dow Jones tanking yesterday.

But for me, the bigger “ew” is this freaking humidity. It just makes me feel, well, “ew.” For only the second time this summer, I turned on the air-conditioning the last two nights. Granted, I’ve managed to be out of town during some of this summer’s hottests spells, but overall this summer seems be much less humid and hot than previous summers. I normally run my air-conditioner sporadically in May, but then all of June, July, and August. It’s highly unusual to not even start using it until the last week of July when summer is half over.

The worst part of this humidity is commuting. If I didn’t have to leave my home I’d be fine. And, despite my hatred of all things automobile, in whether like this, I would prefer to have access to a car right out side my door as opposed to having to walk many blocks to the nearest subway station. Or, if leaving from Randy’s place, walking uphill, barefoot, both ways, in the snow, (while miraculously still hot and humid) for at least 26 miles.

July 27th, 2007
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 1 Comment

It took long enough, but my Mendocino pictures are finally posted in my photo gallery (see “Blog Roll” column on the right). It’s funny, despite all of my kvetching on the blog about there being nothing to do, the photos do make it out to be an attractive place. Then again, just because it’s a pretty place doesn’t make it a “fun” place.

I’m also all caught up on Big Brother! I don’t have Tivo, but Comcast’s “On Demand” feature saves all of the episodes so I could watch them at home upon my return. Oh, it’s juicy this year! Good bye, Kail (I hope). I have issues with religious people….and so far she’s prayed to god that she stays in the house and though she claims to “like” Dustin (the gay guy) she still wouldn’t accept her own children if they came out as gay. And she worries too much what her neighbors will think…live your own life, dammit – don’t let your “community” make yoru decisions for you. Hypocrite.

Amber also prays for the strength to remain in the house (which is so silly…I mean, even if there was a god, do you think his priority would be helping reality TV conestants?) but at least she’s open-minded (she’s become BFF with Dustin).

And in my own “reality TV” life, nothing is going on. Perhaps I should pray for some excitement?

July 26th, 2007
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 3 Comments

Oh dear. Yesterday’s posting may have been a bit misleading. For the record, I have no intentions of packing up and moving back to San Francicso! I was just commenting that I allowed unrelated circumstances from my previous experiences there to cloud my judgement. Yes, I could see myself living there “someday”…but have no plans to do so!

Phew – don’t want to give my parents (or boss) a heart attack!

I’ve still not formatted/renamed the photos from Mendocino so they aren’t availalbe in my photo gallery just yet. However, the San Francisco pictures have been posted, if you care to take a look.

I’m rather looking forward to this upcoming weekend. For the first time in ages, it seems that Randy and/or I aren’t traveling or going someplace distanT (we do have a party in Pembroke, but that’s it). However, Randy is already planning our next weekend adventure…

…to…(gasp)…Roanoke. Yep, I’m heading south to meet the in-laws. Oy vey – going south in August…should be dreamy. Still, I’m looking forward to meeting Randy’s family and grilling them about his past. I”ll post all the dirt on here.

July 25th, 2007
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 2 Comments

I’m back from California and am finally caught up enough to blog. Overall, the trip was great. On Thursday afternoon* we ditched San Francisco and headed over the Golden Gate Bridge and up the coast to Mendocino. It was lovely…for all of 20 minutes. Seriously, there is nothing to do up there. People from the east coast seem to think of California as this huge populated state…but once you get 45 minutes to an hour north of San Francisco there is virtually nothing straight through to the Oregon border. We visited towns with signs that proclaimed “Population: 61”.

Seriously!

We stayed in a town called Little River. This place was hopping….at 412 people. The only restaurants were part of a few Bed & Breakfasts. The nearest “big” town was Mendocino: population 1,008 and a few miles north. Mendocino looked like New England on a bluff. But less dense. The architecture was similar to Maine or Nantucket/Cape Cod, but the buildings were few and far between – not enough (in my opinion) to warrant a 3.5 hour drive.

Unfortunately, Mendocino was all there really was to see along the coast (aside from the impressive rugged cliff-ridden coastline itself). Inland about 15 miles there were some wineries (we went tasting at four of them). And we did drive through (and explore a bit of) a redwood forest, but other than that, this area lacks everything…well, except for solitude. This area packs that in abundance. We ended up staying in the area for two nights, but I think we could have gotten by with just one (hell, if the drive wasn’t so long, I’d have prefered a day trip).

We did venture up the coast a bit further to Fort Bragg…the coast’s metropolis, boasting over 5,000 residents. But all that town offered was gas stations, a supermarket, and a fast food restaurant or two. Imagine Route 1 in Saugus (MA) but without the class and charm.

Fort Bragg’s biggest attraction appeared to be Glass Beach, apparently called “glass” because the area was previously a dump site and the broken pieces of glass had been smoothed out of the years by the crashing waves.

On Saturday morning we began the drive through the redwood forest back to San Francisco. We stopped in charming Healdsburg (where they filmed Scream) along the way for some wine tasting with Roy and Evan. A few hours later we were driving over the Golden Gate Bridge and back to the City.

And here comes my retraction: I like San Francisco. I still don’t find the city itself pretty. There still aren’t enough trees (though they’ve planted more). The architecture (aside from the Victorians) is pretty horrible – particularly in the Richmond, Sunset, Tenderloin, Fisherman’s Wharf, etc…

However, the distant vistas are still as beautiful as ever, as I recalled during my solo explorations of Land’s End and Twin Peaks. And one of the things I’d completely forgotten about was the vitality and energy of this city. The downtown was hopping and filled with life. And even the neighborhoods (such as Hayes Valley, where we stayed) had corner stores and restaurants that maintained a fairly steady flow of business throughout the day and night. But their downtown felt much more bustling, much more Manhattan-ish than Boston’s downtown.

I liked that energy. I missed that energy. I was especially reminded of this back in Boston on Monday when I went to my post office in downtown Boston (Government Center) to pick up my mail which was being held. There was just so little happening on the street: few people, few active shops or restaurants or cafes, even few cars…and this was in the downtown of the city!

I’ve been thinking about this over the past few days and I think I just allowed circumstances unrelated to me to cloud my views on this city. I mean, the main reasons Matt and I moved back to Boston were that HE hated his job and HIS father had died. I actually would have stayed. I’m not blaiming him for our return. I was also swayed to move back to Boston after my parents visited and I realized how much older they seemed after not seeing them for 5 months. And not knowing how much longer I’d have them in my life, I wanted to be closer to them geographically. In the end, that was MY main factor for returning.

And perhaps to justify moving back, I came up with excuses as to why I didn’t like the city (too dirty, not enough trees, too liberal, I prefer 4 seasons, too sex and drug based, I didn’t fit in…the list goes on and on). I still don’t think it’s the most beautiful city (as most people do)….but I do realize I didn’t give it a fair chance the last time around. Randy will be thrilled to hear this, but I could actually see myself living there again someday.

*I’m so pissed. The ONE full day (Friday) that we weren’t in San Francisco was the ONE day they had their first noticeable earthquake in nearly a decade (4.2 on the Richter Scale). We missed the quake by only 12 hours!!!!!

July 24th, 2007
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 5 Comments

In a few hours, this vacation will be half over. Sigh.

Yesterday was a good day. Randy headed off to the conference so I was on my own to explore the city. After blogging, I took the California cable car line up Nob Hill to my old neighborhood. I got off at California and Jones and took in the hill top’s sites before walking two blocks to Bush – my old block.

It hasn’t really changed. There are some new shops and eateries, but it really looks the same (can’t change much when the entire block was already densely developed to begin with). My old building still stood there. The paint job looked less fresh than it used to…but new furniture was added to the lobby. Sigh…I stood at the front door for a few minutes and loads of memories came back to me. I wish I could have entered the building to see if the smells brought back any other memories.

After that little reunion, I caught the #1 bus to Lands End. This is about as far north-west as you can go in the city and the bus ride took forever (one of those typical rickety electric San Francisco buses with no air-conditioning).

But Lands End was as beautiful as ever. It’s basically paths that run along the cliffs facing the Golden Gate and Pacific Ocean. I took a break down a path I wasn’t supposed to be on and just sat along the edge with a panoramic view of the Golden Gate Bridge on my right, Marin Headlands straight ahead, Pacific Ocean a little further to the left and vertical cliffs directly to my left (and below me). Absolutely beautiful.

I hiked down one path to the beach and hiked up others to postcard perfect vistas. I was supposed to meet Randy back at the hotel room by 6PM but ended up arriving after him. I also realized that I’d forgotten to eat lunch.

So, we got together with two other (gay) colleagues of Randy (well, one is a previous coworker and other a colleague of Randy’s friend). These are the same people we went to Azul with the previous night.

Last night, with my cold feeling MUCH better, we had dinner at California Pizza Kitchen then headed into the Castro for drinks at Badlands and 440 Castro (formerly “Daddy’s).

I’m not sure what’s on the agenda for tonight…perhaps bars South of Market? As for the day, I’m thinking I’d like to go to the top of Twin Peaks.

Or I may just surf the net.

July 18th, 2007
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 1 Comment

Has it really been that long? Damn, this vacation is flying by. Yesterday, as I blogged, I was feeling the worst I’d felt with this damn cold. I’m feeling a bit better today (functioning without drugs, even) and now that Randy is at his conference, I’ve got the freedom to go about at my own (lazy) pace.

This also explains why it’s 12:30 in the afternoon and I’m sitting on the bed blogging. Though, I must say that we’ve already gone out for breakfast and done a little bit of shopping at Gap and Old Navy. I’m just resting before my next (solo) adventure.

Anyway, aside from feeling a bit under the weather yesterday, I did have a good time. We went to Lori’s Diner for breakfast (mmmm – Belgian waffles with fresh strawberries and a mountain of whipped cream that caught the stares of neighboring diners). From there we walked through/around the shops in Union Square before catching the classic F-trolley from the Ferry Building to, gasp, Pier 39 (tourist central).

We only went there for three reasons: 1) my parents wanted me to pick them up some “Route 66” patches they recalled seeing there (despite the fact that Route 66 doesn’t even come close to San Francisco), 2) the sea lions (there were only 5 of them since this was breeding season and they’re all out at see boinking like rabbits), and 3) In-n-Out Burger.

Yes, Randy dragged me to that nasty tourist trap neighborhood to eat fast food. Not just fast food, but fast food with Biblical versus printed on the bottoms of the cups and bags. Anyway, their menu has about 3 sandwich items: hamburger, cheeseburger, and double-double (double the meet, etc…), french fries (one size only), and shakes (chocolate, vanilla or strawberry. That is the entire menu. Yet there is some cultish California sub-culture of people who order things that aren’t on the menu, like Atkins (or protein) burgers (no bun) or a neopolitan shake (all flavors layered together).  Not a big beef eater, I had a grilled cheese (once again, not on the menu, but is something they sell and even have buttons on their cash register for).

Randy was in heaven. I was…well, I was in a fast food restaurants filled with tourists.   Funny how we could be in the same place yet see things so differently!

Last night we went to dinner at some pan-Asian place just outside of Chinatown on Sutter Street (E&O Trading Co, I think). It was quite yummy (loved their chicken, pear, and cucumber salad) but my cold was getting the best of me. After dinner, we met up with some of Randy’s colleagues (well, people in the “biz”) and hung out at this trendy hole-in-the wall lounge called, Azul.

It was nice…but by the end I was ready to sleep.

Now I’ve got to decide what to do today. I’d wanted to to go Lands End but the fog is still over there. I may start with a walking tour of my old stomping grounds before venturing further west. It’s amazing how the temperature the eastern half of the city can be sunny 78 degrees and the city just 5 miles away in the western half of the city (which gets the worst fog) can be 15 degrees cooler and dark.  I’ll just pack appropriately for this city: shorts, jacket, condoms.

Oh, and check out my Photo Gallery for the first load of photos (more to come).

July 17th, 2007
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 1 Comment

Our trip started off so well. Randy’s cold was getting better and he managed to get us upgraded to first class flying from Boston to San Francisco. Our flight attendant was incredibly attentive and he even gave me an extra cookie.

Then things started to go wrong. First, the airline lost his luggage. We spent nearly an hour waiting for it to arrive, but it didn’t. It was found by Sunday afternoon…but he had to wear the same clothes for two days (he did buy fresh underwear).

And then I caught his cold…big time. Oh well, it could be worse. At least it hit AFTER the flight and not before. But with enough Afrin, Mucinex, Asprin and Sudafed, I should be able to function well enough (albeit in a lightheaded manner).

Still, I’m having a great time. Randy’s friends, Evan and Roy, are great. We went to the Sunset district for dinner on Saturday night. On Sunday they joined us for drinks at the Carnelian Room (San Francisco’s version of Top of the Hub…a restaurant on top a skyscraper). Then we had dinner at some French restaurant (Claude?)? It was quite yummy.

Today is my last day with Randy before he starts working (technically he starts working this afternoon at 4PM.

The weather is cooperating (nice and comfy, standard fog at times). And our hotel is quite nice (28th floor overlooking the skyline).

I’m too lazy (and drugged) to deal with uploading photos at the moment, but you’ll just have to believe me that the view is quite lovely. Perhaps tomorrow you’ll see more.

July 16th, 2007
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 1 Comment