Spotted on the San Francisco/Sausalito Ferry

Think: Princess Bride

Surprise Attack!

Sidewalk Suture

Everytime I walk over these warning marks I think of a wound that has
been sutured up.

Winter in New York

Diligence

A sign in Chinatown outside of my favorite bakery.

Ritual of Duty and Devotion

We were at the de Young today for the Yves Saint Laurent Retrospective (a good show and a great collection of his work) when we happened upon the sweetest scene. We were on our way to the gift shop when we passed a window and noticed a pigeon waddle by. He had a leaf in his mouth and was hastily heading in our direction. At his destination? Another pigeon nestled amongst a spread of leaves each of which had already made the trek from the corner of the courtyard in the beak of it's proud courier. We watched as he fulfilled his duty with dogged determination -- waddling around, tossing aside everything except the best leaves (nothing torn or mangled made the cut), and returning with his find to the side of his truest mate. Each leaf a representation of the relationship between the two birds. Sure, I may be romanticising things a bit but with all of the drama that we fill our lives with on a daily basis, isn't it nice to be reminded of how simple true devotion can be?

Where were you on this day?

Watching the live CNN broadcast on the big screen at work!

Fort Funston

This weekend we took Baz to Fort Funston Beach to stretch his legs. If
you have a dog in the bay area, this beach is tops.

Rituals of Hope

I was walking around my neighborhood the other day and noticed this curious site of 2 clubs on one steering wheel. It made me think of the rituals individuals often have that realistically have no functional purpose (if someone can get through one of those clubs, they can probably get through the second) but which we do to give us a feeling -- a sense of security, togetherness, etc. At the end of the day, these rituals represent a hope -- a hope that 2 clubs will keep your car from being stolen, a hope that leaving the light on will keep your home safe.

What rituals do you have that help give you hope?

Oh So Scholarly

Homemade gifts are a mix of extreme emotions. You either hate 'em or love 'em. Well, this year, I got one and I love it so much, I had to write about it. My good friend, Robert, made it for me and I've worn it everyday this week. It's called a Scholar (half scarf, half collar..."I'm a mog -- half man...I digress). It's warm without being bulky and handmade without being crafty. Plus, with a name like that, I'm pretty dang sure it makes you smarter!

Stay tuned for my own version...The Head Nest. (Bri is currently testing it for safety...spontaneous strangulation, combustion, and the like.)

Hooray for handmade!

Change of scenery

There was something up with my normal Muni today so I hopped on the
surface car and am enjoying a nice change of scenery. It's a welcome
change from the usual squashed-under-some-tall-guys-armpit routine.

Testing Mobile Blogging

No...not from the beautiful trails of Mammoth Mountain. I just thought
this was a great photo from my recent trip there. I swished and swooped
down the slopes -- trying my hand (feet, rather) at snowboarding and
reacquainting myself with skiing. It was a great trip...more photos
and thoughts tk.

Happy new year!

Creating a Connoisseur

There was a great article in the NYT Dining & Wine section yesterday about a wine connoisseur in Japan who is driving major decisions of the wine industry there and in other parts of Asia. The only catch is that he is the creation of a brother and sister Manga team.

Product placement is nothing new in the entertainment industry but Let Gouttes de Dieu takes the reader on a journey of learning about wine through the experiences of its main character. So, as he learns about a new wine family, so does the reader who is then compelled to partake in that same experience in real time. As an example, Burgundy had almost dropped off the map in Japan until the comic raved about it and suddenly hotels were scrambling to keep up with the demand.

I'm intrigued by the use of narrative, education, and the new-found factors that contribute to success in the market.

Mobile Canvas

Driving across the Bay Bridge one day, we spotted the vehicle below. It's covered with a 3-dimensional city which is a work in progress (some of the buildings are still unpainted). I'm not sure how "legal" it is (insert visual of a miniature skyscraper lodged into the windshield of a nearby vehicle), but it's neat to think of the different ways you can create a mobile canvas. It also makes me wonder what inspires this type of dedicated creativity?

Merci Switzerland!

Recently I was lucky enough to be sent to Switzerland on business and when I wasn't working I made sure that I was either eating or walking around looking for something to eat. We stayed in Neuchatel and took a day trip to Geneve. Their appreciation for good design and delightful food was evident in the thoughtful execution of everything from a fisherman's shed to a child's slide. It made me wonder where our sense of style and our appreciation for beauty have gone? I wish the words "thoughtful" and "delightful" sprang to my mind as often as they did in Switzerland.

Though I didn't take many photos of all of the food that ended up in my belly, I did take lots of the local scenery and simple beauty that surrounded me. Enjoy!

These are boat sheds next to the docks that housed local resident's sailboats. Such a simple way to add color to a landscape and turn an otherwise boring eyesore (think of those plastic sheds from Home Depot...ACK!) into a beautiful element.

The water at the docks (and everywhere else for that matter) was so clear. The plant life living beneath the glassy surface of the water was beautiful...in a spooky kind of way.

For those of you who know me, you know that I'm not a chocolate person. Dee has always been the one in the family who loves the stuff but let me tell you...Swiss chocolate has ruined me for life! Oh creamy goodness, how I miss thee.

(drooling...)

Pantone cups at a design store in Geneve (we must have walked into about 3 or 4 of them within a 2 mile radius). My favorite is the coffee series located in the back.

A local fishing shed in Neuchatel is made more elegant by just adding some wood panels to redefine (not cover) the metal and fiberglass siding underneath.

The front entrance of the same fishery.

Woolly Mammoth slides at a playground in Neuchatel sans metal bars ;)

Almost every window has a form of shutter in Switzerland each having their own characteristics and displaying their wear with pride.

Some local art on the walls of an underpass in Neuchatel.

The window frame of a jeweler displays hand-painted diagrams of the tools of the trade.

An olive oil chandelier in Geneve.

Yummy pizza served on a wooden board. Look at how thin that crust is!