My cat Mole Negro has a devastating scratching pole hunting maneuver he has developed that I have finally captured on my camera, at great risk to myself. Here's his ninja-like technique photo-documented for the first time in the wild. Lurk Mode Mole lurks steathily behind his scratching pole, waiting for an unsuspecting victim to…
Gregoire’s Potato Puffs : Tater Tots from Heaven
Gregoire's is my go-to take-out place when I want something French-y but not spendy. Situated in a claustrophobic storefront on Piedmont Avenue in Piedmont, Gregoire's churns out a surprising array of delicacies, from soups to sandwiches to full-dinners. After reading about all the raves on Yelp, I finally had to try Gregoire's crispy potato puffs….
Hack-A-Thon for Youth Health March 31 in San Francisco
Attention Bay Area coders, designers and tech innovators! On March 31, TechSoup.org and ISIS are co-sponsoring a "hack-a-thon" on youth health in San Francisco. You can help design an app that can save the lives of young people. Here's the details: ISIS is hosting our first ever hack-a-thon, together with our partners TechSoup. A hack-a-thon…
My Fashionista Friend Voon on The Chic Index
My lovely friend Voon is the profiled guest for the next 11 days on "The Chic Index," a curated list of stylish individuals. Knowing how much care Voon puts into his outfits and his look, this is no surprise at all. Several of my favorite pieces of clothing have come from Voon's hand-me-downs. Check out…
On Social Dancing and the Creeps that Spoil It for Everyone
Last night I was at a fantastic birthday party for my friend Kirk. Being a lindy hopper, of course there was going to be dancing at Kirk's celebration. It was one of the most joyous nights of dancing I've had in awhile, just cutting it up with a dozen or so people to swing-era jazz,…
DJ’s Epic Super Mario / Duck Hunt Tattoo (pic)
My friend DJ gave me permission to share this pic of this nerdtastic tattoo he got on his back about a week ago. Yes, those are the guns from NES game "Duck Hunt" and the coins and plant from "Super Mario," all together in a western motif. Lovely work (in progress) by tattoo artist Liaa Walter at…
Does this bowtie make me look fat?
New Documentary on Cab Calloway airs on PBS! (video)
Watch Cab Calloway: Sketches on PBS. See more from American Masters. Cab Calloway is one of my personal heroes as a bandleader, a dancer and a larger than life personality during the Harlem Rennaissance. While Ellington was smooth and Basie was cool, Calloway was flamboyant, antic, and always entertaining. His fame as an African-American artist…
Carl’s Jr’s Oreo Ice Cream Sandwich: Surprisingly Unterrible
I got home late from a night of dancing, with a serious need for an ice cream sandwich. Unfortunately all of the bodegas around my apartment in Oakland were already closed, and 7-11 was too far away. Then I noticed that the Carls Jr on the corner advertises that it now has "Hand-scooped Oreo…
The Perfection of the Monte Cristo Sandwich
This has been one of those indulgent, diet-be-damned kind of holiday weekends. Among the terrible things I've eaten, the best / worst has to be the nearly perfect Monte Cristo sandwich I had at the Copper Skillet in Dublin, CA. The Copper Skillet is one of those small town eateries that does classic American fare…