I'm sure many of you have heard of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series of books. I love them. But my love didn't come from actually reading the novels. I could never get through the writing. They would go off on a tangent so much that I was lost by page two.
My interest comes from the audio books by Simon and Schuster. They're not the typical audio books on the market today where one person reenacts the entire book. The two tapes that I have sound more like full cast productions, complete with sound effects and background score. Acted out on tape, I understood the journey of seeking out 'the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything'.
Tonight, full of anticipation, and my hubby in tow, we went to see the movie version of the first Hitchhiker book. I read reviews about it beforehand and it was either you would love it, or you would hate it. I don't know what I feel about this movie. There definitely isn't any love, but I didn't hate it either.
It followed what I remembered from my tapes for the most part, but there was an entire section that I never knew about. And since I didn't actually read the book, I don't know if that was just cut out of the audio version. I believe I have the book in a box somewhere, so I'll have to dig it up now and verify if that whole scene really exists. Maybe this time, the book will make more sense to me.
So, over all, I was slightly disappointed in the movie, but it was a nice attempt in bringing Douglas Adams' book to life. For me, I should've waited for the video, but the pretzel dippers I had tonight weren't bad.
Saturday, April 30, 2005
Bistro Chapeau!
So, we spent our anniversary evening with my in-laws. The next evening, we celebrated with my parents at this wonderful little neighborhood bistro called Chapeau!. "Chapeau!" Chapeau without the '!' means hat. But with the '!' means WOW. And the food there is definitely WOW!
My hubby and I had passed by many times on our evening walks. One time, we stopped to look at their menu in the window. The owner, Phillipe Gardelle, came right out with a huge smile and open arms. He made us feel like we were old friends, and we were just passing by! So, we made it a point to eat there one night - and it was fantastic! Funny thing is, neither one of us remembers exactly what we had that night, but we both just know it was fabulous.
So, for our anniversary, my parents and grandma wanted to take us out. Chapeau! became a natural choice. As we were being seated, Phillipe came out of the kitchen, again with a beautiful smile, and greeted everyone in the restaurant by stopping at each table, and shaking everyone's hand. Very welcoming. The food, again, was excellent. I had the cassoulet and my hubby had the lamb shank. There was also quail with ox tail and sauteed ling cod. My hubby also tried their 'fish taster' of the night, and that was an excellent seared scallope over risotto.
Other tables ordered their special of the evening. Prime rib, with four sauces, served tableside. As we watched the presentation, Phillipe would gently carve each slice of the meat. Then he would place them, slice by slice, onto the plate. He took such care in laying out each slice, you could tell he really loves his work - and wanted to present each plate with perfection. After the meat was placed, he and his wife, Ellen, would garnish it and complete the work of art. Of course, it sounds dramatic, but it only took few minutes, and you could see from the faces of the diners (or as Phillipe would prefer, 'his guests') as the plate was being placed in front of them, they already knew how delicious their meal was going to be.
OK - back to our own meal. For dessert, we had creme brulee, warm chocolate cake with rum raisin ice cream, a lemon tart, and the best (surprisingly) was the chilled orange soup. Sounds gross, but trust me, it is liquid heaven. Picture a beautiful orange liquid floating on top of a green base liquid in a martini glass. There were small slices of orange in there as well. I have never tasted anything like it. The orange was, of course, orange juice - but it was the sweetest orange you could ever imagine. The green turned out to be mint. Mixed together... liquid heaven.
As we left, Phillipe came out with us and gave us each a personal farewell. It was a wonderful evening. So, if you're ever in San Francisco, and happen to be in the vicnity of Clement St, between 14th and 15th Avenue... stop by Chapeau! and get a taste of France at its finest and feel at home.
My hubby and I had passed by many times on our evening walks. One time, we stopped to look at their menu in the window. The owner, Phillipe Gardelle, came right out with a huge smile and open arms. He made us feel like we were old friends, and we were just passing by! So, we made it a point to eat there one night - and it was fantastic! Funny thing is, neither one of us remembers exactly what we had that night, but we both just know it was fabulous.
So, for our anniversary, my parents and grandma wanted to take us out. Chapeau! became a natural choice. As we were being seated, Phillipe came out of the kitchen, again with a beautiful smile, and greeted everyone in the restaurant by stopping at each table, and shaking everyone's hand. Very welcoming. The food, again, was excellent. I had the cassoulet and my hubby had the lamb shank. There was also quail with ox tail and sauteed ling cod. My hubby also tried their 'fish taster' of the night, and that was an excellent seared scallope over risotto.
Other tables ordered their special of the evening. Prime rib, with four sauces, served tableside. As we watched the presentation, Phillipe would gently carve each slice of the meat. Then he would place them, slice by slice, onto the plate. He took such care in laying out each slice, you could tell he really loves his work - and wanted to present each plate with perfection. After the meat was placed, he and his wife, Ellen, would garnish it and complete the work of art. Of course, it sounds dramatic, but it only took few minutes, and you could see from the faces of the diners (or as Phillipe would prefer, 'his guests') as the plate was being placed in front of them, they already knew how delicious their meal was going to be.
OK - back to our own meal. For dessert, we had creme brulee, warm chocolate cake with rum raisin ice cream, a lemon tart, and the best (surprisingly) was the chilled orange soup. Sounds gross, but trust me, it is liquid heaven. Picture a beautiful orange liquid floating on top of a green base liquid in a martini glass. There were small slices of orange in there as well. I have never tasted anything like it. The orange was, of course, orange juice - but it was the sweetest orange you could ever imagine. The green turned out to be mint. Mixed together... liquid heaven.
As we left, Phillipe came out with us and gave us each a personal farewell. It was a wonderful evening. So, if you're ever in San Francisco, and happen to be in the vicnity of Clement St, between 14th and 15th Avenue... stop by Chapeau! and get a taste of France at its finest and feel at home.
Celebrity Watch
My hubby and I wanted to do something for ourselves for our anniversary. Dinner has and was going to be covered by our families, so we decided to have a nice lunch. The Rotunda at Neiman Marcus has always been one of my favorite restaurants. I've been going there with my parents for years. When I got married, of course, the lunches became fewer, and my husband doesn't believe in spending over $20 per person for lunch. I had never thought about how much it really was. When I was younger, my parents always paid. So, now that we're footing our own bills, The Rotunda is our 'special occasion' place.
So, yesterday, we decided to have a special lunch and headed over to The Rotunda. I had the lobster club - my favorite. Huge chunks of fresh lobster with tomatoes and orange peppers served club sandwich style. If you ever go there, I highly recommend it. Their short ribs special is also fabulous. The meat is so tender, it literally melts in your mouth. But yesterday, I had to have the lobster club.
While we were leaving the restaurant, my hubby points out that Emerald Yeh is sitting in one of the booths. Emerald was one of the local news reporters for San Francisco TV. I haven't seen her in a while, but then again, I usually read CNN.com - so I really don't know who is reporting the news on TV anymore.
We had a pleasant afternoon walking around downtown San Francisco. I bought a new bathing suit for our white water rafting trip later this July. I figured, it's bad when you take pictures every trip, but then can't tell which trip is which because you're wearing the same thing every year! So, this year, I'll be able to tell.
As we were driving home, we passed by the Four Seasons Hotel on Geary Blvd. There was an SUV double parked and several people were getting out. One of them is none other than Joe Montana! Former quarterback for the SF 49ers. I actually saw him before at an LA airport. I stood behind him in line getting magazines. He is very handsome in real life. And there he was again! He went ahead into the hotel first, while his wife, Jennifer, took care of the details of the valet parking.
So, that was my celebrity report!
So, yesterday, we decided to have a special lunch and headed over to The Rotunda. I had the lobster club - my favorite. Huge chunks of fresh lobster with tomatoes and orange peppers served club sandwich style. If you ever go there, I highly recommend it. Their short ribs special is also fabulous. The meat is so tender, it literally melts in your mouth. But yesterday, I had to have the lobster club.
While we were leaving the restaurant, my hubby points out that Emerald Yeh is sitting in one of the booths. Emerald was one of the local news reporters for San Francisco TV. I haven't seen her in a while, but then again, I usually read CNN.com - so I really don't know who is reporting the news on TV anymore.
We had a pleasant afternoon walking around downtown San Francisco. I bought a new bathing suit for our white water rafting trip later this July. I figured, it's bad when you take pictures every trip, but then can't tell which trip is which because you're wearing the same thing every year! So, this year, I'll be able to tell.
As we were driving home, we passed by the Four Seasons Hotel on Geary Blvd. There was an SUV double parked and several people were getting out. One of them is none other than Joe Montana! Former quarterback for the SF 49ers. I actually saw him before at an LA airport. I stood behind him in line getting magazines. He is very handsome in real life. And there he was again! He went ahead into the hotel first, while his wife, Jennifer, took care of the details of the valet parking.
So, that was my celebrity report!
Friday, April 29, 2005
Anniversary
Yesterday was our 4th wedding anniversary. I can't believe it's been four years already!
Our original plan was to be in Las Vegas for a long weekend. The new Wynn Resort grand opening was on the same day - so since we love Vegas so much, it seemed natural that we would want to go celebrate our anniversary in our second favorite city and try to be one of the first groups of people to experience the new hotel. We were there for the grand opening of the Bellagio - and it was just fantastic.
Well, plans change. We bought a condo a few months ago, and that just put a stopper on any activity that would involve a lot of $$. Plane tickets from San Francisco for two people run about $400. Then there's the fact that we both like to gamble. OK - so if we just down on that, what else are we going to do there? Shows? We love the Cirque du Soleil shows. We've seen them all. But as the years go by, the prices go up. Good seats run about $150 per ticket. So that's out. Food? Yes, we can get by eating McDonald's or something like that - but why fly for $400, or drive 9 hours for McDonald's?
Anyway, Vegas was out of the question (for now). We did other things that were still fun. We went to the Jelly Belly Factory and the Budweiser Brewery . Both were interesting - and FREE! I don't think I'd go back to either one any time soon, but since it was a free tour, it was worth taking a peek. I wouldn't pay for either tour though. In the factory, it's too loud for the guide to really give you any information - so you're mainly dependent of watching their special 'how they do it' videos.
Check this out. I had a jelly bean shaped burger at the Jelly Belly Factory. It was OK, but look at my little cup of mayo. I didn't even notice it at first. All I did was squirt it into the cup from these little electric dispensers they have there. Do you see the face?
After the tours, we had a wonderful dinner with our in-laws. Both are very good cooks, so it was better than any fancy restaurant we could have gone to.
Vegas will always be there. I'm just glad that my hubby and I could take time off from work and celebrate our special day together and having a good time. That's what it's all about.
Our original plan was to be in Las Vegas for a long weekend. The new Wynn Resort grand opening was on the same day - so since we love Vegas so much, it seemed natural that we would want to go celebrate our anniversary in our second favorite city and try to be one of the first groups of people to experience the new hotel. We were there for the grand opening of the Bellagio - and it was just fantastic.
Well, plans change. We bought a condo a few months ago, and that just put a stopper on any activity that would involve a lot of $$. Plane tickets from San Francisco for two people run about $400. Then there's the fact that we both like to gamble. OK - so if we just down on that, what else are we going to do there? Shows? We love the Cirque du Soleil shows. We've seen them all. But as the years go by, the prices go up. Good seats run about $150 per ticket. So that's out. Food? Yes, we can get by eating McDonald's or something like that - but why fly for $400, or drive 9 hours for McDonald's?
Anyway, Vegas was out of the question (for now). We did other things that were still fun. We went to the Jelly Belly Factory and the Budweiser Brewery . Both were interesting - and FREE! I don't think I'd go back to either one any time soon, but since it was a free tour, it was worth taking a peek. I wouldn't pay for either tour though. In the factory, it's too loud for the guide to really give you any information - so you're mainly dependent of watching their special 'how they do it' videos.
Check this out. I had a jelly bean shaped burger at the Jelly Belly Factory. It was OK, but look at my little cup of mayo. I didn't even notice it at first. All I did was squirt it into the cup from these little electric dispensers they have there. Do you see the face?
After the tours, we had a wonderful dinner with our in-laws. Both are very good cooks, so it was better than any fancy restaurant we could have gone to.
Vegas will always be there. I'm just glad that my hubby and I could take time off from work and celebrate our special day together and having a good time. That's what it's all about.
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Ah, memories...
I recently reconnected with an old friend from my childhood. She and her sister lived several blocks from me, and for years, we would spend our weekends and summers together. I don't remember everything we did, but I know I had a lot of fun times with them. I do remember playing computer and video games, board games, lots of pizza nights, movies, and just everything three pre-teen girls could do for fun. And we would go anywhere our parents would take us.
My husband and I recently purchased our first condo together, and I've been on an eBay selling frenzy. Anything I don't want to move, I'm selling. I found an old box filled with those popular Infocom games from the early 1980's. My friends and I used to LOVE these games - and it got me reminiscing the good ol' days. So, I just looked her up on the internet one day, and lucky for me, she has a unique name, and she had created a blog. Her site was the first one on the list. I emailed her, and we've been catching up ever since. It's a great feeling to be in touch again. Her family moved away when I started high school. This was before emails and free long distance cell phone packages (God, I'm making myself sound so old!) So, while we tried writing letters now and then, we just didn't get around to calling each other very much. The relationship died off...
But thanks to the blogging craze, and the convenience of the internet and email - I've found my friend again, almost 20 years later. She's going to have a baby this September, and while that is fantastic news, it's very surreal to me. I'm still picturing a little girl of 12 years old... beating me at Donkey Kong.
My husband and I recently purchased our first condo together, and I've been on an eBay selling frenzy. Anything I don't want to move, I'm selling. I found an old box filled with those popular Infocom games from the early 1980's. My friends and I used to LOVE these games - and it got me reminiscing the good ol' days. So, I just looked her up on the internet one day, and lucky for me, she has a unique name, and she had created a blog. Her site was the first one on the list. I emailed her, and we've been catching up ever since. It's a great feeling to be in touch again. Her family moved away when I started high school. This was before emails and free long distance cell phone packages (God, I'm making myself sound so old!) So, while we tried writing letters now and then, we just didn't get around to calling each other very much. The relationship died off...
But thanks to the blogging craze, and the convenience of the internet and email - I've found my friend again, almost 20 years later. She's going to have a baby this September, and while that is fantastic news, it's very surreal to me. I'm still picturing a little girl of 12 years old... beating me at Donkey Kong.
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Relieved, but sad...
One of my best friends from high school moved back to Japan a few years ago. Thanks to email, we've stayed caught up for the most part on the comings and goings of our lives. I miss her terribly. She has two children. One is turning 5 next month, the other will be 4 in November. She moved away before I saw her second son's first birthday. I watch them grow through pictures and live their stories through their mother.
There was a commuter train derailment in Tokyo, Japan on Monday morning. My friend had just written me an email the night before explaining that her older son's new preschool did not allow parents to drop their kids off by car. So they have been taking the commuter train in the mornings. My heart nearly fell out when I read the news article. I don't have international long distance on my phone at home anymore - so I sent her an email asking her to write me back ASAP and let me know she and the boys were OK.
She emailed me back this morning. She and the boys are fine. They do take the commuter train in the mornings, but luckily, not that one. I am so relieved, but also sad this happened at all. Can you imagine going to work as you always do. Sitting there, reading the morning paper, then suddenly...
I may be overly dramatic, but that's why every morning when my husband drops me off at work, I always tell him I love him. I want those words to be the last thing he hears from me if anything were to happen during the day. I know we don't need the words to show how we feel for each other, but it's comforting just the same.
There was a commuter train derailment in Tokyo, Japan on Monday morning. My friend had just written me an email the night before explaining that her older son's new preschool did not allow parents to drop their kids off by car. So they have been taking the commuter train in the mornings. My heart nearly fell out when I read the news article. I don't have international long distance on my phone at home anymore - so I sent her an email asking her to write me back ASAP and let me know she and the boys were OK.
She emailed me back this morning. She and the boys are fine. They do take the commuter train in the mornings, but luckily, not that one. I am so relieved, but also sad this happened at all. Can you imagine going to work as you always do. Sitting there, reading the morning paper, then suddenly...
I may be overly dramatic, but that's why every morning when my husband drops me off at work, I always tell him I love him. I want those words to be the last thing he hears from me if anything were to happen during the day. I know we don't need the words to show how we feel for each other, but it's comforting just the same.
Monday, April 25, 2005
The Cat's Meow...
I don't really know why I decided to finally join the world of blogging. I've seen so many that are dedicated to specific interests and hobbies, that I guess I wanted a little slice of the web for myself. So here goes...
In case you're wondering about my blog name, Monte is my beloved cat. He was a neighborhood stray that wandered into our back yard almost nine years ago. Well, correction, one night when my husband, then boyfriend, was leaving my apartment, he came across this skinny black cat who was meowing like there was no tomorrow. If not for the fur, you probably could have seen all his ribs. Being the wonderful man that he is, my hubby actually went to the grocery store to buy some cat food, and came back to find this kitty. This was at 1am, mind you. So, this poor, starving little one got a big meal that night and a lot of love.
A week later, my husband and I moved into one of the back apartments that faced the yard. He looked out of the window that first day and saw the black cat again. We called to him - and he ran to us and jumped in through our window. He's been at home since.
I am very allergic to cats, so I was very weary about him coming into our apartment. But as we all know, we don't really adopt our pets, they adopt us. And this was the case with Monte. Right from the start I noticed that he didn't make me sneeze or make me all teary eyed. It was meant to be.
Here's Monte...
Monte is a beautiful black and white tuxedo cat. And he really does look like he's wearing a tuxedo. He's black all over, with white paws. His chest is white, and he has an oval shaped black spot under his chin. I call it his bow tie. His coloring is very proportioned, so he really does have the perfect tuxedo.
He was originally named after the Monte Carlo Hotel in Las Vegas (I LOVE Vegas), but my husband likes calling him Montague (Mon-tah-guay). Sounds more regal, doesn't it? He acts like the king of the castle anyway, so it's fitting. But he'll always be my sweet little Monte Kitty.
In case you're wondering about my blog name, Monte is my beloved cat. He was a neighborhood stray that wandered into our back yard almost nine years ago. Well, correction, one night when my husband, then boyfriend, was leaving my apartment, he came across this skinny black cat who was meowing like there was no tomorrow. If not for the fur, you probably could have seen all his ribs. Being the wonderful man that he is, my hubby actually went to the grocery store to buy some cat food, and came back to find this kitty. This was at 1am, mind you. So, this poor, starving little one got a big meal that night and a lot of love.
A week later, my husband and I moved into one of the back apartments that faced the yard. He looked out of the window that first day and saw the black cat again. We called to him - and he ran to us and jumped in through our window. He's been at home since.
I am very allergic to cats, so I was very weary about him coming into our apartment. But as we all know, we don't really adopt our pets, they adopt us. And this was the case with Monte. Right from the start I noticed that he didn't make me sneeze or make me all teary eyed. It was meant to be.
Here's Monte...
Monte is a beautiful black and white tuxedo cat. And he really does look like he's wearing a tuxedo. He's black all over, with white paws. His chest is white, and he has an oval shaped black spot under his chin. I call it his bow tie. His coloring is very proportioned, so he really does have the perfect tuxedo.
He was originally named after the Monte Carlo Hotel in Las Vegas (I LOVE Vegas), but my husband likes calling him Montague (Mon-tah-guay). Sounds more regal, doesn't it? He acts like the king of the castle anyway, so it's fitting. But he'll always be my sweet little Monte Kitty.
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