Ok, clearly I have been remiss in keeping up to date with this blog. I've been a bit sick, a bit busy writing other stuff, and a lot lazy on this. The good news, however, is that my challenge is still going strong. Or at least, still going. I have not failed yet! So, I was thinking, maybe the best thing to do would be to list a few things that I've done in the last couple of weeks, draw a line under it, say I'm up to date, and carry on like that. Right? Right. Well, it's not as if you have a choice. Unless you want to stop reading. Wait, wait, no. Come back!
Alright, so. Lately, I have mostly been...
Going to our local pool. I'm terrible at swimming. I didn't last long, but others were slower than me. And I didn't drown!
Drunkenly going on the swings in the park. This made me feel sick.
Translating articles / writing applications in French. I love lesinrock.com
Signing up at a couple of new job agencies. Still no job, though
Going to the Dovre club. It's actually kinda great and not full of idiotholes.
Checking out a local book fair in a school. I found some great books.
Drinking Coffee in Cafe Trieste. They asked me if I wanted milk in my espresso??
Sorta laughing at comedy at the punchline. Super nice people who worked there, mind
Attending a skate punk party in someone's backyard. It was very highlarious.
Playing scrabbles for like, four hours in Bean There. They have lots of types of tea
Joining a cricket team. Hell yes. I'm pretty thrilled about this.
Sipping tea in a mediterranean cafe in Palo Alto.
Uh, probably some other stuff which isn't quite as super interesting all the time.
Anyway. There you go. I'm going to get back to being prompt now. And hopefully get a job, yes?
yes.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Day 113; Sunday, 6th June
Every so often around the city there's an event called 'Sunday Streets'. Not 'Saturday Streets', as I tried to tell my roommate. The streets are closed off to cars, so people can walk or ride across the whole of the road. Normally it's in Golden Gate Park, or up by the embarcadero. This time, however, it was in the mission, spanning 24th st from Bryant up to Valencia, and then up Valencia to 16th street.
So, I went for a walk around. I walked up the middle of 24th street, and then back down again. It was great. It was wonderful to see so many families around, and kids on bikes (wearing helmets!). The stores along the road seemed to be doing pretty good business, as well. I wonder what would happen if this were to be made a weekly affair. There have been on / off rumours about market street being converted to a pedestrian only route (this would be amazing, incidentally), but so many people are wedded to their cars, so I wonder....
Anyway. It was a pretty incredible day. I had some creme fraiche ice cream. It was revelatory.
Enjoyment: +1
Newness: x1
Total: +1
So, I went for a walk around. I walked up the middle of 24th street, and then back down again. It was great. It was wonderful to see so many families around, and kids on bikes (wearing helmets!). The stores along the road seemed to be doing pretty good business, as well. I wonder what would happen if this were to be made a weekly affair. There have been on / off rumours about market street being converted to a pedestrian only route (this would be amazing, incidentally), but so many people are wedded to their cars, so I wonder....
Anyway. It was a pretty incredible day. I had some creme fraiche ice cream. It was revelatory.
Enjoyment: +1
Newness: x1
Total: +1
Day 112; Saturday, 6th June
As I mentioned the other day, it's pretty difficult to find decent Indian food in San Francisco. However, at the farmers' market there's a stall that sells various chutneys, popadoms and naan breads. I had a little money left over from buying vegetables, and so on, so I figured I'd dive in. I got a jalepeno chutney (actually, on second thoughts, this doesn't sound especially Indian. Presumably, a different chili would be used. Yes, let's go with that.), a packet of garlic naan and some caraway popadoms. The naan was not good; it was heavy, dry, and a little unpleasant. I guess maybe it's the sort of thing that you do need a proper oven for. The popodoms, on the other hand, were a revelation; I was a little concerned that I wouldn't be able to cook them properly, but I just heated them up one at a time in a dry frying pan. They even do the little bubbling thing!
And the Chutney, yeah, it was pretty good too. Hot, savory, spicey... I kinda wish I'd got the lime pickle. But maybe next time, huh.
Enjoyment: +1
Newness: x1
Total: +1
And the Chutney, yeah, it was pretty good too. Hot, savory, spicey... I kinda wish I'd got the lime pickle. But maybe next time, huh.
Enjoyment: +1
Newness: x1
Total: +1
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Day 111; Friday, 5th June
Just out of interest, what's happening to this year? How is it like, a third of the year round from my birthday? Weird. Anyway, as you know, I like to go to a baseball game, now and then. I was all set to potter around at home, possibly huming to myself, or pretending to be a trumpet (don't deny it; you totally do this when you're in the house by yourself). My plans changed, however, when I got a call from a friend saying he had two tickets to the baseball. Forty Dollar tickets. FOR FREE.
Clearly, time to go out.
And here's the exciting part; it was time to taste, finally, the beer that started this challenge. I'd like to call it challenge beer, but my friend, he has other ideas. It was, it's fair to say, a little sweet. We may well have added the wrong amount of sugar. As such, it was also very, very fizzy. However, it wasn't undrinkable, even if it's not something you'd be able to consume too much of without your stomach exploding, to possibly comic effect.
Overall, though, not bad for a first try.
Enjoyment: +1
Newness: x1
Total: +1
Clearly, time to go out.
And here's the exciting part; it was time to taste, finally, the beer that started this challenge. I'd like to call it challenge beer, but my friend, he has other ideas. It was, it's fair to say, a little sweet. We may well have added the wrong amount of sugar. As such, it was also very, very fizzy. However, it wasn't undrinkable, even if it's not something you'd be able to consume too much of without your stomach exploding, to possibly comic effect.
Overall, though, not bad for a first try.
Enjoyment: +1
Newness: x1
Total: +1
Day 110; Thursday, 4th June
As I mentioned a lonnnnnnnng time ago, one of the things I plan on doing this year is painting a self portrait. Clearly, this appeals to my ego both in terms of my pretending to be an artist and, obviously, I get to paint myself. Oh, vanity. This clearly isn't going to happen until I make a little bit more money, however, and can afford some materials and stuff.
Today, however, I wandered over to the Precita Eyes gallery and art supply store. It was open, for a change (this is an achievment, in itself; it seems like everything in Bernal Heights just opens as and when the hell they feel like). However, looks like there were some wires crossed; the Bernal Heights Precita Eyes is aimed at children, so I got some odd looks when I got in, it's fair to say. But, I picked up a couple of fliers and had a wander around, trying to avoid looking like some sort of weird sex criminal.
And then left hastily.
Enjoyment: 0
Newness: x1
Total: 0
Today, however, I wandered over to the Precita Eyes gallery and art supply store. It was open, for a change (this is an achievment, in itself; it seems like everything in Bernal Heights just opens as and when the hell they feel like). However, looks like there were some wires crossed; the Bernal Heights Precita Eyes is aimed at children, so I got some odd looks when I got in, it's fair to say. But, I picked up a couple of fliers and had a wander around, trying to avoid looking like some sort of weird sex criminal.
And then left hastily.
Enjoyment: 0
Newness: x1
Total: 0
Day 109; Wednesday, 3rd June
So, I guess this forms a pair with Monday's entry. A sort of compare and contrast excercise, if you will. There's another new coffee shop on 24th st. Rather than having a silly pretendo European name, it's just called 'King of Coffee'. What seems to have happened is this; there used to be a store that sold plants, and the stuff. It was rather nice and disorganised, like you were walking into a forest and just pulling out some plants. However, I never once saw anyone buy anything.
So, it looks like Mr King of Coffee bought the place, plants included, and put a counter in there. And some benches chairs and tables. But not too many. The overall effect is a little like taking tea in a jungle.
This is a good thing. Plus, the guy who works there is super friendly. He keeps trying to give me more coffee. I worry for this place, though; there's another minimalist hipster coffee place a few doors down, where the moustachioed ironists hang out on the street sipping their week coffee. And that's the good thing abour Mr King; he makes it nice and strong. And the Turkish stuff he's got? Pretty darn good. If I could afford to buy coffee every day rather than making my own, I'd be here every morning.
Enjoyment +2
Newness: x1
Total: +2
So, it looks like Mr King of Coffee bought the place, plants included, and put a counter in there. And some benches chairs and tables. But not too many. The overall effect is a little like taking tea in a jungle.
This is a good thing. Plus, the guy who works there is super friendly. He keeps trying to give me more coffee. I worry for this place, though; there's another minimalist hipster coffee place a few doors down, where the moustachioed ironists hang out on the street sipping their week coffee. And that's the good thing abour Mr King; he makes it nice and strong. And the Turkish stuff he's got? Pretty darn good. If I could afford to buy coffee every day rather than making my own, I'd be here every morning.
Enjoyment +2
Newness: x1
Total: +2
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Day 108; Tuesday, 2nd June
Still in a bit of a daze. This challenge would have been a lot easier when I was twenty five, that's for sure. But then, I probably wouldn't have bothered doing it then. Anyway, After spanish class I had to get something to eat.
I was riding down 16th street on my way home. I used to live there, and when I did, I always went to Pakwan Indian restaurant if I fancied some Indian food. It's fine - it's not terribly hot, but quite well spiced, and the naan breads are pretty good. There is another Indian restaurant along the street, too, called Alhamra, and this is where I went to get dinner. Like Pakwan, and indeed, almost every other Indian restaurant I've been to in this town, it suffers from a lack of spicing. I like Indian food hot. HOT. I don't get what the problem is, either; there's plenty of mexican and thai and chinese restaurants that don't stint on the chilli. Oh well.
Enjoyment: 0
Newness: x1
Total: 0
I was riding down 16th street on my way home. I used to live there, and when I did, I always went to Pakwan Indian restaurant if I fancied some Indian food. It's fine - it's not terribly hot, but quite well spiced, and the naan breads are pretty good. There is another Indian restaurant along the street, too, called Alhamra, and this is where I went to get dinner. Like Pakwan, and indeed, almost every other Indian restaurant I've been to in this town, it suffers from a lack of spicing. I like Indian food hot. HOT. I don't get what the problem is, either; there's plenty of mexican and thai and chinese restaurants that don't stint on the chilli. Oh well.
Enjoyment: 0
Newness: x1
Total: 0
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
