Another Autumn Already?

I'm excited and stressed out at the same time. I've been working almost non-stop, on back-to-back projects, since April. Maybe even before April. I had a one week breather that was filled with production meetings, birthday celebrations, contract talks, errands, and it hardly felt like a vacation.

But the upcoming move next week is still freaking me out! Will I earn enough money, as I have been the last six months, to afford this place? Overall, it won't be that much more expensive than living in the cottage in Bernal Heights. $30 more to be precise. Wait... with the free T1 line, it might be less expensive... oh, no... it'll be less expensive because I can't bring myself to commit to cable TV or a dish network! Hah.

I miss being able to watch movies whenever. And BBC America. Even the History Channel and Animal Planet. If the steady stream of work continues, though, for the next couple of months, I think I'll bite the bullet. I might also try to see if the local dish company or Comcast will set up the whole building and give us discounts to join in... as the building is supposedly wired for Cable (whatever that means). I guess that simply means no installation fees.

Bought a nice book on Feng Shui. That brings my total up to three now. But... but... this one had a purple cover and pretty pictures inside!

Projects coming up:
Curtains for the mezzanine
Stained glass divider for the mezzanine
Gel fireplace for the mezzanine
New bed for the mezzanine
Closet organizers for the mezzanine closet
Paint TV console
New bedstands
Bookcases for the mezzanine
Change out overhead fixture in the mezzanine with tiffany dome
Buy Crate & Barrel wall sconce for mezzanine
Buy mirrors to feng shui mezzanine
Verdigris the ladder
Tile the bathroom floor with stone and glass cobblestone swirls
Put up shelves for work station and in bathroom
Put up curtains on passageway and living room windows
Buy breakfast island for kitchen
Put trompe l'oeil mural up on dining area wall
Buy chairs for dining area
Upgrade computer ::sigh:: This might be on the 2006 list now.
Buy new desk and chair
Hunt around for living room furniture
Work on moveable wall art pieces and set-up
Plan out entry way labyrinth
Buy racks for kitchen
Get new Cuisinart ASAP

Think that's enough? And following on the heels of a blog trend:

Places I Have Lived
Arlington/Fairfax, Virginia
Newton, Massachusetts
Greenwich, Connecticut
Franklin, Massachusetts
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Silver Spring, Maryland
Allston, Massachusetts
Brighton, Massachusetts
Waltham, Massachusetts (short term)
Woburn, Massachusetts (short term)
Boston, Massachusetts
Chelsea, Massachusetts
San Francisco, Callifornia
Oakland, California

Places I Have Visited
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Kansas
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Missouri
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Barbados
Canada
France
Grenada
Martinique
Mexico
Monaco
Puerto Rico
Venezuela
Virgin Islands

Aftermath

The birthday celebrations are done... I think. Only thing missing was some sicky-sweet, over-sugared, gloppy-iced, commercial cake, but I can live without it... maybe.

Brandy treated me to dinner at one of my favorite bistros, Plouf, which I think means "Make A Splash" in French, and might also explain the dearth of taxidermy marlins on the walls. They specialize in mussels. I haven't been there in years, but Belden Place is such a special little alley that feels like Paris or Rome. It was time to return there.

I'm a traditionalist, so I ordered the little bivalves a la mariniere, and Brandy got them poulette, which adds some cream, shallots, and bacon in with the white wine, garlic, and parsley. We used all the bread to sop up the heavy creation! With an appetizer of beef carpaccio drizzled with truffle oil and a chocolate fondue, we were in heaven! A stop at Lush for some bath bombs and soaps, and we were both ready to retreat.

I had a full day to recover before Lindsey and I were destined for lunch at Tartare, a restaurant that got raves the first two months after it opened. I'd promised her in when I read the reviews in April that we would try the place. I got there late and panicked when the interior was dark. How could they be closed on a Thursday? Within a few minutes, Lindsey pulled up and said that she'd been trying for five days to get a reservation... and so, we concluded they were shuttered. Sad.

Heading for the Ferry Building we set out for the Slanted Door, a unique Vietnamese dining experience. Another yummy appetizer of sliced beef, this time in salad, then entrees of squid and shaken beef. I took the leftovers home! Too full for a proper dessert, we settled on some chocolates at Recchiuti before parting ways. I'm off Joseph Schmidt and Scharffen Berger because they both sold out recently to Hershey, even though they promised it would not change their product, and cited the merger as a means for improving their product's reach. I was glad Michael Recchiuti came out and said he would never sell to a big conglomerate. That's why I stopped buying Godiva years ago, when I learned Pepperidge Farms bought them. Why pay a lot for "Belgian" chocolate made here in America?

I continued to shop for a bottle of Tea's Teas Green Jasmine, a bar of Dagoba's Organic Chocolate -- Xocolatl flavor (dark chocolate with chiles), and a couple of pastries from Frog Hollow to tide me over this weekend, while I wait for the paint on the front porch to dry.

On Friday I met up with Kathy for a quick lunch (since she was working and this was just about the first Friday I've had off since April) at my old haunt, Lightning Foods, of fabulous salad bar fame. Roasted red potatoes, roasted chicken, pan-fried crispy beans just the right shade of green and still with a bit of snap, pesto tubes, alfredo shells, silky tofu (the one and only place I'll eat it unfried), and a bunch of other things amid the usual greens and vegetables. And a nice treat of Ghiradelli chocolate and toffee crunch frozen yogurt to add the perfect ending.


I still miss having a piece of so-sweet-hurt-my-teeth sugar frosted cake though!

Sweet September

Well, let's not even talk about the birthday that I have coming up, because I can't believe how old I'll be. I'd much rather recall the celebrations, when I lived in Boston, where we drove out to western Massachusetts to go apple picking. The autumn scent in the air on a nice Indian Summer day. Blue skies and foliage just beginning to turn. Freshly-pressed, icy cold cider. Rides on hay carts, pumpkins, and homemade jams.

Unfortunately, by mid-August, much of the apple season is over in California. Instead, I prefer the warm Napa valley with the smell of crushed grapes pungent in the air. Cool foggy nights and sitting in hot tubs under massively starry skies. Similar rituals.

But this year I won't quite have that luxury. I'm packing so I can move into my new space... a pretty damn awesome loft that is totally brand new. The location leaves A LOT to be desired, but for an artistic space that just might renew the creative spirit in me, I'll take the 10' tall walls of windows, earthy exposed brick, stainless steel appliances, maple floors and beams, and a nice deep tub, and call it my little oasis.