Healthy San Francisco - I'll try to explain....

"I'm intrigued by the health tax. Was it charged bc pizza is unhealthy or is it on all food?"

photo from my last post

In a culture of self-employment, entrepreneurship, and start-ups, San Franciscans not working for large employers face independent insurance prices that are cost-prohibitive. Clearly even catastrophic coverage can put a huge dent in one's annual income. These folks have the added blip of earning too much to qualify for any federal or state programs. So Mayor Gavin Newsom passed something in 2005 to provide healthcare to the 10% of SF residents without insurance. Recent stats show that 8% of population uses this program (total pop of SF ~800,000).  

It's not insurance per say, but it offers affordable health care for uninsured residents who don't qualify for Medicare or Medi-Cal (california's medicaid program).  

Basic enrollment is about $20 - $150 a month based on your income level (unless you earn less than $11,000 annually...then it's free) with $10 copays for primary care visits and $5-$25 copays for meds. I think it's $220 if you get admitted to the hospital. 

How it's getting paid for:

All businesses with 20+ employees have to either offer health insurance or help pay for the city's health care access program: Healthy San Francisco (HSF). Some restaurants are calling attention to the extra dollars they have to dole out by asking their patrons to help cover some of the cost by either tacking on a couple of bucks or up to a 4% surcharge on the bill (no, you don't tip on that amount). 

I'm not taking political sides on this one, but I feel comfortable letting you know that I had zero issue with my $1.50 to help provide medical care for an anonymous SF-er!

I went-went back-back to Cali-Cali....(part 1)

After living in New Hampshire since late July, I was due for some hard core California time so when Ali offered a flight out in exchange for some day-of-coordinating, I jumped at the chance to get back to my west coast. And since Becca's wedding was in the same month, I decided to make a go of it and just stay out in CA from wedding-to-wedding!

First stop = 4 nights in SF with Todd and Ali.

I got these two nice and married.

I saw this camp friend (Meryd!).

The last time I saw Meryd, Hudson was teeny-tiny!

Got to grab lunch with Annie in my old neighborhood.

Second stop in SF = old co-worker, Chi!

She was hired by Jamie in '05;

 just didn't marry him like I did. 

They schemed to get me an anniversary gift as I was staying with her that night. 

(day after ali's wedding!)

I made sure to get some of my fave pizza at Delfina's.

It went perfectly with my novel.

Saw the new "tax" to support Healthy San Francisco.

Didn't get upset about the extra $1.50.

Third stop in SF = Holly and Arik

Met their new puppy, Butters!

I did a ton of walking, exploring, pointing out changes in SF since last July, and loving up on the sunny/breezy May weather. Living in Ali's neighborhood for 5 days (the Mission!) added another area of SF I can now claim to have experienced like a local....love that each section has such independent identity. Could easily see us back in this town!

Next up: southern california.

Sweet Home California Pt.1

I'm on a California excursion for 3 weeks, leaving Hudson in Jamie's capable hands back in New Hamps.  First stop is 5 days back in San Francisco (first time since we moved in July) to help Ali and Todd with their wedding plans. 

Chilling on Tara's dad's old couch....in Ali+Todd's place.

This couch has GOTTEN AROUND:

1. My place in Davis with Michelle, Jen Costanzo, and Tara.
2. My place in Sacramento with Tara.
3. My yellow victorian with Devon.
4. My other place with Devon.
5. My first San Francisco apartment with Ali.
6. And now Ali's place with Todd!

Goodbye, San Francisco.

Typical view straight out of our SF living room.

Looking to the left...row homes, lots of hills.

Looking to the right...

view of the water, a few palm trees, yellow cab.

We'll miss you. 

p.s. Eight days into our cross-country drive in a moving truck, I fully understand why everyone outside of San Francisco has been discussing the incredibly hot weather. Everywhere outside of my SF bubble is SO INCREDIBLY HOT! It's been a welcome reprieve, but I have to admit that we foolishly packed long-sleeve hoodies in the cab of the truck....force of habit, I guess. And on that note, what is this weird wetness in the air? I mean, we have fog and all, but this wetness in the air seems to make everything hotter. You guys know what I'm talking about??

Hot Diggity Dog!

Happy Fourth of July!

Jack + his parents
hosted a glorious 3rd of July
impromptu gourmet hot dog bbq....

there were babies and puppies and friends and red/white checkered tablecloths....

a beautiful hostess, complete with her sally-homemaker-apron...

lots of dog romping...

and i got to meet cory's new baby (riley)!

that was all before the 4th.

gus and roxy hosted a 4th of July

impromptu picnic in fort mason....

jamie and i threw some leftovers into a bag, grabbed the dog, and headed outside....

huds did tricks for treasts....

we got to see peen....

(she's through with her surgeries and starting her new job this week)

more dog romping...

it's been a terrific weekend.

Hudson & Mrs. California.

Holly & Hudson

may 2010

Just in case you thought Hudson missed out on some of the fantastic professional photgraphing (that a word?), don't worry.  Holly & her husband kindly volunteered to watch Hudson once he got back to SF, post-wedding, and Holly even brought him to one of her photo shoots. So, this is what our dog was up to when we were gallivanting around London:

My ultimate FAVE:

 

Holly became Mrs. California Globe a few months ago and has been busy, busy, busy with loads of activities one faces as a first-time pageanter (that's definitely a word, right?). Even better, it's drawn a little more attention to help boost her acting career up here. Check out my favorite of her commercials: CLICK HERE. 

And don't you worry, I'll be right back to wedding stuff tomorrow!

Not my fault.

The Fort Mason Center is a 13 acre piece of waterfront property within the Golden Gate National Park on the northernest part of San Francisco.  It houses all these old warehouse-y type of buildings that are rented out for more than 15,000 events a year: wine tastings, gala parties, film festivals, roller derby, and others. Although there are plenty of higher-end places to rent out (more polished) in the city, these buildings provide a more raw, flexible feeling for events.  

Today, however, I'd like to draw your attention to the parking lot of this historical location. 

That's right...the parking lot. 

Because that's what I noticed during my last walk through the complex...

the parking lot.

More specifically:

AAAAAHHHHH!!!! ALIEN MARKINGS!!

IS THIS WHERE THE UFOs LAND??!!

ALIENS GO STRAIGHT!!

ALIENS STEAL THE INSIDES OF MERCEDES-BENZ CAR THINGIES!!

Ok.Ok.Ok..

Fine.

They're not alien markings and are in fact part of a Fracture Mapping Project and I imagine they can gather a whole lot of data from this area as we live directly on earthquake fault lines.

"Fracture Mapping uses cracks on the surface of an everyday asphalt parking lot in Fort Mason Center as a point of departure for understanding how engineered structures respond to a range of environmental forces, including seismic movements, temperature fluctuations, traffic patterns, and architectural loads."

Whatever. They still look like alien markings to me.

AARGH! ALIENS PARK UNDER CARS AND DENT LICENSE PLATES!!!

WATCH OUT!!!

Appreciating "Art".

Do you ever feel like you're living in Pawnee, Indiana?

That's right.  The fictional town of NBC's Parks and Recreation.  That's the one.  Ever feel like you're living in offices of Pioneer Hall and Leslie Knope's inexplicably non-PC workplace?

Here's a sample mural from the halls of Pawnee's government building:

 "This mural was originally entitled "A Lively Fisting." The name was changed for obvious reasons."

"At first glance, it is horrifying, but on second glance, it is even more disturbing. One is tempted to assume the fighting woman was a prostitute or thief, when in fact she was Pawnee's first female high school graduate. Girl Power! That's right – 1800s Pawnee let girls go to high school! Trust me, you didn't want to be valedictorian. (Seriously, that is not a joke. Female valedictorians were given mandatory hysterectomies. Yikes!)" -parks&rec website.

Obviously this mural is supposed to be in jest for the television viewing audience.  Right, got that.

But what's to explain this real-life mural on the side of our local Safeway grocery store:

I mean, look a the label on the bag the what-I-can-only-assume-to-be-a-SLAVE is toting across this back:

Really, Safeway?  Really??

For more on this particular grocery store, click here.

Characters of all kinds.

I did a random Facebook status update in the middle of the night:

And in the morning, I received this picture from a friend.  It's for real:

Can you imagine??

Stars on Ice.

I've been totally digging on the metropolitan life during the holidays and this year we got a chance to fully appreciate SF in all its decked out glory!  And yes, that means ice skating in the middle of Union Square just like all the tourists get to do.

one hazy winter saturday.

late afternoon, 2010.

and there's the little rink.

Do you see us?

Annie preps for a triple toe loop.

Me with Annie & Mia.

We would totally take the Winter Olympics by storm with our signature moves.

Unfortunately for the 2010 Olympics Committee, we are completely faking it  in the above photo.  We ended up not stepping even one toe onto the ice. The rink was RIDICULOUSLY crowded and it was mad chaos to even find each other, let alone rent skates, and get out there.  Apparently, they squeeze 250 people on there and while it's an organized mess, it's a mess nonetheless.   We chickened out.  Not up to it at.all.

Instead, we ended up grabbing drinks at the Starlight Room atop the historic St.FrancisDrake hotel.  It's a bar with 180 degree views of the city and they have terrific beverages! That counts as making the most of the holidays in San Francisco, doesn't it? 

"Built in 1928, the Sir Francis Drake Hotel offered impressive innovations like an indoor golf course, ice water on tap, and radios in every guest room. The window panes were made of Vitaglass, so-called because it let even the healthful ultra-violet rays into each room, making it possible, according to early advertisements, to suntan without going outside. Another feature was the Servidor, a handy panel in the guest room doors, which allowed staff to discreetly deliver dry cleaning or other items without disturbing guests. (This may have come in handy during Prohibition.)

The Sir Francis Drake Hotel quickly obtained the glamorous aura in the late 1920s and became a favorite home away from home for stars of vaudeville and the silver screen. World War II was another busy era for the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, which by then had become a part of Conrad Hilton's growing empire*. During the war, blocks of rooms were taken over by the U.S. military and the hotel was the scene of many farewells and reunions as troops made their way to and from the Pacific." --sfdrake.com

*anyone watch MadMen?

Jocelyn heard drinks were in order and rushed over.

p.s.  i can cross off new year's eve resolution #8. she's finally on Facebook.

TyFlo to the Rescue!

We're all in agreement that facebook totally rocks, right? I mean, besides Jocelyn*. Email has been relatively innovative, cell phones have taken over the world, and obviously this blog has changed the face of all things communication (duh).  But can we all agree that 2009 was the year that facebook shifted up to spot number uno in terms of keeping in touch with people?  This is a more recent revelation of mine as I flashback to a couple of weeks and remember what was sitting in my facebook inbox.

Uh....YA!!  I'M TOTALLY THERE!

Do you remember the Tyler Florence Pulled Pork Sandwich post from the DAY BEFORE Holly's email to me?  Ya, I was all about TyFlo that week.  That's what we should all call him now, don't you think?  TyFlo?

I had a prearranged get-together with my friend Carrie that evening, but somehow managed to get to Union Square from the Mission in record time as soon as we were done!  Threw the car in a quick + hurried spot and basically sprinted from the garage direct to the chair right next to Holly in the Cellar of Macy's:

I literally ran in as the presentation was already occurring.

Definitely knocked over a few old ladies on my way in.

'Cause I'm cool like that.

Needless to say, we nibbled on many amazing nuggets of happiness:

Deliciously seared halibut resting on a parsnip/fennel puree + black lentils.

Topped with a delicate sprig of dill.  Mmmmm.

Calamari made with sparkling mineral water in the batter!

These are pictures of the actual dishes he made:
Halibut with lentils
Calamari
Ricotta dumplings with shaved radishes and greens

 

The ULTIMATE part of this entire evening was when the magic of TyFlo came over me and I became bold enough to throw my hand in the air to answer the question, "Is anyone nervous about making anything for the holidays?" 

TyFlo: Yes, to the cute girl in the fingerless gloves, sitting next to her friend in a cute green argyle sweater......((slight embellishment)).....what are you making?

Me: Um...a brisket?

TyFlo:  Oh, cool.  Brisket's are terrific around the holidays, are you making it for a large group?  Are you nervous?

Me: Um...it's for Hanukkah?  For my future in-laws??  Nervous.

---laughter from the crowd---

 TyFlo: Well, let me tell you the biggest secret about making a brisket................blah, blah.

And that's when my brain got all mushy and non-remembering.  Mostly because I was too busy trying to not get caught doing this:

WTH, I should've really been paying more attention.

But I got all confident and cocky about being amidst such a culinary sensation.  I mean, I may or may not have even called him TYFLO to his FACE.  What?  I mean, really, can you blame me for such behavior when I walk up to this image:

  That's Scott, ya'll!

Like of Scott and Holly's wedding circa 2008**!

Our friend, Scott!  How crazy is that??

He was TyFlo's #1 Assistant Man 
(I'm sure there's a more technical term for this position)

Scott did all the prep work to get the crowd the yummy tastings.

Don't worry, I've already invited myself + Jamie over to their place for dinner.

This guy was an integral part of the success of Ty's burgeoning career.

I mean, he took off running when his head chef needed a vegetable peeler!

Running.

Meanwhile, HeadChef brought his little son to entertain the masses.

And to help distract the crown while he took the time to pick a booger.

What?  No one saw that, right?  Good work being cute, son.

I think Scott looks much more professional:

I didn't see him pick his nose once.

Post-demo, Holly and I got our new cookbook graffiti'd (awesome):

ew. holly, do you see the booger on the top of his head?

 

 Just kidding, Smile!

One final shot of my soon-to-be-taking-over-the-Food-Network friend:

Oh, did the ladies love him!

For a more legitimate recall of the night, check out holly's post.  Thanks so much for thinking of me, doll!  Made my week!

*Joc's dislike of most things tech-y is the directest contrast to my inner thoughts and desires, but that's one of my favorite qualities about her. We often sit in bewilderment of each other and laugh and laugh.  She, of this blog and my propensity for all the things from SkyMall magazine.  Me, of her lack of a personal computer and facebook account (no desire).  In fact, she promised to keep basic cable if I didn't make her sign up for facebook.  I felt like that was an adequate compromise and allowed me to uphold my duties of keeping her relevant to normal society.

**One of THREE Holly-weddings in the 15 months.