Thursday

I took Mom to the de Young Museum and made her buy lunch.
She took me to see An Inconvenient Truth and made me buy popcorn.










e-mail from Sal: how was al gore's movie?
Pal, I didn't really want to go see it. But my mom really did.
It was FANTASTIC.
It bugged me that I hadn't read one negative thing about it--that fact just made me want to not like it, being the twisted person I am. But it was incredibly good in every way. Al Gore was very likable, and funny. Not at all preachy.
I really really liked it. (Do you get the idea I liked it?)
I had lots of popcorn though.

Crissy Field

A clear day. A walk at Crissy Field. A cup of tea.
A madeleine. A bottle of wine. A bowl of peanuts. A dish of ice cream.
A stomach ache.

Best of Mail Award

There was a pile of mail for me when I got back. This package won the best of mail award hands down, and made me very happy.

Loocheeta, who you might know as Platitudinal, sent it! She wrote an illustrated story (cover shown below) about trying out my advice: "Never cook more than one dish at a time."

Small problem: her husband loves meat, her son is a vegan who doesn't appreciate spicy food, and she is a lover of spicy chili.











Thank you, 'Tude, for the wonderful box.

FAQ About my Mom

We made it to San Francisco late last night. Many people here see her and wonder: "What is this mysterious woman really like?"
• Is she a good traveler?
Yes. She didn't cry or throw food from her snack pack. On the way off the plane, she told the pilot that he had done a good job–that he had flown very smoothly.
• Is she proud of you?
Yes. After I crashed her wheelchair into the elevator door, she announced to everyone in the elevator that I was an artist.
• What's her favorite sport?
Table tennis. She won 3 gold medals in the Senior Olympics (over-80 age group). Singles, Doubles, and Mixed Doubles.
• What does she like to eat?
Watermelon, mint chocolate chip ice cream
• Political affiliation?
Former Republican, Strong Democrat
• Last book read?
Dave Barry Is from Mars and Venus

Travel

My flight from Charlotte to Chattanooga was cancelled. So by the time I finally made it to my old junior high pal Gwen's house, it was pretty late. Since she had to get up at 5:00 the next morning, she simply shoved a Dos Equis in my hand and pointed to my room. That's a good kind of friend to have.

This is the first trip I've taken in years without my laptop. I wasn't sure how that would feel. The first night at Gwen's, I dreamed about seeing it lying open on a table in her house. I went over to it, and in my dream I thought: "That's funny that I was so worried about being without it, because it must have been here with me all along." The dream made me feel good–like somehow all the heart and soul I had put into the computer was (in some form) still intact inside me, even 3,000 miles away from it.

Bye

©Linda Davick
I'm flying to Chattanooga early tomorrow morning to fetch my mom and fly back here with her. Plenty of adventures ahead, I'm sure.

Sick of Cooking But Not of Looking

Today I was riding the bus down Fillmore. I was wondering what to get Larry for his birthday. I saw a store window full of colorful things. (Most stores now are full of earth tones, aren't they?) I jumped off the bus at the next stop and ran back up the street to this store–Zinc Details. I found these plates. They're melamine.

Aren't they enough to make you want to get divorced and remarried–or married if you're not married–just so you can register for them?

I bought them for Larry's birthday, because he's already married and has a wife like me. Wait a minute. That doesn't sound right. I bought them for Larry because he likes food so much. He eats very slowly and needs something nice to look at underneath it all.

He doesn't sit down at the computer very often, so I think my secret is safe until his birthday.

But I was so exhilarated about the melamine plates that the sales guy could see my spirit expanding. He asked: "Are you visiting from out of town?"
I had to admit that I actually live here–that I was just acting this way because I rarely get out. And see new things. (I still have fear of leaving the house, but it's getting better.)

Phone Call

Guess who's coming to visit us next week!

"Hello, Tom? I'm just trying to get my brain together for this trip."
"Just get your body on the plane, and your brain will follow."
"Should I bring my social security card?"
"No–all you'll need is your photo i.d."
"And cash. What about cash? How much cash do you think I should bring?"
"Oh, maybe $100."
"That's what I was thinking. Well, I'll have to figure out how to get to the bank."
"Just wait for Linda to get there."
"Maybe I can get Mr. Ed to take me to the bank."
"That's too much trouble. Just wait for Linda to get there. She can take you on Monday."
"But Monday is a holiday!"
"Then I'll have Linda get some cash and bring it to you. Then you can write her a check."
"Are you sure that's OK?"
"Yes."
"But does Linda have any money?"
"Don't worry. She can get it from me. I would let you speak with her, but she's out walking."
"Why aren't you out walking with her?"
"I have a deadline tomorrow."
"Well I do hope she gets home soon."
"I'm sure she will. It's daylight here for another hour and a half."
"OoooooooooohKaaaaaaaaaaaay."

Shoes and Photos

This just in from my pal, Lee:
Two of my favorite things.
California Home+Design

A Sweet Encounter

I was jogging on the beach this evening. This kid flagged me down. She had an array of sand dollars laid out on her boogie board.
"Want one?" she asked. "They're free."
"Really?"
She nodded, but made it clear that I could choose only one.
I decided on the small white sand dollar. Then I remembered I had my camera, and asked her if I could take her picture holding it.

Another Mysterious Reject

© Linda Davick

I'm too tired to write, so I thought I would post another reject. Don't ask me why this sketch would be rejected for a "stained glass" coloring book! I thought "Breakdown" would make a smashing stained glass window. Picture it in the Notre Dame Cathedral with the sunlight filtering through.

Multiple Choice

© Linda Davick
If you could spend the rest of your life either:
A. Cooking
or
B. Drawing Bugs
...which would you choose?

I would choose B. But I'm starting to enjoy A once in a while.
p.s. A is what I cooked last night, when I ended up kicking the cabinet.

Bad Mood

I'm not in a very good mood right now. I tried to cook too many things at once (tostadas from Waterfall's blog), and deviled eggs with fresh oregano and olives and paprika added to my old recipe, and I ended up kicking the kitchen drawer again.

Today when we were walking on the beach, I asked Tom this question: "Say that I died. And it was really sad. But then 10 years passed. You wanted to start dating again. Would you want to be romantically involved with someone sweet and nice, or someone who was a wise guy? A girl wise guy, that is."

He said: "Maybe sweet and nice–just for a change."

Upside-down 2

© Linda Davick

Another reject I like.
In case you were absent last week: I just finished a job for a company I love. I had to think of things to draw that looked one way right side up–but when turned upside-down, they had to look like something else. (Any ideas? I liked the assignment so much that I still can't stop thinking about it.)









© Linda Davick

Amazing Art Opening

photos by Linda Davick
Creativity Explored had an opening this evening. The painting above was still there when we left. It's $90 if you want to race down and buy it. Its size: around 3 1/2' x 2'. I wanted it, but the woman in charge had a hard time detaching it from the balcony while the party was going on. As she was struggling with it, Tom happened to walk by Pablo with the painting of the red face under his arm. Pablo waved him down and let him know in no uncertain terms that he had painted it. That did it. Pablo was The Man. I ended up buying the dino-goat from the same artist. That's Pablo holding the painting Tom bought, and signing the dino-goat for me.









Pablo Calderon










e-mail from Aggles: So what do you do w/ art you buy? Do you actually hang it on a wall?

The dino-goat we put up on my studio wall with pushpins and a hammer soon as we got home. It was inexpensive enough that I can change out that piece every few months. The other piece, the red face, is painted on canvas and beautifully matted. It was $50. But I think we'll need to get it framed to hang it. There's a perfect place for it right over Tom's printer; we thought it would work great there–to symbolize the frustration with computer/fax/printer equipment. We really don't have much art–except mine and my friends' and the little piece I bought last time at this gallery. (It's balanced on the radio in the kitchen.) We had met with our accountant yesterday morning (help!!) ...but still, when he asked about charitable contributions, I felt chintzy, because all we contribute is stuff to ARC that we don't want anymore. We don't give any money to a church or anything like that. So I figured this place is my church, and when I go there and let go of money, I can get filled with the spirit, which I did. Not really charity at all; but a good excuse.

$50 Gift Certificate

Two years ago when I got my cell phone, I got a $50 gift certificate for Sharper Image. Today I had a doctor's appointment downtown, so I decided it was time to use the gift certificate before it disintegrated.

But there was nothing at Sharper Image. Nothing. Pillows that astronauts use, huge unwieldy vibrators, CD spinners, remote control dogs that were not cute. I left. After lunch, on the way back to the parking garage, I played the abyss game. I told myself that either I had to use the gift certificate today, or fall into the abyss.

Here's what I ended up with: a 10 piece silicone Flexi-Cake set in a battered box, marked down from $49.95 to $29.95. Then I grabbed 2 Stretchy Centipedes and 3 Puffer Balls out of the toy section so that I would spend almost exactly $50.

But back to the cake set. The box says: Also great for popsicles, ice-cream, and Jell-O!!! But has either of my readers ever really baked using these rubbery things? Do they not melt in a glob at the bottom of your oven?

Happy Birthday, Aggles!

photo by our dad. See what I mean?
They always liked her better.
Aggles is my sister. Three years younger than I am. Right after she's born, my parents bring her home from the hospital and put her in the bassinet. My old bassinet. They had told me when I had a baby sister I'd have somebody to play with. She won't play at all! She just lies there! Obviously shortchanged, when my parents aren't looking I grab one of her tiny fingers and twist it as hard as I can. Then my parents get mad at me.

She isn't so bad anymore. In fact, she's made my life lots easier and fun, and I like her a lot. But she makes sure to live at least 3,000 miles away from me.

Life is Good Sometimes

From Leah Garchik's column on August 11: If you show workers at Casa Sanchez in the Mission that you have a tattoo of their logo, which is a man riding on an ear of corn, you get free food for life. (But you still should leave a tip.)
I'm told by Casa Sanchez that over the years, about 45 people have shown up with the tattoo, but none seem to live too nearby and the restaurant hasn't had to provide all that many meals.

Why not get a tattoo and move to the Mission immediately? I've never eaten at Casa Sanchez, but we buy a quart of their fresh salsa every week. And get this: we spent $176.34 at Safeway last Saturday, and today another $82.56. And that's with the 10% off 60-day promo.

There's only one reason we don't get the tattoo and move to the Mission. It's because we live next door to Chef John. He and Emmy were back tonight, and not only with this (below), but an additional appetizer (crackers with a red pepper dipping sauce) which we ate immediately so I could garner the stamina to take this photo. Somewhere along the line, we must have done something right.

Buggy

Something is buggy about blogspot.com tonight and I can't get it to work properly. Oh well, until tomorrow, here's a bug I drew today. Currently working on bug assignment anyway.


© Linda Davick

Upside-Down

© Linda Davick

I just finished a job for a company I love. I had to think of things to draw that looked one way right side up–but when turned upside-down, they had to look like something else. (Any ideas? I liked the assignment so much that I still can't stop thinking about it.) This was one of my favorite rejects.

Bruschetta Phenomenale

photo by Linda Davick

Guys, you are not going to believe this. I cooked something again. (Remember? I told you that I had the $3 bruschetta with my pal Sal at Puccini & Pinetti?) Today I decided to try making it myself, even though I had a box of 4 frozen Bambino Trader Joe's Pizza Greco in the freezer.

Although I bought all the ingredients at Safeway, it came to a lot more than $3. In fact, our total bill was over $100 (but we did buy a few other groceries not listed below). So maybe you should skip the recipe and just stop by Puccini & Pinetti between 4:00 and 6:00.

• 1 loaf Grace Baking Italian Country Bread
• 2 large heirloom tomatoes, one red, one yellow, chopped
• fresh basil, chopped (handful)
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, pressed
• salt & pepper
• tablespoon olive oil
• some oregano from a jar, one big shake (I didn't have fresh)
• little ball of Italian mozzarella cheese cut into pieces
• parsley
• Ironstone Obsession / 2005 Symphony ($6.99 on sale)

Slice bread. Toast in 375-degree oven.
Mix everything except the cheese and parsley in a bowl.
After 7 minutes, pull the toast out.
Spoon mixture from bowl on toast.
Arrange cheese on top.
Bake 7 more minutes.
Garnish with parsley.
Uncork Ironstone 2005 Symphony; pour.

Slammatocious

photo by
Kate Ledford

My friend Katy recently moved from New York to Limestone, Tennessee. She took this photo at the Greene County Fair. She sent it once, and I lost it along with my hard drive. I've been pleading with her to resend it, and today, finally, there it was in my mailbox.
So if I die here in my seat
At least my blog will be complete.

Dotty

Another inspiring thing about the de Young Museum today: I found this stationery designed by my friend Susan Eslick. (Gift shop on level 1.) The thing at the bottom is a strip of little square stickers. Do you have friends who are more talented than you are? Do you like it? Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't.

Let's Go To Bed.

I love this exhibit. These quilts are at the de Young Museum. They're made by four generations of African American women who live in Alabama. I took the photos below, then I got in trouble. No photos allowed!

Lovely Centerpiece

floral arrangement
by Linda Davick
For your dinner party this weekend, which would you rather use for your centerpiece? The factory-made flowers (above), or the spray of fresh flowers (below) from our garden?
















Me too! FYI: You can find it at Ross Dress for Less on Sloat, in the toy department. From the ello creation system kit; which contains over 100 pieces. Marked down to $3.98.

Beach Find of the Day

photo by Linda Davick

My Pal Sal

Left to Right: Salzini holding up shirt I want, Sally Moto holding up mojito
Everyone remembers My Pal Sal. (Also known as Salzer, Salwood, Salvador–and after last night, Salzini and Sally Moto.) She was in town today. We attended a class together at Puccini & Pinetti, so I didn't feel so guilty about leaving work early. After the wine tasting class, it happened to be Happy Hour. We moved to the bar and had some champagne. Incredibly delicious appetizers can be had for $3 at Puccini & Pinetti between 4:00 and 6:00. We ordered one pizza and one bruschetta. Both were extraordinary, and enough to make a meal.

We left and walked toward the Embarcadero, but cut down 2nd Street to Maya. We felt inexperienced–neither of us had even tasted a mojito in our whole lives. For your information, Happy Hour at Maya lasts until 7:00. We ordered our mojitos, and a double-decker platter of complimentary Mexican snacks appeared. It included 2 baby quesadillas, 2 tiny taquitos, 2 bites of tamale, and what I think was mole sauce on a big round tortilla. When we finished the tortilla, there was still quite a bit of mole sauce left. An overflowing basket of chips was set before us. All in all, enough to make a meal for sure.

When I got home, Tom had picked up Japanese from Day Boat Sushi on Balboa. Only some soup and 2 orders of sushi, but certainly enough to make a meal. I happened to look up between bites of eggplant nigiri, and here's what I saw:









e-mail from Aggles: Is “our pal Sal” Salzee (sp) from Knoxville? What happened w/ the guy w/ the “rug” that she was dating?
Aggles is referring to a man Salwood dated a long time ago. When Sal brought this particular guy over to our house for dinner, she called and warned us not to look at his head when she introduced him. Of course when the time came, our eyes went straight to his hairpiece.
But Aggles, Sal is now married to a great guy–not the one with the rug! His name is Pat. He's cute. He's a geek. He loves Apple computers and is here for the Apple Developers' Conference. This morning he's learning to make widgets. Plus, he's nice.

It's Not My Fault

photo by Linda Davick
Can I help it if Chef John calls us up and says: "Meet me at the back fence?" What am I supposed to say? "No, we're on a diet."? "No, we're vegetarian."? And now I'm fat, but it's worth it.

Did I mention that Chef John is the father of Chef Johnny? Chef Johnny is Executive Chef at Genentech. Last week Chef Johnny prepared lunch for that guy who's been hanging around town–Tony Blair. It goes without saying that Chef John taught Chef Johnny everything he knows. If there's one thing I love, it's a detailed description of food:

e-mail from Chef Johnny to Emmy: We fed Blair and 80 others of his staff. At Blair's table was Art Levinson, CEO of Genentech and 16 other CEO's of biotech firms. The food was peppercorn crusted fillet of beef with poached peaches, ruby port reduction sauce, herbed grilled polenta, summer melange of vegetables, gourmet sandwich skewers with house cured salmon, chicken rojo, turkey with brie/avocado, Italian Hero and a roasted ratatouille sandwich. Each sandwich was cut perfectly into little squares and put on a skewer. The garnish was champagne grapes, apricots, strawberries and figs. Tons of desserts....chocolate covered strawberries, petit fours, cream puffs, fruit tarts, chocolate trilogy cake with three mousses and passion fruit mousse on a bisquit. They enjoyed the food a lot. It was a good time.

A Sweet Deal

photo by Linda Davick
Last time Lawrence went on vacation, he went to Hong Kong. He asked us if we would move his car on street cleaning day. When he got back, he casually mentioned that he was planning to sell his car. We put it on our credit card the next day.

This time Lawrence went to Japan. He asked us if we would check on his house while he was gone. Today he brought this candy over to thank us, and casually mentioned that he was thinking about moving. He hasn't offered to sell us his house yet. That's good, because I don't think we can squeeze it on our credit card.

Seems Like Old Times

photo by Linda Davick
I couldn't believe my eyes. Spots was back on the beach today. (By that I mean Scott was back on the beach today.) We had walked about a quarter-mile, and there he was. Just sitting there, throwing the ball for Spots and her best friend Tipper.

It's been about a year and a half since we would run into Scott and Spots on the beach almost every day. Now Scott's out of the wheel chair and onto crutches. Whenever he wants to make excuses for anything, he refers to himself as a cripple. Whenever he wants to cut through a crowd, he'll say, "Get out of my way! I'm a cripple!" And does he ever look great for a cripple. Tan and muscular. My camera was shy today, but it won't be for long.

Major Accomplishment

photo by Linda Davick; centerpiece by Tom Davick, licensed architect
Those of you who know me well will be stunned. This is the second dish I've cooked in one weekend.

I had lots of eggs left over after making Barbara's low fat muffins, so I decided to make deviled eggs. They're incredibly good, if I do say so myself. Page 220 of The Joy of Cooking explains how to hard-boil an egg. I probably don't need to tell you how to hard-boil an egg, but here's what I mixed together to make the stuffing:

1. Vegenaise (egg free/no cholesterol–important when making an egg-based dish)
2. Mendocino mustard (hot & sweet–the best mustard in the universe)
3. A bit of extra hot horseradish
4. A dash of jalapeno pepper hot sauce
5. Finely chopped sweet pickle
6. Finely chopped sweet onion
7. A little sweet pickle juice
8. Finely chopped parsley
9. Finely chopped basil
10. Salt
11. Egg yolks
note to David: I used Cage Free Eggs

Barbara's Low Fat Muffins

photo by Linda Davick
e-mail from Barbara: Leenda I am walking everyday (well 6 days a week) in the gym though, because it's too hot outside and trying to lose those 10 pounds. I went to Realage.com, to see what my real age is and after the test, they told me I am in fact 48.2 years old... One of the things they recommend for me if I want to become younger, is considering taking a dog...........

Here is the recipe: OATMEAL BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

2 egg whites, slightly beaten
1 cup non fat yoghurt
2 tbsp. butter (you can lower that)
1 1/4 cup unbleached flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour)
1 cup oats
1/2 cup sugar (you can lower that)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (you can leave that off if you want)
1 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line medium muffin pan with paper baking cups. Mix all ingredients except blueberries in medium bowl just until flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy). Fold in blueberries. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake 20 to 25 min. or until golden brown.

If you make 6 muffins and you put the walnuts in them that it's about 377 calories each.

I have a hair appointment at 11.00, speaking about hair.

I didn't get around to making them until today. I doubled the recipe so I could take some to Emmy and Chef John next door. Some observations:

• Since they're so low in fat, don't be afraid to ice and decorate them with abandon.
• I got 9 muffins for every 6 of Barbara's, so each muffin above contains only 248.82 calories.
• If you have a hair appointment, don't forget to turn off the oven.

Why Do I Draw the Things I Do?

I'm such a nice girl. Things like this shouldn't come out of my pen. I know that Tom was reading a Walter Mosley book called Bad Boy Brawly Brown at the time I drew this. And when he would bring the book to bed at night, I'd start singing "Bad Boy Brawly Brown" to the tune of Bad, Bad Leroy Brown, as in:

Bad Boy Brawly Brown
Baddest man in the whole damn town
Badder than old king kong
Meaner than a junkyard dog

He got a custom continental
He got an eldorado too
He got a 32 gun in his pocket for fun
He got a razor in his shoe (then back to the refrain at least 14 times)

Cave Drawing

photo by Linda Davick

They repainted over all the graffiti on the concrete pier that juts out from Judah Street. The very next day, this friendly beast materialized. It just couldn't restrain itself.

Prawns in Hydrochloric Acid*

photo by Linda Davick
We went to West Portal and saw *Scoop this afternoon at 5:00. Fun. But as fun as Manhattan Murder Mystery, which I never remember reading anything at all about? Maybe; maybe not. I think people are just starting to like Woody Allen again, and are raving about every new movie he makes, which they should have been doing all along.

Oh! But you were asking what my favorite Woody Allen movies are. Crimes and Misdemeanors is way up there, along with Annie Hall and Manhattan.

I was in such a good mood when we got home that I decided to go for a jog on the beach. The tide chart said it wouldn't be dark until 9:22. Around 8:15 I was walking up to the boardwalk from the beach, and I saw Tom drive up and park.

He said there had been an earthquake a few minutes earlier, and that he had driven down to try to find me, bearing in mind my ardent and somewhat irrational fear of tsunamis. I hadn't even felt the quake–maybe because I was on sand. But it's true: I dream of tsunamis all the time. I have a great fear of the ocean, along with a great love of the ocean.

e-mail from Aggles: Have you always been fearful of tsunami’s or is this a recent thing ‘cuz of the big Indonesian tsunami?

It's really more a fascination with them. Kind of morbid. Like some people being fascinated by train wrecks/car accidents.

Stop Eating & Start Drawing

© Linda Davick