Arrrgh! Free events in and around the Bay Area

There's something for everyone this weekend in and around SF. For sweet tooth satisfaction, enjoy a taste of FREE Ben and Jerry's ice cream:



For the over 21 crowd, enjoy your FREE local brew and cheese tasting extravaganza here:


Last, but certainly not least, for the pirate in all of us, Arrrgh!, check out the FREE Pirate Festival:


Did I mention these events are all FREE?

Enjoy.

Some things in life really are FREE!

Imagine a world where you might get something for FREE! That's right, you heard it right here. Check out this bakery in SF that hands out freshly baked bagels on Mondays from about 9:00 a.m. until about 3:00 p.m. Enjoy!

La Victoria Bakery
2937 24th Street (@ Alabama), SF (Mission Dist.)
Fresh bagels come out starting around 9am each Monday – Free for everyone.

One way to beat the heat in the City

In a very expensive city (and the entire Bay area), it's really nice to find a free/cheap resource for fun stuff to do. I found this by listening to npr this morning. Check it out!

http://sf.funcheap.com/

There's even a naked bike ride in SF this weekend. It's legendary!



Awww, come on. It'll be fun! You know you want to! I double dare you!

I was reading Janet's blog, This Confetti Life, and, as usual, I was impressed with her creativity, and her ability to create beautiful, yet simple decorations. I don't mean simple in a negative way. I mean it in a "just the right touch" kind of way.

Personally, I believe that some (not all) things that appear simple are actually a ton of work. This one, maybe not so much. Janet, in her usual, thoughtful way, also included directions on how to make these cute favors. I suppose I don't really have an artsy-fartsy, creative, crafty muscle or bone in my body. The only time I excelled at crafty stuff was when my kids were in the "colored macaroni, Popsicle sticks, and paper plates" stage of life. I even made homemade Play-Dough from scratch (it's really easy and cool to make). I can be silly, pathetic, giggly, childish, somber, inappropriate...any number of things, but crafty in an artsy-fartsy way? I just can't see it. I'm fairly creative in how I do my job; I can sew, quilt, garden, cook, bake, and decorate. I even learned how to knit (no small feat for me...I'm a lefty and I figured it out by watching a youtube video and having my daughter Maeg show me over and over and over again) but put a craft in front of me, and watch me melt. It's not pretty. But maybe, just maybe, even I could pull this off. Just look at these little party favors. SO CUTE!

Feeling Takei?

George Takei of Star Trek fame posted a video in response to anti-gay remarks made on Facebook by Clint McCance, school board member in Arkansas several months ago. Amazingly, Mr. McCance's response with Cooper Anderson was almost as insulting as the original messages on Facebook. He states, unequivocally, that he "used the wrong language", but never really apologizes for the sentiment behind his words. The interview is very long, but if you listen to the first few minutes, you'll get the gist of what he's saying. Here's the clip of the interview with Cooper Anderson:



George Takei takes a strong stance, and although I find the name he calls McCance objectionable from a feminist standpoint, I do like his straightforward approach and humor:



According to Takei's subsequent videos, one way to avoid the near occasion of offending or stirring up anti-gay sentiment would be to simply substitute the word "Takei" for the word "gay"; let's try this, shall we? Instead of the bullying taunt "You are so gay" on the playground, we would hear instead, "You are SO Takei". You get the idea, right?

Let the gardening begin!

At long last, after a particularly hectic semester, it's time to break out the seeds, the gloves (which I rarely use, but really should), the trowel, a cold beer (well, okay maybe later today), and of course, this lovely gardening journal I received as a birthday gift last year from my good friend, Wilda. What fun!
Surprisingly, after throwing some sweet pea seeds randomly in a flower bed following some unsuccessful attempts to grow them in almost every other suitable area in the yard, these sprung up just as my winter/spring bulbs began to wither. Go figure!
Yes, I know they are not prolific. Yes, I know they could be bigger, brighter, taller, showier. But, by golly, they're here and they survived! Actually, they survived much better than I did after this rather brutal semester.

After spending my first official day off yesterday under the covers, reading, napping, eating, reading, napping, eating, interrupted only once by a very brief bike ride to a couple of stores no more than a mile away, followed by more reading, and napping, I figured it was time to get my bum in gear and be productive today. I am, however, still in my jammies (or jim jams, as Flanny and Ryan call them) and it's almost 11:00 a.m. Hummmm. I've certainly gardened in my jammies before. At least I brushed my teeth and washed my face. I'm off to a grand beginning, don't you think?

The Rain in Spain Stays Mainly...

I have a new name! Finally, after arduous and lengthy linguistic training by yours truly, in person and on Skype, Miss Zippy now says my name. As a matter of fact, she's been saying it for quite some time. Silly me, I didn't recognize it as "Grams".

Little Lady Luscious has been saying "Poppers" since, well, since forever. Poppers is the name we use to refer to her great-Uncle John, who is my brother. He's not her grandfather, but he certainly lovingly fills that role; so, he decided when she was born that he preferred to be known as "Poppers". She began adding something after "Poppers", but we couldn't figure out what she was saying. "Poppers" came out of her mouth early, often, and clearly. "Grams"? Not so much. I decided when my little spot of sunshine was born that I didn't want to be called "Grandma". It just sounds so grandmotherly! I like "Grammie", but my children call their grandmother "Grammie", so that was out. I wanted something easy, and "Grams" just seemed to fit.

So, are you ready for it? Here's "Grams" in Miss Zippy's world: Galish Mia Mia.

Music to my ears!