December 2004 Archives

A couple folks plan to use their Christmas breaks to catch up on movies. They created lists of the films they plan or hope to see during their time off, which inspired me to come up with two lists of my own.

The Top 10 movies I want to see:

1. Sideways
2. Finding Neverland
3. A Very Long Engagement
4. House of Flying Daggers
5. The Aviator
6. Motorcycle Diaries
7. Closer
8. De-lovely
9. Million Dollar Baby
10. National Treasure

The Top 5 movies I want to avoid:

1. Meet the Fockers
2. Alexander
3. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
4. Christmas With the Kranks
5. Fat Albert

National Treasure originally started on the list of movies I want to avoid, but when I wasn't looking, my curiosity allowed it to sidle over to the first list, tap Napoleon Dynamite on the shoulder and shove that film into its locker.

Yesterday morning, I wrote down four words on a scrap of paper.

1. code
2. three
3. fog
4. nod

It was meant to remind me of what to write about here. I covered fog yesterday, but I have a feeling I'm not going to get to the other three before whatever "revelation" I had fades from my mind. So, I'm going to jot down what I think I was thinking before it's too late.

Code: I recently finished reading The Da Vinci Code. It was the first time I ever felt like I was reading a movie. It had 105 chapters, not including the prologue and epilogue. Every chapter was a short scene, which gave the book a fast-paced, but choppy feel. It was as though the author was directing an action film instead of writing an adventure story. Instead of creating characters, he created acting roles. Instead of creating churches or museums, he designed sets to look like them. While the story piqued my curiosity about Da Vinci's art, the Holy Grail and the Knights Templar, the book was unsatisfying. That being said, I bet it will translate nicely to film and will be right up there with National Treasure. Roger Ebert's review of that movie is hilarious.

Three: The Oakland Athletics recently broke up their talented starting rotation of Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito, otherwise known as The Big Three. They all came up through the A's organization and reached the majors around 1999 or 2000. The team was lucky to bring up three young, effective pitchers at the same time. I don't know why, but this month, after four years and within a matter of days, the front office decided to break up the "brothers". They sent Hudson to Atlanta, Mulder to St. Louis and Zito to his room to think of reasons why they shouldn't ship him to Montreal/Washington. The news of their trades was disappointing.

Nod: Yesterday, as I walked to work in the fog, I greeted a passerby by way of a nod. The man, looking rather stern and serious, not only nodded, but nodded with a smile. That made my day and got me thinking about nods. My habit started back in middle school with friends and eventually graduated to complete strangers. It's a casual, nonverbal way of saying hello or acknowledging others. When I'm feeling unusually chipper or talkative, I might add in a whatsup, hey or dude. Here are some other informal (and useless) findings from years of nodding:

• Men are more likely to initiate nods.
• Men are also more likely to return nods than women are.
• Cyclists return nods more often than pedestrians do.
• Nods don't preclude handshakes, but often accompany them.
• Nods don't go over so well with older generations or authority figures like police officers, priests or bosses.

This morning, I stepped outside and noticed the blanket of fog. It was dense and Bay Area-sized. Usually, if one drives a mile or two in any given direction, one reaches an edge of the blanket, an invisible line where fog and clear sky meet. I drove six miles and never reached an edge. I took the train another thirty miles and remained under the covers. After traveling so far, I decided to walk two more miles, partly to see if the fog would end, but mostly because I had to show up for work.

I know I'm repeating myself, but I love the fog. Driving through it isn't fun, but it's fun to walk through, especially downtown. On a clear day, looking down Santa Clara Street, there are high-rises, automobiles and traffic lights as far as the eye can see. The scene has no modesty. Everything is exposed. On a day such as today, the world remains hidden, wrapped in a layer of gray. With each footstep, it reveals itself slowly. Spooky shadows become colorful (and hopefully harmless) people and objects. Lighted store signs act as beacons along a coast of buildings, guiding one to safe harbor (a.k.a. a cafe for a cup of eggnog latte).

The fog hasn't lifted and I hope it doesn't for a while. It would be exciting to revel in it during lunch, before the afternoon sun burns through it.

This week's Photo Friday challenge is Tacky. This was taken at the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Shark Exhibit. Who gives the thumbs up sign these days? Only me, apparently. That's pretty tacky, as is the flash to photograph the mirror. The only thing that isn't tacky is the stylish shark mask, which goes well with the plaid flannel jacket.

Santa Claus spammed me today. The subject line claimed I could receive personalized letters from the North Pole. While tempted to open it, I had a sneaking suspicion that the real Saint Nick would never spam the good girls and boys of the world. One would think he'd be much too busy checking lists, supervising elves and feeding reindeer to be bothering with email.

Then I had a horrible thought.

Maybe this message was from the real Santa. Maybe he already made his list, checked it twice and accidentally marked me down as naughty instead of nice. Maybe, to save time and money this year, he isn't putting coal in stockings, but is spamming inboxes instead. If that's the case, I hope there's time to let him know there's been a mix up. Do you think Santa's list has an opt-out option?

Song on my mind... "Run" by Snow Patrol

I'll sing it one last time for you
Then we really have to go
You've been the only thing that's right
In all I've done

And I can barely look at you
But every single time I do
I know we'll make it anywhere
Anywhere from here

Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you dear

You'd think I'd have more holiday-related songs on my mind, but let's consider this one Christmassy during December.

I'm having trouble starting this story. I want it to have a certain tone and style and frankly, it's just not coming to me. I wanted something more eloquent than what I'm sure is to follow, but achieving eloquence isn't easy early in the morning. This isn't to say that it's any easier later in the day, but to make me feel better, let's pretend I'll be busting out the brilliance this afternoon.

A random bit of trivia that will make me smile when I look back on this entry: On Sunday, there was the 79th Annual Trek to the Tree. The tree everybody treks to is the General Grant Tree, also known as the Nation's Christmas Tree, located in Kings Canyon National Park. According to the event description, it's the only living National Shrine honoring those who gave their lives serving our country. I think it would be a treat to attend the celebration someday. I also like the fact that it's the people who travel to the tree and not the other way around, like a certain tree in New York City. It's admirable that Rockefeller Center recycles it afterwards, but wouldn't it be better if the tree was allowed to live out its long life in peace, on its own plot of ground?

Now that I've sufficiently stalled, I guess I'll try to tell the story.

We stood out in the cold last night, craning our necks back as we attempted to see all of the darkened sky. We couldn't completely escape the glare of city lights, but from where we stood, we could still see hundreds of stars shining above. Between us, we had seen three Geminids, but had only spotted a faint one together.

With my neck beginning to ache, I said, "Let's see if we can catch one more before going."

We kept staring up in anticipation. I found myself refusing to blink. What if I missed something in the fraction of a second that my eyes were closed?

"There!" she exclaimed. "Did you see it?"

I followed her outstretched finger and saw only stationary stars. I shook my head. I must have missed it while thinking too much about blinking. We continued to stand in silence, eyes to the skies, watching for any movement. Then it came.

"There!" we both declared, both pointing at the same white streak of light that shot across the sky. It was bright and amazing and it made standing in the cold, craning our aching necks, all worth while.

The good news is that the insurance company finally called me.

The bad news is that they haven't been able to find the guy who hit my car, which likely means I won't be reimbursed for my deductible.

The good news is that I was able to get an estimate from the auto body shop.

The bad news is that I won't be getting my car back until the middle of January.

The good news is that my dad is letting me borrow his car while mine is at the shop. It's just another reason why I'm so grateful for family. I owe him big time.

I awoke in good spirits this morning. The first thing I noticed was the coffee aroma that filled the house. It's hard not to be in good spirits when that's the first thing you smell. It was Friday. Outside was foggy. Those are two things I love. With a stretch and a yawn, I got out of bed and groggily went to the kitchen. As I poured myself some coffee, I noticed last night's project still on the dinner table.

This is the first year I'm attempting to make Christmas cards and, for a rookie effort, they're turning out okay. I bought a box of holiday cards, the type that allow a photo to be inserted, and chose a few seasonal pictures from my digital collection to develop at the local Walgreens. I'm trying to keep it simple.

"Just need to sign them, buy some stamps and mail them out tomorrow," I said to no one in particular. I left for work in a good mood, but before reaching the office, I could feel the Grump coming on.

The Grump is nasty and immature and looks just different enough from the Hulk as to avoid copyright infringement. He's inflexible, impatient and has a low tolerance level for stupidity. The peeves and annoyances that I usually ignore are the same ones the Grump hones in on.

I first noticed him on the freeway, when somebody changed lanes in front of me without signaling. Normally, I don't even think twice about it. This morning, I wanted to hold up a sign so the "offending" driver could read in his rearview mirror, "Signal much?"

The Grump grew stronger as the morning progressed. A number of tiny incidents fueled him on:

• The crawling car in the parking lot.
• The people who didn't return my calls from yesterday or Wednesday.
• The neighboring coworker who kept banging her computer mouse on the desk, all morning long, as though that would help somehow.
• The coworker who left the restroom without washing his hands.
• The postage stamp machine that kept rejecting my crisp dollar bills.

At lunch, I thought I'd try to lose the Grump by going for a long walk. That helped a little, but he's still with me. I'm now sitting in The Museum Cafe, trying to type him away. I was hoping to write some joyful and clever messages in the Christmas cards. It's difficult being joyful and clever on a good day. Having the Grump around makes it ten times harder.

I only hope he disappears before the weekend begins. Better yet, I hope he's gone by the time I'm done with this double macchiato. Thank goodness it's Friday.

A day passes
I leave a message
You don't call

A day passes
You don't call

A day passes
You don't call

A day passes
I leave a message
You don't call

Patience running low
Sitting in limbo
I don't think we
Were meant to be

I don't want to stalk
But we need to talk
Oh, claim adjuster!
Where are you?

The desire I have to see Blade: Trinity doesn't make any sense. The movie is based on Marvel comic books I've never read. I'm not a fan of Wesley Snipes, the main star. I've never seen Blade or Blade II. While I'm drawn to television shows and movies like Buffy, Angel and Underworld, which involve vampires, the Blade series has never interested me. That is, until I saw Ryan Reynolds in a preview.

I just like the guy. I liked him from the moment I saw him as Berg on Two Guys and a Girl. Since the show's cancellation in 2001, he's done a few movies. Reynolds is the reason I saw Van Wilder and sat through The In-Laws. He's also one of the reasons I watched Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (John Cho was another reason).

I've been trying to figure out what it is about him that I like so much. Unable to give myself a direct answer, I handcuffed myself to a square metal table with a bright lamp shining in my eyes and asked myself some tough questions.

Let's start with the obvious. Is it because he dated Rachael Leigh Cook?
No, I had no idea, but she is cute.
Is it because he's Canadian?
I didn't know that either, but Canadians are cool.
Focus. Is it because he's engaged to Alanis Morissette, who is also Canadian?
Possibly. They make a nice couple.
Hmph. Out of random curiosity, do you think he's a good actor?
I think he's a decent actor, but mostly, he's funny.
He's funny?
Yeah, I think he's one of the funniest guys out there. That must be it! I love his comedic timing. I've always liked his rapid-fire deliveries with strategic pauses and sarcasm. He just makes every line funnier.
I don't believe you.
What? It's the truth. I swear!
Have you seen his comedic timing displayed in this new movie's trailer?
Well, no.
Let's drop the pretenses. Isn't it true that you like his hair?
What does his hair have to do with anything?
Answer the question.
Fine. I like his hair.
And isn't it true you've seen his hair in the trailer?
(sigh) Yes.
Aha! So you're seeing this new movie because of his hair!
Agh! No!
...
Oh, okay, maybe a little, but it's because he's funny. Really!

Blade: Trinity has received quite a few negative reviews. On a positive note, even most of those praise Reynolds' comedy. Strangely, they never mention his hair. Anyway, if I see the film, he'll be the reason.

This is my artificial Christmas tree. I've had it for the last three years. Before that, it belonged to my folks. According to family lore, my parents bought it from Sears some thirty years ago. Ever the bargain hunter, my mom saw trees on sale for 50% off. When they went to the store, the price tag had already been marked down, but at the register, the girl accidentally took off another 50%. Never ones to refuse extra discounts, my folks paid the reduced price and brought it home immediately.

I was hoping to post this photo yesterday, on the seventh, for no other reason than the tree happens to be seven feet tall and has seven hundred lights on it this year. The topper was once a lighted star, but it stopped working many years ago. An angel now sits atop the tree of lights.

Rocking around the Christmas tree
Have a happy holiday
Everyone dancing merrily
In the new old-fashioned way

Song on my mind... "Footprints" by Barenaked Ladies

I followed footprints in the snow
Never knowing if I was right behind you
Looking down no one would know
I wasn't walking hand in hand beside you
For your footprints lead the way
To a hearth where hearts we made surround you
You're awash in all it's glow
I'm still standing in the snow

I stood and watched the lights go out
While the snowflakes settled all around me
Though it filled my heart with doubt
Couldn't move and this is where you found me
As our footprints disappear
Snow erasing how I came to be here
I've got nowhere else to go
Now you're standing in the snow

Look for understanding in the snow
You look just outstanding in the snow
Standing in the snow

It isn't that I dislike my car's side view mirrors. I'm fond of them both. I seem to favor the left one over the right, but it has more to do with practicality than emotional attachment. Unfortunately, neither one has a strong physical attachment to my car.

Five years ago, shortly after I bought the car, a bicyclist knocked off my right mirror. I was in graduate school at the time. I was heading to class and trying to find parking. As I made a right turn, a cyclist raced into the intersection and hit my car, taking off the mirror.

The police responded quickly. Two squad cars happened to be taking a break at McDonalds across the street. I later learned the cyclist was carrying chain cutters and had stolen the bike from campus.

About three months ago, a delineator post broke off my left mirror. I was driving to writing class after work. Back then, the Highway 85-101 interchange was still under construction. With a sound wall on the right and orange delineator posts on the left, the narrow "two-lane" ramp was really a generous one-lane ramp.

I was in the left lane. A truck towing a trailer was in the right. We were next to one another as we took the ramp. His trailer drifted into my lane and I shifted just enough to avoid him and clip a delineator post, snapping off the mirror.

With both mirrors replaced once, the side view mirror universe had achieved a certain balance. The balance didn't last long.

On Saturday evening, a truck took off my right mirror. M and I were driving on a two-lane road in Elk Grove, a town just south of Sacramento. Traffic was busy in our direction. In front of a new housing development off to our right, the road widened for a short distance before narrowing again. A single side street served as the development's only entrance.

I started pulling off to the right, thinking the side street was the one I wanted. As I did, a truck charged past us on the passenger side. He scraped both doors, dented the front door and ripped off the mirror. Having grown impatient from sitting in traffic, the driver thought he could save time by speeding down the widened stretch of road before merging back into the line of cars.

We were shaken, but uninjured. The next few minutes were surreal. The truck went another hundred feet before braking and we almost thought he wasn't going to stop. He wrote down a name and number, but claimed he wasn't carrying his license or insurance papers. When M pressed him further, he claimed the truck wasn't his, but belonged to his boss. He then left the scene while I was on the phone with the police. Thanks to quick thinking, M had already jotted down his license plate number, a key piece of information we later gave to the police.

With two days to replay Saturday's events in my head, I can't express how grateful I am that nobody was hurt, especially M. We were lucky. Things could've been much worse than a damaged mirror. Side view mirrors are replaceable. They don't like to admit it, but it's true. I only hope it'll be a long time before another one needs replacing.

This week's Photo Friday challenge is Reflections. New reflects old across from Stephansdom in Vienna. One open pane breaks up a perfect reflection.

Let's jump into my handy time machine, which looks oddly like a large Kenmore refrigerator box with the words David's Time Machine scribbled on the side, and travel back to last Friday. While you get your helmet and goggles on, I'll just set the dials to the proper day and time. I know, dials aren't the most modern controls, but I like the whole retro look. Plus, I blew the budget on the rear spoiler and blue racing stripes.

To ensure we don't disturb the whole time continuum thingamajig, we'll watch events unfold from up here, where we won't be seen. Okay, seatbelt fastened? Here we go.

Ah, so see that tan sedan attempting to park on the side of Highway 35, outside the main entrance of Castle Rock State Park? That's my car. And, okay, you didn't just see it pull too far forward into that ditch and have to back up. Let's skip ahead.

The weather forecasters said it would be mostly cloudy and in the low fifties. Notice how wrong they were? It's cool and sunny and there isn't a cloud in the sky. You'll also notice a group of sixteen people hiking along Castle Rock Trail. We followed that to Castle Rock Falls, which was merely a trickle.

Let's fast forward through me tripping there and there and oh, okay, so we just took the short Interconnector Trail over to Ridge Trail. Hear that? That's the sound of gunfire coming from a nearby firing range. You can also hear each shot echo through the valley. That grew annoying fast and you can tell by the expression on my face that I wish somebody would run out of ammunition. Moving on.

Here we are at Russell Point, which offers a beautiful view of the park and Saddleback Ridge. Unfortunately, we weren't supposed to be there. We were somewhat lost. Instead of continuing through Castle Rock Trail Camp to Frog Flat Trail as planned, we accidentally looped back along Saratoga Gap Trail and ended up at the Interconnector Trail again. That was fun. Skipping ahead.

Ah, there I am running along the trail to catch up with the seven people who decided to continue hiking. The other eight thought it best to call it a day. Why? I don't know. This time machine isn't equipped with mind reading capabilities. Maybe in the future. Oh, that's me taking a photo of the ground.

Okay, time for some product placement. Here I am smiling as I drink hot Starbucks Espresso Roast coffee from the cap of my red Coleman thermos. I thought that would be important to share. Seeing me drink a liter of water wouldn't be nearly as interesting.

Oops, you probably want to get back to your day, so let's zoom through the rest of this hike. There we are eating, walking along Loghry Woods Trail, crossing Highway 35 to Skyline Trail and returning to the main entrance. Just so you know, we only hiked nine miles or so.

Ready for the return trip? To help you out, I'll set the dials to the exact moment we left. No time lost! Watch your step as you exit the box, I mean, time machine and please leave the helmet and goggles in the seat for the next person. Thanks and come again soon.

The idea was to stay creatively motivated and caffeinated at the same time. The goal was to try 30 different cafes around the Bay Area in November. Falling short was the most disappointing part of my NaNo experience. To think, had I made it to those last five cafes, I could've enjoyed five more cups of coffee. It's sad. I know.

One other disappointment was not making it to Capitola Coffee Roasters. It served as the "home away from home" for some of my characters before their big adventure in Yosemite. I hope to fit in a visit before the end of the year.

When trying to decide which cafes were my favorites, I didn't use an elaborate rating system. It was mainly a question of which ones I would visit again. Here are my Top 5 favorite cafes:

1. Lowry's Irish Coffee House, San Jose
2. Pacific Java Cafe, Pacifica
3. Y'a Bon Espresso, Morgan Hill
4. Plumes Coffee House, Monterey
5. Fog City Java, Pacifica

Lowry's is small, clean, not crowded and offers free wireless internet. It has porch seating and a homey feeling. It doesn't have a wide selection of coffee, but what they have is good and comes in a glass.

Pacific Java is an airy, two-story cafe with seating in its loft. It has a variety of drinks and pastries. It also has free coffee refills, which is a big plus. They play uninspiring music, but I like the overall feel of the cafe.

Y'a Bon Espresso is close to home, but feels miles away. The music and interior decorating fit its theme of New Orleans. It's easy to lose yourself there and the coffee is excellent.

Plumes offers delicious slow drip coffee in the middle of historic downtown Monterey and Fog City Java in Pacifica, though small and somewhat dingy, offers this view.

Honorable mentions include University Cafe (Palo Alto), Mission City (Santa Clara) and Cafe Borrone (Menlo Park). They can be noisy at times, but they have an energy about them and long hours. If you're looking for something cozy with tasty soup, I'd recommend Flower Flour in San Jose.

At the bottom of my list were the following three cafes:

• Kalisa's La Ida Cafe, Monterey
• Espresso Garden & Cafe, San Jose
• Starmars Cafe, San Jose

Kalisa's was cramped like a storage closet. Espresso Garden, with its white tablecloths, felt like an uninviting restaurant. Starmars was empty and the pumpkin spice cafe au lait the owner recommended was, in a word, nasty.

A few cafes remain on my On Deck list. I hope to visit them soon. The cold month of December seems like the perfect time. Thank you to those who gave recommendations. I appreciate it.

Note: Sorry if everything is too brief. I tried to be helpful, but keep the length blog-readable. If you have questions about a particular cafe, let me know.