farro is fantastic

i cannot get enough of this stuff!

here's a great recipe using it - and one that I made successfully in advance for a party.

i also really like how farro tastes when it is just finished in the pot - melty and gooey like oatmeal. so great.

not your normal pacifier

this past week, I have been in MA helping my cousin and his wife with their 6 week old baby. he is a darling and i spent many moments holding him, changing him and rocking him to sleep.


perhaps some of the most memorable moments were, however, our efforts to soothe the baby when he hit the peak of the top of the 'crying curve'. (apparently babies go through a major crying phase - of the inconsolable, caterwauling, red, screaming angry type crying - at 6 to 8 weeks). one or two times a day the baby would turn bright red and just bawl for no apparent reason.





of course we tried all the usual methods to soothe him, but those were useless. we brought out the big pacifying guns:





1. the vacuum*





Turn on the vacuum and the baby quiets. Something about the white noise.





2. the baby footrace





If #1 doesn't work, take baby and walk as fast as possible around the apartment. If necessary, run-walk w/ babe in arms through apartment building halls.





3. the baby drive by





If #1 and #2 don't work and the level of baby crying noise has reached into the stratosphere, put the baby in his carseat and sprint out of apt, grabbing only necessary keys. Get in the car and drive and drive and drive. Baby should fall asleep immediately once in the car and parent/care taker can try to enjoy a drive and a little peace ;)





*Dishwashers and dryers may be substituted.




All of this pacifying took place in Cambridge, which was very beautiful and unseasonably warm - until it snowed. It is funny to see snow on bright green grass and below trees still with leaves on!

power up

we saw Cat Power last night at the fillmore. she was doing two shows and we saw the early one. perfect way to finish the weekend.

The entire album "The Greatest" is terrific. Brian and I agree there is only one other album that is just as good all the way through: Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.

give thanks

i am taking some time this morning to give thanks for my friends and family. and for parade memories ---

from the night-below blow up:

to when they take flight on the big day. rounding the corner....

and sailing through the streets.

Kermit was my favorite.

which would you choose?

today, we went to the san francisco car show. and this is my choice for 'impractical' car pick.

we also had a practical car pick and i chose one, but that is super boring. why turn down an imaginary ferrari?

ok, here's my more practical impractical car pick:

audi a4 cabriolet! so great.

pretty swank weekend

i am a lucky girl. spent saturday in napa... and had lunch at bouchon. yum!

and then today my husband took me to the Opera! it was Manon Lescaut and I enjoyed it very, very much. i also really liked the huge chandelier a lot...

chance encounter with beautiful scottish voice

not desmond, unfortunately, but something even better.

this morning, i was walking to the post office after doing my 25 minutes (!) of running and my hand hit by accident my iPod and it skittered about and fell onto these KEXP Seattle sessions that my husband put on the iPod... the random song playing was 'The False Contender' by Camera Obscura, a band from Glasgow. the lead singer has such a beautiful voice. interesting looking other song titles on the band's website and iTunes. check out her mix tape compilation... looks intriguing... sheena easton AND m.ward!

back to my paperwork.

bernal hill

i had no idea this place or this view was even here. it is a little difficult to tell from the picture, but once you climb up this you can see the entire city!

i spent the morning walking my friend who is about to have a baby any second now up and then down the hill. she wanted to (i didn't force her!) help the baby start its trip into the world! he/she is four days late... we are hoping for tomorrow!

the liberties

the perfect irish bar and neighborhood restaurant. love this place.

these guys rock! or maybe they pop!

we went to see Bishop Allen play last night at BOCA... it was super fun.

we had a few beers, danced around, danced up and down. their songs are very poppy - in a non-cheesy way - so we kind of popped up and down. an unusual and rewarding thurs night!

new songs that i am liking:
'Corazon' by Bishop Allen
'Poison Cup' by M.Ward

who am i?

do you know who i am?


i like her name.




and the third Camilla: Volscian warrior



My fellow Camillas are a quirky bunch.


Gonzo's Chicken Camilla

Gonzo really loved his chicken Camila, as evidenced in his song for her:

Spoken: Camilla, I have written a song for you. Sinatra or Mick Jagger will probably want to record it, but I want you to hear it from me first.

You alone, you are my one and only chicken, steady.
And if you leave I will alone and lonely sicken, ready.
You and I, we're a team and that's a fact.
You and I, what a terrific idea for an act.

Spoken: Oh, listen to the rhymes in the chorus. It's very Cole-Porter-y.

Camilla, you're sweeter than wine or vanilla, Camilla.
Come lie beneath this tree, it's a willa, Camilla.
Camilla, the night it grows stilla and stilla, Camilla.
You're prettier by far than Godzilla, Camilla.

danish priorities

did you know that the Carlsberg beer company channels 50% of its profits into a fund for the visual arts in Denmark?

drinking beer to support art. danish priorities sound like they are in order.

or at least they 'probably' are...

stinson & mrc

must remember - when feeling idle or unsure of how to spend brashly sunny, so gorgeous it seems unreal, 75 degree weekend day in November... drive to Stinson and walk, run, play on beach with assembled dogs.


oh and lunch at Parkside Cafe is a good first/last stop...


also, check out the great tv coverage My Roommate's Closet is getting! go to the CBS Eye on the Bay site and select the video (top right of page) for the 10/23 Bargain Hunting episode. fast forward to the last segment and watch Suzanne and Cate!

enomatic

after witnessing more of stanford's crushing defeat - and a bit more of a defeat - than we'd planned, we took our sorry selves off to try the enomatic machines at Niebaum Coppola.

you get a card like a credit card, plug it into the machine and pick a wine, put your glass under a speical spout, press a button and out comes the wine. you drink it and them move on to others, charging your tastes to your card. like a high-end vending machine w/great risk of spending way, way too much money. but b/c you can try different things and move around and talk about your choices - grasping to find the best way to describe, w/o resorting to fruits or veggies or cheese (thank you Sideways), how the wines smell and taste - it is fun for a group.


other stuff:

Pork Store Cafe

satisfying brunch food. quirky, warm lighting: varied lamp shades grouped and hung from the ceiling. we tried to pick our favorite shade, but decided they looked best all together. must keep camera with me.

Borat

more naked men than expected.

why a blog?

So, here it is: My blog. I expect to use it as a place to post links to fun things but who knows what I will do with it... At least I will understand how a blog works!