Puerto Vallarta

Galen and I just got back from Puerto Vallarta. It was my first trip there; his first trip to Mexico. I'm not sure I'll ever go anywhere else - I'm not sure we can top it. We stayed at the Hacienda San Angel, a self-described boutique hotel, with a friend from work and his lovely family. The Hacienda is the first place I've stayed that is actually more beautiful in person than in pictures. The hotel consists of 4 houses that have been completely remodeled and joined into a single area, with multiple pools, marble floors in and out, antiques everywhere, exquisite service, amazing views, and lots of privacy. We barely left the place - it was hard to leave.

On the last day we saw the reception area across the street, which if anything is even more impressive. If you're planning a destination wedding, this is the place.

Olympus

I bought the Olympus underwater camera for Galen's birthday and the trip. It's awesome - you can use it underwater up to ten feet. The picture quality is great, it's reasonably priced, and smaller than the CanonPower shot. Even if you have a camera (or a few), this is a very worthwhile addition.

Casa Kimberley

We attended an SPCA fundraiser at the (in)famous Casa Kimberley. The house on the left was Elizabeth Taylor's home; Richard Burton bought the place across the street. To avoid the picketing nuns, the unmarried couple built a bridge over the street to connect the houses.

The owner of the hotel we stayed in recently bought the properties. They've been only minimally maintained, and she plans a complete renovation by 2010. It's going to be an amazing spot.

New House

I'm finally moved in - my apologies for the delayed blogging; the move has eaten all my time. There are a few pictures left to hang, but that's really it. I reduced my overall space by at least 50%, but it's all fitting - barely. I did get rid of a lot of stuff, and it's much more densely arranged.

I had my first gathering for Easter - 8 people total. I think that's the upper limit of what I can fit indoors, but it definitely worked. I'm looking forward to summer days on the deck, enjoying the view.

It does feel like a major change, for the most part a good one. Grocery shopping is a bit more complicated, and I have to get in my car to get most things. But the ferry is a five minute walk away (and seriously, it's hard to beat taking a boat to work), there are oodles of restaurants, it's a great town to walk in, and the library is spectacular. And then there's the view. And the fact that instead of cars backfiring, I only hear birds in the morning.

Change

I had a big weekend. I found a new house in Sausalito - I'm signing the lease tomorrow - and had a major hair change. The house is really the bigger deal, of course (I haven't moved in 11 years), but these pictures are more fun to look at. As you can see in the first picture, it's just a bit darker. In full sun, however, it's actually blue. I feel like an animated character.

2007 Stats

I'm on a decline. My New Year's resolution this year is to stop the downward trend on books. I am pleased that, despite declining volume, I've increased my pre-1980 reading, and increased my non-fiction numbers over 2006. Random fact: in the past four years, the date published of my reading shelf averages out to 1996. I'd like to eventually get that number down to 1990.

November, December, January Book Reviews

Somewhere between work, ski season, and the holiday crafting frenzy, I've slipped 3 months behind. Arg! I haven't done tons of reading, but the ones I did make it through were substantial. Here goes...

1. Y The Last Man, V. 9, Brian K. Vaughan et al., Rating: 4.5
Finally, a major plot reveal! After nearly a year of globe trotting, we learn the source of the epidemic. It's a good installment.
2 & 3. Fables, V.8 & 9, Bill Willingham et al., Rating: 4.5
As always, excellent. Beautiful artwork, compelling story.
4. How Doctors Think, Jerome Groopman, Rating: 3.9
This was a nice counterpoint to October's medical read, Better. Both take on the subject of how doctors interact with patients, and how they can learn to give better care. While I think Gawande is a stronger writer, this book is well-written and insightful. If you care about the subject, read both.
5. Ride with Me, Mariah Montana, Ivan Doig, Rating: 2.9
The final installment of Doig's Montana trilogy, Ride with Me is a pale shadow of the previous two books. Stick with English Creek.
6. Intuition, Allegra Goodman, Rating: 1.9
This book was doomed from the beginning. It's a legal thriller, of sorts, packed with sexual harassment, workplace drama, mistaken love affairs, and emotional drama. Goodman clearly understands the office politics of the environment she's describing. It's just that the environment is so boring. Seriously - who wants to read about the day-to-day squabbles of 15 medical researchers? Working with mice? Nice try, but it doesn't work.
7. California History, Harr Wagner and Mark Keppel, Rating: 4.0
I found this book - published in 1927 - at the Napa Library book sale about a year ago. The package itself beautiful - embossed red cloth with blue line drawings, thin glossy paper, dozens of photographs. It looks great on a shelf, with my collection of other orange books (the only color I have a section for - they just look so nice together). The book itself is mixed. It's often charming and sweet, often wrong, and, at times, horribly racist. Native Americans don't fair well at all - there are 2 chapters devoted to their "laziness". I wouldn't give this book to anyone to read, but as a snapshot of the time period, it's great.
8. Severance, Robert Olen Butler, Rating: 2.0
Butler gets a big gold star for a clever idea. This book is a series of essays cataloging the final thoughts of people between beheading and death - roughly two pages per person. The people are interesting (Marie Antoinette, for example), the thoughts intriguing. However. He makes no distinction between people who know that they're going to die and those who don't. I think it's a huge line that must be drawn, and it's a critical error.
9. The Good Earth, Pearl S. Buck, Rating: 4.8
I really liked this book. It's moving, interesting, full of complex characters, and brings to life a world that's extremely foreign.
10. The Executioner's Song, Norman Mailer, Rating: 3.7
I understand the hype around this book - the research is voluminous, the writing considered and detailed, the character exploration nearly bottomless. Unfortunately for the average reader, it's over 1000 pages long. And you know the conclusion from page 1. It...just...drags....on.
11. The Abstinence Teacher, Tom Perrota, Rating: 3.0
Perrota's Election was genius - the biting humor of the movie owes everything to Perrota's writing. Little Children was inspired, too. This book, unfortunately, is average. It's fine - but nothing more. The anger and wittiness of his previous books is missing. From another writer, this is a decent effort, but from Perrota it's a major disappointment.

Skiing

I went skiing this weekend - for the first time in fourteen years. It was both better and worse than I expected. I wasn't horrible - by the end of the second day the easy runs were getting a bit boring - nor was I particularly good. On the first run of the second day, I remembered why I hadn't been in so long. I was never great at it, and for that reason never really enjoyed skiing. I think the potential is there to have fun (I was having fun towards the end), but I'm going to have to work hard to get to that point.

On the positive side, Tahoe is gorgeous. And not nearly as cold as I remembered. And watching your friends make crazy jumps is really entertaining.

Here's the result of my worst tumble of the weekend.

Roller Derby

Roller Derby is possibly the best sport, ever. It's fast, easy to follow, and has the potential for serious bodily injury. And it involves costumes.

Here are a few pics from the last event of the season (it will start again in February in March - watch the web site for updates). The final picture is from the half time show. Chronicle folks, that's Beth Steiner in front.

Book Signing

So...the book signing. I signed with Meg, shown, the author of Craft, Inc. She's lovely, and her book is really useful for anyone trying to make money off a hobby. The signing itself wasn't particular successful for either of us, but I'm glad to have had the opportunity. It's fun just to be there and talk to people about crafting.

I definitely recommend checking out the new Chronicle Books Store (1846 Union in San Francisco) - it's well designed, well stocked, and a great place to look for holiday gifts. There are several boxes of labels I'd like to have, and their craft section is growing rapidly.

Why I Like Winter

Well, at least that season we call "Winter" in the Bay Area. 60 degrees, clear, bright, and very green. These were taken on two different, equally lovely hikes in Marin. Look closely and you'll see the Farallons in the last picture.

I'd definitely recommend visiting Bon Tempe reservoir in Fairfax (shown in the top photo). You can hike around it and a smaller adjacent reservoir in under two hours. It's lovely and uncrowded - a great morning walk.

New Chronicle Books Store+ Signing

Chronicle just opened their second store, at 1846 Union Street in San Francisco. The Grand Opening party is this Saturday, December 1st. I'm going to be signing, along with a bunch of other cool folks. Stop by if you're in the area!

• 10:30-11:30: Children’s author Bob Barner will read from Dem Bones and will be signing copies of his books

• 1:00-2:00: Peggy Knickerbocker co-author of The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market Cookbook and Georgeanne Brennan author of A Pig in Provence will be signing copies of their books

• 3:00-4:00: Get crafty with Alicia Bergin, author of the Crochet to Go Deck, and Meg Mateo Ilasco, author of Craft, Inc.

• 5:00-6:00: Artist Rex Ray will be in the store signing copies of Rex Ray Art + Design

Best Book Ever

This book puts together all my passions (well, at least crafting and celebrity gossip) in one horribly wrong package. Awesome.

October 2007 Book Reviews

1. Better, Atul Gawande, Rating: 4.3
Like Gawande's previous book Complications, Better is a thoughtful, entertaining, and informative work. Without being pedantic or overly technical, he touches on major issues influencing modern modern medicine and the world at large. I like his mix of personal anecdotes and actual research. This is definitely a book that is worth reading, whether or not you're in medicine.
2. English Creek, Ivan Doig, Rating: 3.7
3. Dancing at the Rascal Fair, Ivan Doig, Rating: 4.2
English Creek is quite good - good enough that I went right out and got the second book in the trilogy. The action in Dancing actually takes place before that of its predecessor, and I enjoyed it much more. It was oddly satisfying to read about people when you already know much of their outcome. The second book also explains the history and populating of the "two medicine country", which adds a lot of depth to the series (in many ways, the land is the subject of the book, more so than the people). I just picked up the third book - full report to come on that next month.
4. Son of a Witch, Gregory Maguire, Rating: 2.2
The long-awaited sequel to Wicked is, like the rest of Maguire's books, a major disappointment. Wicked was clever and mischievous and very funny; this book is scattered, random, and hard to follow. It's also oddly homo-erotic in ways that are just plain odd.
5. The Empanada Brotherhood, John Nichols, Rating: 3.9
While I wasn't carried away by this book, I admire the craft of it. It feels very much like a Hemingway novel, with similar stripped-down language and dialogue-heavy chapters. The Kirkus review states, "The human energy swirling around the empanada stand is full of sound and fury but signifies very little." I think that might actually be the point.
6. The Gravedigger's Daughter, Joyce Carol Oates, Rating: 4.2
I've always considered Oates an "Oprah" writer, melodramatic and girly, slightly lowbrow, without ever reading any of her works. I totally take it back - The Gravedigger's Daughter is strange, dense, filled with fascinating characters, and beautifully written. Considering how prolific she is (a book a year on average), I have nothing but awe for the talent of this writer. I'll definitely read more of her books.

Halloween

I've spent the last several years celebrating Halloween with some of my favorite people, Zac and Eliza, and their amazing children. Sophie (pink caterpillar), who's edging up on 4, really "got" Halloween this year. She was definitely a little afraid, but after a few houses seemed to grasp the wonder of the occasion. Candy? For me?

I also loved the little brown dog. Not sure of her name, but there was a whole lot of personality in that little girl. I hope she makes it next year.

Go Carts!

My company takes play seriously. Dodgeball wasn't enough - we had to top it with go carts. I wasn't great - not even very good - but it was fun. And hard work! I was sore for almost a week. You know you want to try it...

Idaho

I made my first trip to Northern Idaho recently. It's every bit as gorgeous as you'd imagine - green, lush, big mountains and clear blue lakes, and cold, clean air. Angeline and Justin were amazing hosts, especially considering the fact that we barely know each other (or did when I arrived - I feel like I know them quite well now).

It was a perfect weekend for me. We gardened, cooked, drank a lot of wine, and slept in every morning. There were friendly cats and dogs to pet, chickens to feed, and deer everywhere. We even went sailing (my first time). The rural life is definitely appealing.

The Big 3-0

I'm 30. Officially. I've actually been 30 for a few weeks now, and haven't dropped dead. Or found more gray hair or wrinkles. Or, for that matter, had any sort of midlife crisis. Yay! Thanks everyone for making it a great day!

September 2007 Book Reviews

Better late than never? I had a birthday party this past weekend, and have been busy getting ready for the last week. I did, however, manage to read two pre-1960 books in September. And more non-fiction than fiction. I'm breaking my normal habits!

1. A Member of the Wedding, Carson McCullers, Rating: 4.0
This was an NPR recommendation that I picked up on a whim. McCullers has a really unique voice. This particular story is that of a pre-teen girl, wanting to be more (more interesting, have more friends, have a better life, anything), and creating her own reality in which the impossible could happen. I has really impressed with both the realism of the character, and McCullers' gift for making you understand exactly what the character is going through. It's like being eleven again.
2. Where I Was From, Joan Didion, Rating: 4.0
My new friend Chris sent me this book after I took him to Point Reyes for the day. I think I did a pretty good job of convincing him that California is a really nice place to live. He recommended (and sent me) this book - an homage and narrative of the state by one of its most revered writers. It's really fascinating. It's a fairly slim book, but it took me two weeks to get through. That's a big compliment - I kept slowing down and rereading passages, unwilling to miss anything.
3. Exodus, Leon Uris, Rating: 3.2
This book is fascinating. It has all the elements of a 1970 bestseller: implied sex, wartime heroes, abused and needy children, despots and criminals in powerful positions, and a dramatic, arid landscape that must be conquered. It's really a page-turner. It also ends on an up note - the chosen people triumph! The irony is that the book will be 50 years old next year, and the same struggle violently continues.
4. Four Seasons in Rome, Anthony Doerr, Rating: 2.3
This is another NPR book, but unfortunately one that makes for a better interview than read. It's about an American couple living for a year in Rome with 6-month old twins. That's about all there is to it. It's fairly sweet and charming, but never really rises about the level of an edited journal.
5. Every Visible Thing, Lisa Carey, Rating: 3.7
Like my first book this month, Every Visible Thing is told from the point of a pre-teen (in this case, two of them). The subject matter is much deeper - a missing sibling - but it has a similar realism and point of view that makes the writing succeed. This isn't a great book, but it's a good one.

Dodgeball!

Today was the third annual design dodgeball tournament. It's one of my favorite sporting events, second only to women's roller derby (which is truly amazing).

Why is it great? Well, people take it really seriously. The competition is up to 12 teams now, all of which make uniforms (these are design firms, after all), plan strategy, and show up in force.

We didn't win, but we had fun.

Elk

Next up: Elk. Elk is about 15 miles south of Mendocino. I realized on my drive up there that I've never seen that area at all, including the Anderson Valley - I've flown to Mendocino a few times, but never been outside of that main town.

Needless to say, it's stunning. We went wine tasting, hiking, and even worked in a fairly substantial nap. There were three dogs up for the weekend, which was great. I highly recommend a visit.

(And in case you're not already jealous, this first picture was taken from the deck of the house. Pretty amazing spot.)

Brooks & Autumn's Wedding

I'm way behind on blogging, and am going to try my best to get caught up this weekend. First up: meet the newlyweds! I met Brooks close to ten years ago (he was the high school roommate of my boyfriend at the time), and have become friends with him in the past year or so. Autumn is quite the lucky lady (and Brooks is lucky to have found her). I had such a good time at the wedding that I only took a few pictures, none of which are very good. Trust me on this - they looked great. And the setting was beautiful.

I do like this pre-wedding pic of Hayden. That was a pretty good bloody mary.

August 2007 Book Reviews

I got off to a slow start in August, and then cruised through four books in the last week. A lot of beach time helps.

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling, Rating: 4.3
She didn't let us down - while it's not better than the rest of the series, it's absolutely a worthy successor. I only slowly got into the plot, but by the end I found the book impossible to put down. I cried at the conclusion. (Happy tears or sad tears? You'll have to read it to find out.)
2. The Road to Samarcand, Patrick O'Brian, Rating: 4.4
This is a perfect summer read - fairly short, action-packed scenes, lots of emotional depth, and fascinating characters. This is my first Patrick O'Brian novel, and I plan to pick up a few more. The book was published in England in 1954, but is only now being released in the U.S.
3. The Yiddish Policemen's Union, Michael Chabon, Rating: 2.9
It wouldn't be fair, I suppose, if every book was great. I loved Chabon's earlier novel, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, but haven't liked any of his other works, this most recent book included. Which isn't to say it isn't well written. I think it probably is quite good, but it's not for me. Chabon has a gift for genre fiction. It's up to you, the reader, to like the genre he has chosen to write in. Noir mysteries are not my cup of tea.
4. The Post-Birthday World, Lionel Shriver, Rating: 4.0
The plot of this story hinges on a single decision - whether or not the narrator chooses to kiss a man. Chapter by alternating chapter, the book explores what would have happened if she did (or didn't). It's an interesting concept, a choose-your-own-adventure novel for adults, and it's beautifully executed. I love that the "right" decision is ambiguous throughout much of the novel. It's not really an easy book, but it's honest and intriguing.
5. Jack of Fables, Bill Willingham et al, Rating: 4.0
The Fables universe recently spun off this new series, featuring Jack (and the beanstock, the candlestick, Jack Frost, etc. - all the same guy). It's great. There's energy in the storytelling that has been lacking in the main series for awhile. Perhaps the creators just needed the freedom to create a new world.
6. Sin in the Second City, Karen Abbott, Rating: 0.5
I've seen perhaps a dozen reviews for this book in the past few weeks, and am convinced that not a single reviewer actually read the book. The subject matter has potential (very high end prostitution in Chicago around the turn of the twentieth century), but the execution is awful. Terrible. Seriously-wasting-your-time bad. Skip it.
7. On Chesil Beach, Ian McEwan, Rating: 3.8
This book is very different. The entire plot revolves around a single, emotionally-fraught night (a wedding night), as two newlyweds struggle to express their fears and feelings, without having the experience or emotional vocabulary to do so. The reading experience feels slightly inappropriate - the moment seems so private - and yet it's hard to pull away from. I do recommend it, but don't expect it to be a light read.