Forgiveness

Why is it easier to forgive someone else than yourself? 

Last night I accidentally spilled some liquid on myself, the couch, and most importantly our old computer.  This computer is on the last legs of it's life and has been for some time now.  If someone else had done this to my computer I wouldn't have been to frustrated.  After all I have apparently had my phone dropped in a tub of water (yet it works), a nice pilsner glass broken, my car rear ended, a bracelet torn off my hand, a favorite book that was part of a boxed set lost, and I'm sure if I keep racking my brain I can come up with some others.  In the moment these were all a big deal and I wasn't happy to lose (or suffer damage) these items.  However, I was quick to realize that they were material things and their loss or damage was not catastrophic.  So I never held any grudge against the responsible parties and it was water under the bridge after a short while.  However, with the computer I was the one at fault and I really held it over my head.  I was frustrated and dwelling on it for the rest of the evening.  The computer was the HyWy's and she even told me that I shouldn't sweat it.  But then it all made sense when I realized that it is so much easier to forgive others, but it's hard to forgive yourself.  I don't know why.

Shout outs

So two of the five people that probably read this blog made a request that they get shout outs AND nicknames. 

We met up with our friends, V-40 and PK da Speak, last week for a belated birthday dinner in the city.  We went to an Indonesian restaurant followed by dessert at high end vegan restaurant.  Whenever we end up at a Indonesian or Malaysian restaurant I flash back to memories of Singapore when my parents introduced me to roti parathas.  At the time I had them enjoyed them and forgot them.  Then I came to the Bay and I was reintroduced.  Oh roti parathas how I love you and how much I have missed you and your dipping sauce. 

Right so something interesting that we found out about through PK da Speak and V-40 was a 'new' old movie,  It was made in 2007, but it's still going through some festivals and having limited releases hence why it's 'new'.  The Pool is a movie similar to Slumdog Millionaire, but there sounds like there is much more to this.  Check it out if it sounds interesting and if we watch it you'll probably see it up here. 

Summer Movie #2: Star Trek

Last weekend the HyWy and I went to see the second of the big summer blockbusters, Star Trek. 

It was a well paced movie that mixed good action, good acting and characters, humor, and a reasonable plot.  The weakest point of the whole movie was the plot, but for whatever reason time travel seems to be JJ Abrams' thing (see Lost).  Outside of the plot though the casting was almost impeccable with actors who managed to channel the "older" versions of themselves without seeming like they were doing a William Shatner or DeForest Kelley impersonations.  It was impressive to see that this was a movie that had the ability to appeal to a wide range of fans (a problem with Watchmen): somewhat longtime Star Trek fans and people who had no clue about Star Trek.  However, my guess from hearing conversations is that the movie misses the mark with the really dedicated Trekkie (or Trekker) fanbase, which was something that was predicted from the beginning.  With such a large budget it was impressive to see some of the larger scale scenes both digitally created (as the Enterprise was being built) and real sets (the engine room in Enterprise).  Overall I think at this point this is the stronger of the two big summer movies I have seen. 

CYA

The acronym says it all and it is everywhere in the modern office.  Cover your ass. 

Currently I'm trying to find out some information based on a hypothetical situation that could likely occur in my near future.  I have never had such a hard time getting answers.  In the ever present landscape of lawsuits, suing, etc. no one wants to give advice or recommendations on a generalized question.  The constant answer is some form of, 'we can't advise you on that, because you might not be using our services and another service provider might have a different policy.'  Amazingly after poking around on the Internet for a while I found a general statement referring to the state regulation of this service on a particular service provider's website.  Anyways the frustrating part about this exercise is that everyone is so concerned with looking out for their "back" that no realizes that by the time I'm in the situation and check with the new provider it will be too late.  It's a catch-22 I guess brought on by the increase in lawsuits, but I would venture to guess that for every 10 lawsuits there are probably 2-3 that are irrational.  So we are screwed over because of 20-30% of the crappy lawsuits affecting the rest of society. 

Summer Movie #1: X-Men Origins: Wolverine

I'm pretty sure that I will be watching all the big summer blockbusters except for a select few (Angels & Demons).  That said I thought it would be worthwhile to write my thoughts on each of them after I see them so I can look back on it at the end of the summer.

The first big movie of the summer was X-Men Origins: Wolverine.  This was a good way to start off the summer season, because it throws us right into what a summer movie is all about: a huge budget, action, special effects, and a pretty thin plot.  I don't have very high expectations for a high quality movie when I go to see the summer blockbusters and this hit about right where I would have expected.  I expected a little more from the X-Men franchise in terms of plot, but this movie was not made by the same team that brought us the rest of the movies.  So the plot was weak, but that was fine.  I enjoyed the action sequences and I liked that Gambit's character was finally introduced into the series.  They worked very hard to tie the whole story back to where the first X-Men movie picks up and they managed that for the most part.  I do wish that they were able to spend less time trying to make it fit neatly to the beginning of the first X-Men movie and more time on Wolverine's life prior to X-Men.  Overall this was a middle of the road summer movie that was mostly held up by it's action and special effects.

Kamikaze Heart

The HyWy, a friend, and I went to the circus last night.  I know the images that conjure up in people's head when one says the word circus: a big tent, elephants, clowns, etc.  This wasn't quite that kind of circus.  It was closer to Cirque de Soleil than it was to Ringling Brothers.  Really though it was something entirely different.  This was City Circus' Kamikaze Heart.  There was a two person live precussion band, there were breakdancers, there was clown type entertainment (not clowns for those of you who dislike clowns), there were acrobats, and then there were aerial acrobats (that's what I decided to call them, because they use rope or scarves to do amazing acrobatic stuff). 

There was a sense of a story that went along with the show and in typical San Francisco fashion it was part fantasy, hearts flying to the moon, and part reality, boy falls in love with grantwriter.  The story was a bit strange and hard to follow, but I didn't need the story at all.  The performers were had my attention the whole night.  The performers ranged in age from about 10 to 30.  I remember seeing Cirque de Soleil as a kid and being fascinated by the things people did.  At the time I thought it was because I was a kid, but last night City Circus was certainly able to recapture that sense of amazement.  The performers that blew me away the most were the aerial acrobats that would do things with ropes, hoops, and scarves that I can't even begin to convey here.  There was also this inherent joy on all their faces that showed how much they loved doing this.  It was particularly evident in the face of the youngest castmember, an acrobat.  Kamikaze Heart is in it's second weekend of performances and you could still see the excitement just overflowing from this young girl.  As if all the performers weren't enough the music was wonderful.  Part of the soundtrack was prerecorded original pieces, part were mainstream songs that must have been licensed, and part were live pieces.  The website promised beatboxing, which was so seamlessly integrated into the soundtrack that I had to think just to pick out the parts.  The reason the percussion duo was so great was because they got to interact on occasion with the performers.  I also can't remember if I have ever seen breakdancing performed to live music, which in a way reminded me of classical Indian dancing accompanying classical music. 

Overall I highly recommend this circus if for no other reason than to remember the awe of seeing something really cool as a child.  The tickets were 17 bucks total for unreserved general admission seats and the theater is the right size so that there are no bad seats. 

36 hrs in Oakland

So the New York Times did a piece on how to spend 36 hrs in Oakland.  I disagree with them on several of their recommendations so I'm writing my own 36 hrs in Oakland.  I'm removing anything I disagree with or have not done, because I can't recommend stuff that I haven't done myself.

Friday 5pm
A Sidebar beside the Lake
A new spot just opened on Lake Merritt, Sidebar, on the Lakeshore side.  It's a pretty chill bar/restaurant with well priced food and very good cocktails.  I think it would be a good place to start an evening, close out a long week, or somewhere to go after getting off a flight.  All the cocktails on the menu have a locavore version (made with local ingredients and alcohols) and the classic version (made the traditional way with the typical ingredients). 

6pm
Shouro to get you
Who knew that Telegraph Ave in Oakland is a hot bed of East African cuisine?  Well go to Cafe Colucci at Telegraph and Alcatraz to get a good introduction into Ethopian food.  I love this place so much that I can't bring myself to go somewhere else.  The food is eaten communely (ie everyone eating with their hands out of one plate) so it makes for an interesting experience for people not comfortable eating with their hands.  The vegetable plate, shouro, and mushroom tibs are our favorite.  After talking with some Ethiopian friends in Atlanta they were so excited to hear that we were able to try vegetarian Ethiopian food they wanted to come out and try it themselves.  Don't miss out on the anjeera (the bread you eat with the food) especially the one that the food is served on, because it soaks up all the goodness and finishing off with that is great.  They also have some wonderful honeywine.

7:30pm
Movies and music
The Grand Lake movie theater is right off of Lake Merritt and is an amazingly well kept old theater.  You can catch first run movies as well as occasional classics.  Alternatively there is the Paramount, which regularly shows classics such as North by Northwest and also has concerts.  Movies at the Paramount are a great experience complete with an organ player, a cartoon or two, a newsreel, and a raffle.  The Paramount is justifiably receiving stiff competition from the recently renovated Fox Theater, but hopefully both theaters will continue to thrive. 

Saturday 10am
Aunt Mary's cookin'
Not your typical breakfast joint with standard omlettes and pancakes Aunt Mary's puts a good twist on their food.  There are standards such as the Cajun french toast soaked in a whiskey custard sauce and Migas, but when we went there was a great corn bread encrusted frittata.  The space is very big and roomy, which means the wait shouldn't be too long and if it is there is a nice sitting area with books for the kids.  Sitting at the counter we were engaged in watching the chefs cooking we didn't even realize it had been a bit of a wait for the food.

12:00pm
View the port from Portview
Portview Park and Middle Harbor Park are two of the best views of San Francisco and both underappreciated parks.  The perfect place to fly a kite with a strong wind coming off of the Bay, but on a sunny weekend the ideal place to see the port in action. 

2:00pm
Sandwich and the Redwoods
Stop off at Genova Delicatessen to grab a sandwich before heading off to the Redwood Regional Park for some hiking.  There are some great trails and views from up in the hills.  If you take a more meandering route to get to the park you might be able to drive through the Oakland hills stopping to ogle at some amazing homes.  You can see the very obvious line of where the 1991 Oakland hills fire stopped, because some of the houses look considerably bigger and newer than their neighbors. 

6:00pm
Dr. Comics and Mr. Games or Walden Pond
On the way back from the hills stop off at either Dr. Comics and Mr. Games or Walden Pond to indulge your inner fanboy by discussing endlessly discussing comics at Dr. Comics or gaze at the often strange titles on display in the window at Walden Pond. 

8:00pm
Stars before Dinner
With the late lunch it might be a bit early for dinner so if the night sky is clear then head back to the hills to the Chabot Space Science Center.  There are three telescopes available for free viewing on clear nights.  Two of the scopes are the original ones from the mid 1900s and have no machine control (ie everything is done by hand).  Outside there are many amateur astronomers who set up their personal telescopes and offer to let others view. 

9:30pm
Marzano
Newly opened in the Glenview District above Lake Merritt is Marzano.  A slightly cramped fit, but wonderful pizza restaurant.  The pizzas are cooked in a brick oven and when they come out hot are just perfect.  They are the right size for two people so that a soup as the side will make an ideal dinner.  The cocktails are also well thought out and have very clean refreshing flavors. 

11:00pm
Get Trapped
The ideal beer bar is the Trappist.  A draft list that typically has 15 beers on it many of which don't look familiar and the bottle list is even more extensive.  Don't go here looking for anything you are used to, but your unfamiliarity will be greeted with open arms as they will offer tastes of beers.  Be careful with the beers though, because many are high percentage alcohol and will hit you hard and fast. 

Sunday 10:00am
Farm Fresh on the Bay
On a nice Sunday morning nothing beats strolling along the waterfront while perusing farm fresh produce at the Jack London Farmer's Market.  Eat at the Farmer's Market or get fat with the Fat Lady.  The Fat Lady is particularly fun during Halloween and Christmas as they really decorate the space up well and make it better and better every year. 


 

Welcome to 30...the new 20?

Laying here on the couch on the morning of my 30th birthday I don't feel any different.  My fear that magically at midnight last night I would suddenly be beset with pains and ailments where there were none was proven wrong:).  This birthday has been one of reflection and contemplation.  Unfortunately a byproduct of this reflection is that I don't entirely want to do anything, which is a problem for the HyWy, friends, and other well wishers.  All week I have been fielding questions.  What are you going to do?  Are you going anywhere?  It's not that I'm not happy for by birthday, but it's just that I feel like some of the things we have done in the past restaurants, bars, clubs, etc. is boring.  Sure I want to see friends, but more importantly I have been wanting to consider what this means for me.  Am I where I want to be?  What changes do I need to make in my life to push or challenge me?  How can I achieve greater happiness on a daily basis?  Am I so caught in a routine that I am blissfully complacent as I watch birthdays start to roll by?  I told the HyWy that I feel like the celebrations began several months ago as we have been taking a series of short regional trips.  I don't believe that the celebration begins and ends today.  I read a quote today that said 30 is 365 days of self discovery and that one is not truly a thirtysomething until they turn 31.  Here's to the next decade and may it better than the last. 

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