Soundtrack of Mi Vida: Blue – Calvin Harris

San Francisco

Day 1

Philz Coffee -  Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee

Arinell Pizza- Cheese slice

Range-  Scallop crudo/salad, Roasted Chicken, Braised Beef

Bi-Rite Creamery – Roasted Banana and Salted Caramel Gellato

Laszlo – Chambord Cosmo and Hendricks Gimlet

Day 2

Philz Coffee-  Mint Mojito Ice Coffee and Turkish Delight

Tartine AM-  Morning Bun and Gougeres

Tartine PM – Loaf of bread fresh out of the oven with Brillat-Savarin cheese from Bi-Rite

Foreign Cinema- Apple Pop Tart, French Toast, and Grilled Duck salad

Out the Door – Fresh spring Rolls (9 bucks ! ! ! sorry couldn’t fight the thrifty scrooge in me)

Burma Superstar – Tea Leaf Salad and Rainbow salad

Day 3

Good Luck Dim Sum- turnip cake (HJ best) and various dim sum items

Ton Kiang -  Shrimp and Chive Dumplings. Owner was very welcoming and gregarious.

Roadside BBQ – Pulled pork sandwich. Texan staff showed great hospitality.

Schubert’s Bakery-  Swedish princess cake

San Tung – Dried fried chicken wings

Underdog’s taco shop – Nick’s Baja Fish Tacos and Makers Martini. Bartender (skinny white guy) took pride in his craft.

Katana-ya -  Chasu ramen (the leftover soup is still congealed in my fridge) and Extra spicy ramen

All that SF yummy = 3lbs more to love

Bah ! WHO pandemic warnings are for wussies ! We visited the El D.F. aka Mexico City in June so the pandemic was subsiding as was the air and hotel prices. We stayed at a hostel called Casa Comtesse in Condessa, a upper middle-class area of Mexico City. Upper-middle and any middle class is a sliver between the poor and ultra-rich. (Sometimes I forget that I the world majority is poor and brown). Overall we felt safe but the local police thought it best that we not walk around at 11pm and hailed us a cab one night. When I visit a foreign land I try to take in the people, food, and culture. I think HJ’s order is food, food,  and culture (between meals).  Here’s the rundown…

Comida:  Seafood at Contramar, tasting menu at Pujol (yes, pronounced Poo-hole), original al pastor tacos at Tizoncito, hot choco and churro at El Morro, and steak sandwich & salad at Sputino

Culture: Indigenous arts at the National Anthropology Museum, Contemporary Art Museum at U of DF and hiking around Teotihuacan.

People:  Like in all major urban cities, most folks were rushing around minding their own business. Subways are the best way to travel but also a great place to meet and hug some of the 21M DFers during rush hour.

[Show as slideshow]

 

[Show as slideshow]

 

Commentary to follow…

Soundtrack of Mi Vida: A Tu Lado-Rosario Flores

Went to a friend’s wedding last weekend at Lake Tahoe. The wedding was nice. “Nice” in an old grandma, not moved to tears, faint semi-fuzzy warm feelings kinda way. I think people come away from weddings not just happy for the couple but also happier because of their happiness. That’s nice.

It was the first time I have been to Lake Tahoe. The regulars seemed to be of older blue haired, one-arm bandit loving variety. Few cougars prowling the bars and casino floor. All in all an older folks’ destination.

3 Reasons to go back 1) morning hikes and trail running, 2) sitting on a beach and watching the sun go down behind snow capped mountains, and 3) Le Bistro’s French food and BMW Side Cars.

Soundtrack of Mi Vida: Girl from Ipanema – Astrud Gilberto

All relationships take work. But what do you do when the work you are putting in isn’t yielding the desired results? You work harder at it because either you haven’t been or think you can make up for the other person’s lack of work. Sometimes, you work smarter by reflecting, soliciting advice from friends, Dr. Phil, and a C. Tennis article or two, and then mix well and apply: clarifying roles and expectations, honest communication, dialogue, and all that other stuff you can put in 10-step program. If that all that don’t work you do what I think alot of people do, lower your expectations (I’ve been told I have higher ones than most folks which I find very disheartening but that topic is for another day/ungodly hour of the morning). But when is it OK to just throw in the towel and call it quits? When you have lowered your expectations to the point you have to remind, no, convince yourself why you are in the relationship at all and it just hurts to try anymore? I’ve been through it, seen people go through it, see people going through it now, so I know there isn’t a simple answer. But I know one thing for sure. My heart gets heavier and heavier when I feel that people are quiting on themselves. Giving up what they know are the non-negotiables to them, the sine qua non in a relationship that will bring them happiness. And for what? Cynical Jeff says, “so the other person can get what they want while you starve yourself?”

Damn I hope I don’t have an ulcer. Gonna go poo now. Smooches.

Some pics from last week*

Friends

Food

Soundtrack of Mi Vida: More than Us – Travis

*The photo-gallery is under construction.

Soundtrack of Mi Vida: Listen – Bic Runga (and the chirping of my new roommate, Jepeto the closet cricket)

Soundtrack of Mi Vida: Lullaby-Priscilla Ahn

Soundtrack of Mi Vida: Just Like Me-Hotchip

Hanoi to Sapa

Black Hmong needlework

Pastey American Jeff and his Tiger

Soundtrack of Mi Vida: Black Lexus-Joseph Arthur