goodbye half and half, farewell goat cheese

In the ongoing saga that is my cholesterol, I recently had it tested again. After my stellar results in April, I admittedly loosened up on my diet in the hopes that oatmeal and super doses of omega-3s was enough to counteract my more indulgent eating habits. And just like many with high cholesterol that have gone before me, the results weren't good. They weren't bad either, just not great. 

So my most recent results yielded the following mystifying numbers:

• Total count: 273 (way up from 221)
  
• HDL: 68 (again up from 63 but this is the good cholesterol so that's good)
  
• LDL: 183 (way up from 128, not good)
  
• Ratio: 4.0 (up from 3.6)
  

My new San Francisco doctor tells me: Your LDL is too high but your HDL is equally high and your overall ratio is good at 4.0. (Which basically means I can stay off medication and continue to work on my diet and exercise.)

And as I throw away the dairy products and fatty meats from my refrigerator while making mental plans to stop for some fresh fish at the grocery store, I start to ask myself the question: Would meds be worth it, if I could have half and half in my coffee? But then I remind myself about my non-existent prescription coverage and that buying healthier food is still the more responsible approach. And life goes on...

girl's weekend in SF

My friend Bria came into town to visit this weekend which means lots of fun times! In three short days, we covered a lot of ground. The highlights:

Friday

Dinner at Pomodoro. We had rambled down 24th and decided to eat wherever struck our fancy. We stopped and checked out many menus but ultimately Pomodoro's daily special out front sucked us in. Rigatoni with mushrooms and truffle oil. Yum. Even then, the butternut squash ravioli was what hit it out of the park for me. Great Italian, lots of kids and families at this joint though. I'll probably try to take Suzanne, Peter, and my nephew back there.

We followed dinner with drinks at Bliss Bar so I could confirm what I hoped I already knew - that this is a good place. I actually tried a cocktail this time and quite enjoyed it - Rita's Crush - a tasty mix of tequila, chambord, sour, and soda with a salt rim. Reminiscent of the pomegranate martini I so preferred at Chapel in Seattle.

Saturday

Farmer's Market at Ferry Plaza. We started with brunch at Rose's cafe, then did some grocery shopping and exploring of tents while we waited for my knives to be sharpened. Finished with some gelato which I already knew was very, very good. However, Bria scored with the tastiest flavor yet: Dark chocolate with orange. Very rich but tasted just like those chocolate oranges.

Afternoon at Dolores Park. This place was mobbed with sun-lovers and bbq'ers. We witnessed a rendition of 'happy birthday' by about 100 people - which was an impressive gathering of friends.

Big night out starting with tacos at El Farolito. Cheap, greasy, and arguably the best tacos I've had in a while. Reminded me of the narrow pizza joints my friends and I ended up at in NYC after a night of barring it up - except it had tacos. Cheesy goodness just the same.

Bar tour in search of dancing which we never really found. We did find some decent bars though, each with their own unique atmosphere and selling points.  The tour started at Doc's Clock, a solid neighborhood bar; then to Medjool, recommended as pricey and a meat market with a rooftop bar and proved to be just that. What won me over was the flirty bartender - a recent transplant from Manhattan who gave me a bonus refill. We bypassed the Makeout Room because it didn't fit our desired music genre, then stopped at Bruno's, a multi-room club that probably is supposed to have dancing but no one was for some reason. Last stop was the Elbo Room where Bria and I got some choice photo booth pictures and another round of strong drinks but still no dancing.

Sunday

Tried to go to Lovejoy's Tearoom for breakfast but the wait was too long. Instead we stopped next door at Fattoush, a seemingly normal Middle Eastern restaurant that turned out to be amazing. No wait for seating in the outdoor patio, my seat directly in the sun so I could soak in the rays, and excellent food with fast service.

Loungey cocktail goodness in Noe

My friend Alex was in town so we caught up while testing out the one cocktail lounge near my house on 24th: Bliss Bar. I have to say, it is a nice bar and one I will likely return to again and again when I am hankering for a cocktails. It has the amazing ability to both be swanky lounge with a neighborhood feel. 

No really. I miss the Pro Club.

I will say it for the thousandth and one time - I miss the Pro Club. I mean 24-Hour Fitness costs about as much as my fees for the Microsoft-subsidized Pro Club but other than that, the two are not equal. I didn't so much mind the 24-hour fitness in North Beach, but since moving into my own place, my experience in the Noe and Potrero locations has been less than optimal. Let me explain.

The closest 24-Hour to my new apartment is on Church and 24th street. That's real close and convenient EXCEPT it is a 'fit lite'. The fit lite is this circuit training concept gym. You are strictly timed on each machine, starting with a 7-minute warm-up on a bike or elliptical. Then each of the 25? machines thereafter is 1 minute. A buzzer goes off and everyone switches to the next machine. All the machines have resistance built in so you get it coming and going no matter what you are working out. You can pretty much be in and out in 45 minutes.

I decided to give it a solid try since it was closest but after 4 weeks of barely breaking a sweat and not once feeling muscle soreness, I'm pretty sure the fit lite is too lite for me. I needs me some free weights and at least 45 minutes of cardio 4x per week.

So I've starting driving myself over to 16th and Bryant to a 24-Hour Fitness that definitely has what I need. However, the catch 22 on this place is it is packed all the time. 8AM can't find a bench, 3PM grabbed the last elliptical available of 25, and tonight the kicker - 7PM have to wait 10 minutes, 3 deep in line, to get on an elliptical. Even though my knees were bothering me, I actually considered getting on a treadmill instead. Until I saw the line that was 10 deep to use one that is. Crazy! 

I know that Biggest Loser started this week (yes I'm watching it). And that 24-Hour is having some promotion this week to 'bring a friend in for free' which is probably the reason I had to wait tonight. But oh my do I miss the good old Pro Sports Club, if only for the towel service, spotless facilities, and ability to buzz through my workout on the most amazing equipment and without waiting. Tonight I definitely learned why a premiere club is worth paying for...

taco test #1

I've been quizzing everyone I meet about where the best tacos are in the Mission in preparation for trying out the places myself. No sense wasting my time on the bad places (which means maybe I should be asking people where the worst tacos are so I can avoid those places but oh well).

First stop was with Alexandra who was in town for her dad's birthday. We went to Papalote's on 24th and Valencia. This place has been mentioned by several I've queried and is also ranked highest by Citysearch. 

In short, this place had me at 'mole'. I love mole, so to see there's a mole burrito on the menu means I will be coming back again and again and again. I may someday get around to trying the tacos but my first order here was for the mole burrito. It is in fact delicious and my impression of the food is that it falls on the healthy, non-grease bomb side of the fence. 

As for atmosphere, this place has a funky artsy feel with walls painted a deep red and interesting art on the walls. A stop worthy of regular visits. Luckily it is firmly in the path from the 24th Street BART station to my house.

emergency preparedness part deux

Back in January, my sister assigned me the task of coming up with an emergency plan. Since then we've both moved to different locations in San Francisco and we still don't have a plan. 

However, this week brings reminders and helpful information. A designer that I work with also happens to cohost a quarterly podcast called Taverncast (available on iTunes or here). Their most recent edition focused on disaster preparedness. The podcast included an entertaining walk through of increasingly desperate levels of disaster in a scenario and an excellent interview with Matthew Stein, author of the book When Technology Fails.

I learned that most caterpillars and other colorful bugs are poisonous so don't eat them. I also learned several methods for purifying water and finding various sources of food. This is good stuff and not just for disaster, also for avid hikers who may find themselves stranded. Take a listen or read the book. And next time you see me, ask me if I have a plan. I just might.

why is it so hard to find doctors in SF?

I think it is difficult to find doctors in any city but I'm finding San Francisco to be particularly hard to navigate. Also, the new doctor search has been one of the top tasks I've dreaded since moving to San Francisco. Unfortunately, my aching knees require some medical evaluation so I've started the thankless task of finding medical attention. And since this is such a painful process (finding a doctor not just my knees), I figured I'd just do the search for all my medical needs now. Mostly because I have time this week and might not next week.

What I really need is a physical therapist. But after searching Yelp reviews and cross-referencing them with the provider directory for about 30 minutes and finally reaching a promising-sounding PT to make an appointment, I am introduced to my first wrinkle. California state law requires all PT work to originate from a GP referral. Great. So now I have to find a GP, wait for a GP to diagnose my knees, and then refer me to a PT. My actual insurance plan doesn't require a referral, CA state law does though. Thanks California.

I've left 3 messages with 3 services inquiring about taking new clients and making an appointment. Each service guaranteeing a response within 24-48 hours. Awesome. + 2 days of more knee pain. + 2 weeks until I get in to see the doctor. + 2 more weeks until I can see the physical therapist. That puts any treatment pretty far out. I'll probably be all better by the time I meet with the PT. Is that what they call preventative medicine? Just can't make an appointment until it goes away?

The lesson? Don't put this off until you have a problem, start searching the first week you land in town. Right now I'm trying to get set up with a dentist because my next yearly appointment is about 6 months out. Think that's enough time?

results: penguin cake challenge

The final results on what was billed as the Penguin Playground cake turned out alright. It mostly looks like Candyland and Chutes and Ladders exploded on my cake with a penguin theme. 

I received several compliments on how good it tasted - who doesn't like cake though really?! And Pierson definitely enjoyed telling great grandma and grandpa all about the mama's (his word for penguin) on the cake. He explained about the ones throwing snowballs, jumping rope, and sliding down the slide. And don't forget the seal with a ball on his nose, whale and dolphin in the water.

The party was fun and attended by most of the Hancock clan in the area. They definitely make a point of coming out when Suzanne and Peter host because they are guaranteed to eat well. The menu this time included: Iceburg chop salad, fish sandwiches, polar bear snacks, and a range of penguin snack starters including: cheese, crackers, oysters, clams, pickled mackerel, and shrimp. They really outdid themselves and it was a tasty feast for all. And Pierson walked away with all the toys and loot he could carry.

aaaaahhh rejection

I was feeling pretty low earlier this week regarding my search for a second part time contract.* And it was at that low point that I decided if no one was going to pay me to do some writing, I could at least find some opportunities to expand my portfolio. Pro Bono. For Free. As a Volunteer. 

This idea came to me immediately after I came across a listing on Craiglist for volunteer writers. Why not, I thought to myself. At the very least, you will build your portfolio, feel employed, and might network into a great opportunity. So I clicked on the link and applied.

Here are a couple choice bits of the rejection I received back today:

"We have reviewed your volunteer profile, and while you have a great background, we do not have any project types that fit your experience at this point. We have reached this conclusion because the skills and background indicated in your resume do not appear to fit the narrow constraints of our particular volunteer roles, or because you do not live in the San Francisco Bay Area."

"Due to our inability to provide you with a volunteer opportunity we recommend that you visit [insert other volunteer organizations here]."

So in other words, you just don't fit the profile. It's not you though, it's us.** 

In the world of rejection letters, this one is honestly worded very nicely. And I appreciated the quick turn-around on the big no. I'm a little baffled because they were specifically advertising for writers and I do live in San Francisco but I won't argue. After all, they did refer me to three other organizations who might not put such narrow constraints on those that provide free labor.

* Don't fret, I have since received some phone calls on my resume and a second contract now feels imminent. Phew.

** Some of my closest friends may remember my consternation when I received a similar rejection many years ago from a website that will remain nameless. Ouch, that one still stings a little.

the Penguin Cake challenge

My nephew Pierson turned 2 years last week but the big family to-do is this Saturday. My sister has again offered up an enticing baking challenge - the birthday cake. Building on my Easter Bunny cake success, I am now attempting a Penguin Polar landscape cake of my own design. Seeing as how I just started figuring out logistics yesterday and begin baking tomorrow, we'll see how it turns out. 

The most essential piece of this cake is, of course, the penguins. My nephew LOVES penguins. So I've spent considerable time searching online and in a few choice stores (both toy and specialty baking) in search of penguin figurines to put on the cake. An 8-piece combo pack of 1-inch figures in various stages of fun winter activities is what I had in mind. Unfortunately, I may be the only person in the world searching for these because I have found exactly Zero.

The countdown is on and I'm entering into full panic mode. I decide that I must be able to leverage my learnings from the cupcake decorating class of months past and create a figurine of my own. I grabbed a variety of seemingly useful edibles including: soft black licorice, jelly belly's, Tootsie Rolls, and in a last desperate grab, Nemo fruit snacks (for fish in the sea) and Milano cookies from Pepperidge Farm. And in a turn of luck I came across some cute figurines that might fit into the polar scene and rescue any amateurish penguin crowd I may succeed in molding.

So the cookies, while tasty, are a no go. The chocolate oval shape could make a good penguin body base but are entirely too large. And the cookie is too fragile to cut into an smaller semblance of itself so...munch, munch...moving on...

And the Nemo snacks (also yummy in my tummy) are shaped like fish but do not wowingly look like fish so I'll probably just be saving these for my next pack-lunch.

Fortunately, after some experimentation, and a mounting sugar high, I did manage to form a Tootsie Roll + Jelly Belly combo that looks very promising. Add some white icing on the chest and some eyeballs and I think I have a winner. The licorice might also work but is not as pliable so I'll experiment some more tomorrow as I bake the cake.

Wish me luck...

the spiders have sent reinforcements

Not more spiders no. That would be too easy. Instead, they sent their black ops team: slug and caterpillar. Caught caterpillar cruising through my living room yesterday and then this morning - before my morning coffee no less - out comes slug to say hi. Ack!

Both creatures were safely returned to the outdoors after they promised to never, never return. I'm discovering a definite downside to a ground-level apartment with a secret garden outside my window.