Day 280: As is my custom, I decided to rent a car for this weekend's road trip to Monterey.  I called up Hertz, and asked to use some of my points.  However, they are running a special for the holiday weekend, so I opted to just pay for it instead.  A full-size car for three days for less than a hundred bucks is a pretty good deal.

"Oooh!  You rented a car!  How fascinating!"  Stick with me, gentle penguinians, this story is about to get crazy.

So I go to pick up the car, and Mrs. Hertz (not her real name) clearly was not ready for me.  I did make the reservation only last night, but generally Hertz doesn't need much lead time to get me what I need, so I was a little worried when she said, "I'm so sorry, Mr. Work!  We've sold out of full-size cars for the weekend.  Um... I'll be right back."  She went out, and I saw her checking on one of the cars in the lot, and then she walked back to the counter.  She was anxiously sucking air through her teeth, like someone who is watching someone else running full-speed into a brick wall.  My anxiety ratcheted up a few notches.

"Would that one be okay?"

Scroll down to see what I got stuck with instead of the full-sized car I asked for...

"Would the 2013 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible be acceptable for your road trip down to Monterey Bay, Mr. Work?"

"...........Yes.  Yes, that will be acceptable."

I decided to keep it in my secure parking space overnight, and I have parked Gus (my venerable Jeep) outside on the street.

We are off in the morning!

Tomorrow, ADVENTURE!!  :)

Day 277: I am now the proud owner of a smartphone!  Specifically, the Motorola RAZR Maxx HD.  If you're wondering why I didn't get an iPhone or a Galaxy, the answer is simple: the RAZR has, hands down and by far, the longest battery life currently on the market.  For a soul who will likely one day go back to spending his days in airports traveling for work, this was my top priority.  Plus, I can write apps for it.  Which I will do just as soon as:

1- I discover anything that it cannot natively do
2 - that there is not already an app for
3 - that I want it to do
4 - and that I can figure out how to make it do.

It's a powerful little monster.  I am certainly guilty of rolling my eyes when my peeps would get involved with their smartphones, but they're really enjoying pointing out that I do it myself now that I have access to ALL OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE at all times. 

Tonight after work we had a company dinner at a local pizza place called Pizza Rock.  It's located in a super-cool district of Sacramento called The Kay (...because it's on K street).  There are a couple of neat fixtures around that I got some shots of.

Cafe Ambrosia.  I just really dig this sign.  I have never actually been inside.  YET!  :)

A couple of neat sculptures outside the Convention Center.  They are fallen icons, and the whole effect is simultaneously majestic and tragic.  I love these pieces.  I recognize the theme of fallen idols is a little tacky in some ways, but I like the scale of them a lot, and it's hard to be upset about fallen false false idols.

Inside Pizza Rock, they have a full-sized, fully lit Semi Tractor above the bar.  For... some reason...

And the ceiling has their take on the Sistine Chapel.  Because Pizza Rock RAWKS!

Also, the pizza is really first rate.  We all got different pies of different styles (Sicilian, American, Classic Italian, etc), and really all of it was amazing.  Two thumbs up!  They also apparently have some pretty nice beers, according to my teammates.

Next door to Pizza Rock is The Dive Bar, which I have heard about but have not yet seen first hand.  Apparently, this is a bar/dance club type place, with actual mermaids in a tank that swim around while you're drinking and dancing.

Note: NOT actual mermaids.

After a pleasant evening of hanging with my work peeps, I walked a few blocks down to the gym and went for late swim in the outdoor (but admittedly heated) pool, then showered and walked the six blocks back to my apartment in the quiet spring evening.

A group of kids was playing basketball on a public court on my way home. I stopped to watch for a while, but did not join in, for a couple of reasons.  Firstly, they didn't ask me to, and though they didn't mind that I was spectating, they didn't speak to me at all.  Secondly, I was easily a solid foot taller than the tallest of them (if I had to take a guess, I'd say they were all ethnically Chinese, and they all had that solid, low-to-the-ground thing going on).  And, of course, I'm terrible at basketball.

They were very good at playing defense against each other, and most shots missed because the shooter was contending with a similarly-sized and -built fireplug in his way.  I did wait around until one of them got a basket (I was starting to worry that it was going to be a zero-zero draw, and who wants to live that life, I ask directly AMERICAN SOCCER TEAM??).

The ball (finally) went in.  There was no celebration, or cheering, or even trash talk.  They just bounced the ball back and started again.  Serious young men, playing a serious game.  Or maybe they were just too tired to cheer for the meager success of one basket in ten going in.  They all know that they're never, ever, ever going to play in the NBA, but they really were working their hearts out on a cool, clear evening, and something about the simplicity of their focus touched me.

In any event, I took my leave, and walked home along the dark and beautiful streets of Sacramento, the sounds of a pounding basketball fading away behind me.

I do love this town.

Tomorrow, ADVENTURE!!  :)

Day 267: SAN FRANCISCO!  The city by the bay!  Frisco, as the locals do not call it!  (Completely irrelevant aside: I have been carrying the notion that San Franciscans hate the term "Frisco" since waaaaaaaaaay before Eddie Izzard observed the same; I actually gleaned it from one of the old assistant editor editions of Marvel Comics' "The New Defenders".  See, Angel lives in a brownstone in San Francisco, and this wanna-be bad-guy dresses up as a frog, and... well, it's not particularly relevant, now, is it?)

Anyway, I have driven down to the foggy shores for the weekend.  I hooked up with my old friend, IK, and together we discussed what we should do around town.

Me: I *really* want to walk around Chinatown.
IK: Um... Would you like to walk up to Coit Tower, atop Telegraph Hill?
Me: No, I *really* want to walk around Chinatown.
IK: How about we go down to Embarcadero and walk out to the pier?
Me: No, I *really* want to walk around Chinatown.
IK: How about we use some of this hotel furniture to start a little fire?  Eh?  ADVENTURE!!
Me: No, I *really* want to walk around Chinatown.
IK: *sigh* Okay.

About an hour later:

Me: Chinatown sucks.
IK: IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII KNOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!

The red lanterns are cool.  The gate is cool.  Oh, actually, here's a couple of pictures of me by the Chinatown gate:

Deep in my heart, I was hoping for the culturally authentic Chinese experience.  At the very least, you know, Triads (Chinese gangsters).  Well dressed young Chinese men with uzis.  I HAVE SEEN THIS IN MOVIES!!

(Note: we did actually see the Dragon Dancer guys, but they were not dancing; they were just walking around with their giant dragon heads, which soun

However, and I cannot overstate this enough, it is not that.  It is a strip of tourist stores.  Now, granted, I was in point of fact a tourist, but I wasn't looking for a miniature license plate with my name on it (just in case you ARE looking for that, there's a display selling them roughly every three feet).  I wasn't looking for a genuine authentic fake poorly made Samurai sword, though those were also available in abundance (China is basically Japan, right?).

Unless China is entirely populated with stores selling cheap souvenirs, this is not at all a little slice of China right here in America, as I had been led to believe.  It's a little slice of South of the Border.  The crappy slice.

*sigh*

We did have really wonderful Chinese food at the world-famous House of Nanking, which really is deservedly famous.  That's something you should check out the next time you're in Frisco.

I am not a native, and I'll call it whatever I want.  So, there. 

Tomorrow, ADVENTURE!!  :)

Day 262: I have nothing special to report today, but I did want to bend your ear for a second.

Work was rough this morning, but it smoothed out as the (very long) day wore on.  I went to the gym after work, and came home to make myself a nice steak with a simple salad (sun-dried tomatoes, feta, bibb lettuce, oil and vinegar.  Perfect!). So, nothing really exciting.

But...

As I was driving to the gym, I just noticed the bright, shining sun, and the crystal blue sky, and the trees and the cars and the world and...

It was just a beautiful day.

Life is a rare and special treat, and it's really amazing when I back up and consider it. 

I was tooling along in my Jeep.  Just 111 years ago, mass production of automobiles was pioneered by a gentleman with the unlikely name of Ransom Olds.  There were estimated to be 500 million cars 1986, which is 84 years after the first production Oldsmobiles (and 72 years after one Henry Ford dramatically expanded how quickly cars could be produced). In 2010, just 26 years later, we've doubled that to over 1 billion cars.

We've conquered the skies in just the last century, and have even gone to the moon (though one does have to wonder why we have yet to colonize the thing by this point).  Good news on the outer space front, though: India is planning a manned moon landing by 2020, and America's NASA is planning an asteroid landing by 2025, and a manned orbit of Mars by 2035.

And all of this information is literally at my fingertips.  I have access to entire history of human knowledge on a device I carry in my pocket.  I can also use it to launch angry birds at legless pigs, but I've always felt it was a little unfair to the pigs.

We've undocked the phone from the wall, and now it's almost unthinkable to go about our day without a cellphone.  And, more than that, I'm frequently mocked for having a cellphone that is so old that it is now available online for only $23; a cellphone is not enough today.  It's now important that I have a smartphone and a dataplan, so that I can always, always, always be available online, in case someone wants to send me a picture of a cat.

And I'm always online anyway, either via my company laptop, or my state laptop, or my own desktop, or my iPod touch (I have my own wifi hotspot which allows the iPod to go online).

With all of this technology, we can keep up with people from high school, connect with other artists anywhere in the world, and get news of anything, happening anywhere, pretty much instantly.  We'll know as soon as the new Pope is selected, for example.  His reign as Pope will begin when he responds, "Accepto" when the Dean of the College of Cardinals asks him, "Do you freely accept your election?", and NOT when he is inaugurated several days later.

Life is full of remarkable little moments, and some of them are just around the corner.  I hope you take the moment, from time to time, and just look around at the world we live in.

It's AMAZING.

Tomorrow, ADVENTURE!!  :)

Note: All facts in this post are from Wikipedia, which should never be cited as a source, but, eh, it's mostly reliable.

Day 261: Oh, Sunday.  You are my favorite day, even when you are an hour shorter than normal.

I decided I was going to enjoy a toasted cheese sandwich (henceforth, "sammich") along with some nice tomato soup, but naturally I couldn't just slap some American singles (ew!) on white bread and cook up a can of condensed soup.  In the first place, I like my cheese sammiches and my soup to be more substantial than that.  More to the point, I get a lot of joy out of the process of a long, slow soup prep.  The anticipation while everything cooks down, and that luxuriant hour as your kitchen smells more and more like heaven... good times!

Tomato Soup:

1 piece of raw bacon, sliced into 1" pieces
5 miniature boiler onions (I used miniature red onions, but cippolini onions would work just as well), diced fine
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 tbsp capers, with juice (I know some people don't like capers, but I love 'em; if you just want the flavor and don't want to get that little caper surprise in the finished soup, you can always strain it before serving)
1 cup red wine
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
2 cups chicken broth
1 large (29 oz) can tomato puree

Put the bacon pieces into the bottom of a medium sized pot, along with a tbsp olive oil if you like.  Cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp.  Remove the bacon pieces and most of the rendered fat, leaving roughly 2 tbsp of bacon fat in the bottom of the pan.  (The bacon itself is not needed for the recipe, so I snacked on it while cooking, but you could always toss them into the soup at the end for a bit of crunchy bacon goodness!).

Toss the onions into the bacon fat, and cook until slightly browned, about five minutes.

Toss the capers and garlic in, and cook for about 1 minute; just enough to add some color to the garlic.

Add the red wine, and deglaze the pot.  Cook over medium low heat for five minutes, or until the wine reduces by about half.

Add oregano, rosemary, and thyme.  Cook for 1 minute.

Add chicken broth, and bring to a boil.  Slowly, and carefully add the tomato puree.  A lot of tomato soup recipes call for a dash of tomato paste here, but I think the base is thick and rich enough as it is. 

Bring to a boil, while stirring frequently, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for an hour.

Cheese Sammich

Two slices of good rye
Enough extra sharp white cheese to cover one layer of sammich, cut to about 1/4" thick
Enough Cotswold cheese (Double Gloucester cheese mixed with onions and chives is called Cotswold) to cover another layer, also 1/4" thick
1 tbsp butter, melted
1 tbsp butter for pan

Put the sammich together, and heat 1 tbsp butter in a skillet that is large enough to accommodate your sammich over medium heat (err to medium low; you don't want the butter to burn). 

Cook over medium (or medium low) for five minutes, or until the bottom of the sammich is browned and crunchy, but not burnt.  I find that it's easiest to check by using a large flat spatula, and lifting up the entire sammich.

When one side is browned, the cheese should be just starting to melt.  Lift the sammich out of the pan, and pour in 1 tbsp of melted butter (I toss it into a mug, and melt it for 30 secs in the microwave).  Flip the sammich, and continue to cook.  After five minutes, the bottom should be nicely browned and the cheese should be melted.  Remove to a plate, and lightly dust the top with garlic powder.

Put the soup into a bowl or cup, and top with finely sliced cheddar and finely diced chives, or even a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche. 

This is a VERY hearty soup, and a solid mug of it, along with the sammich, should fill you up nicely.  I still served it in a bowl, as shown above, because I like to dip my sammich in my soup...  :)

A nice glass of sweet iced tea pairs very well indeed!

Tomorrow, friends, ADVENTURE!! :)

Day 260: What a fun day!  Me and The Gals (tm) toured around the 57th Street Antique Mall, which is really about ten separate antique shops all clustered together.  I really dig antique shops, especially when I find things that remind me of my childhood (no, there is no reason to purchase the classic batmobile model, but it was still cool to see it!).  MH found a great mirror, and a nice beaker (can one have too many beakers??  I ask you!), and EG found some nice decorations for her apartment.  I, tragically, was not able to find the one thing I was looking for (chandelier crystals for my vintage lamp), but a quick internet search later in the day turned them up with no worries.

Then we napped (I am learning to love a good mid-afternoon nap), and we all met up again for dinner and/or gelato at Hot Italian.  G and I got into a good discussion of the best and worst of horror films, while MH and EG talked about girl whatever.

Finally, we retired to R's apartment, to give his little fuzzy man some company (does he want to hang out with the girls, who would love nothing better than to nuzzle him?  No, he wants to sit on the back of my chair and lick my hair... *sigh*).  We all watched the most recent Sherlock Holmes, and decided that it was well-filmed and cool at moments, but the lack of explanation (until the summation) was exasperating, and you could not really tell why anyone was doing anything, most especially Holmes, The climax was good, though it drew so much from "The Final Problem" that I was having to struggle to not spoil the ending.  Reichenbach Falls, you say?  Let me think, where does that show up in the canon Holmes mythology... hmm.... think, think, think...

And it's mentioned, like, a half an hour in.

At any rate, it was a good and fun day, though I did manage to lose my cable for my portable hard-drive somewhere between R's and my apartment.  Fortunately, I can get one online for like 8 bucks, so no big.

Tomorrow, ADVENTURE!!  :)

Day 255: Trivia night!  I had a great pull, because I am advanced in years:

Bonnie Franklin passed away on March 1, due to complications from pancreatic cancer. She is most well known for starring in the television show "One Day At A Time".

What was the name of the actress that played her oldest daughter, Julie?

And, for a bonus point, in what city did they live?

And, for an extra bonus point, which was not part of trivia night, what was the name of the actress who played her other daughter?

I had all three, which made for a pretty awesome evening, as we tied for 5th.

Being old helps!

Tomorrow, ADVENTURE!! :)