what's a porch? (part 2)

part 2 for my friend, shelley (and others) ...visit part 1 is over here. images are from cornell university's all about birds over here). the birds to the right include ...

• empidonax flycatcher (what is an ...) the images i chose are those of the 5 species listed on that site.
  
• gray catbird
• cedar waxwing
• blue-headed vireo

learning 'bout birds ... now, i am taking a l'il bit of time to learn about and enjoy the birds in my backyard and along my walks. and most enjoyable - love hearing them sing - especially in the morning. head over to the all about birds birding basics.

click on the image to the left to learn the basic skills to identify birds.
porch me, shelley!
hugs

an east coast visit to diva is long past due

began my 2007 virgin-leaf-peeping vacation in northampton hanging out with diva ... did a little dining, dishing, drinking, and (re)decorating. enjoyed a fab italian din with a bottle of fulignano sangiovese di toscana 2004. and had a few v-one vodka drinks (meh) while watching playoff baseball. fun times. and before 2007, met up with diva in 2004 in boston during a wicked snowstorm (nor'easter) ... dining, dishing, drinking, and shivering, so we managed to warm up at flash's, which was around the corner from the hotel i was staying (awesome find). did get to catch the museum of fine arts gaugin tahiti exhibit (fabulous).

yup! i'm past due.

miss you, diva!

f|break: sunday morning

really? ... one can value one's (and others') tweets?!
if you are on twitter, have your morning fiber break with

TWALUE
and/or

TWEETVALUE

curious about mine? ... $2.55 or $25
(different algorithms, eh?)

f|back (jan '06): celebrating after yesterday's garage sale

flashback from 2006 (aka old blog posts) ... i am realizing a garage sale or donating my stuff is in my future, as i am going through my current year 2010 julie morgenstern-ing SHEDn and kit cole-ing CYCCYLn. thanks to old blog posts, i am reminded that on saturday, jan 14, 2006 (back in san diego), a few things happened - i wrote my first blog post (re)declaring i would be relocating from san diego to the bay area, i had a garage sale and went to dinner (at the was-open-back-then parallel 33) with my neighbors matt and marlena, i chatted and hugged garry (my landlord), and i pet scud (the dog - who later lost his battle with cancer). below are posts from those memories ...

(repost from 01/15/06)

GARAGE SALE FUN … Yesterday (Saturday), our little compound had a garage sale - which was preceded by the garage clean out on Friday. Matt, Garry, Scud (an awesome bassador) and I sifted through "lots o' stuff". (That's Garry with Scud.)

The garage has served as a fine haven and a functional office annex for files, office supplies, reference books, and office equipment. Moreover, the garage has served to perpetuate my packrat nature (with my 1,000+ sq. ft home office also contributing to my tchotchke paradise). With three other neighbors sharing access and storage to the garage, the challenge was met to organize and winnow the contents. (In the early spring, I will be contributing more "stuff" at the neighborhood's garage sale day. Meanwhile, the purging process has begun.)

AN APPETITE TO SPARE ... Saturday's garage sale was well worth the effort. Afterwards, Matt, Marlena (Matt's wife), and I used some of the proceeds for a great dinner at the nearby Parallel 33. By the way, when in San Diego, Parallel 33 is a “must” dining experience. The food is so tasty, and the service is wonderful. Just adjacent to Parallel 33 is a slightly nondescript blue building, which houses Blue Lotus - essentially the sister restaurant/lounge to Parallel 33 - same menu, different atmosphere. Totally check it out!


(repost from 01/30/06)

Just a little place on the web

to say "bye" to Scud ...

he's the bassador (basset hound / lab mix) that lived downstairs with Matt & Marlena, and every once in a while, he hung out in my office. Bye Scud ... !

lovin' the memories!

ahi poke fix in SJ japantown

a worthwhile 22-mile drive from home to get my ahi poke fix at the san jose hukilau.

for lunch today ... had da hukilau poke dinner - ahi poke, one scoop rice, one scoop mac salad, and two Spam musubi. one thing i have learned about the hukilau SJ and SF locations is that they do not have the exact same menu ('though there is overlap, for the most part), do not necessarily serve up the food the same way, and do have different daily specials.

thumbs up for SJ hukilau's ahi poke dinner
(and a refreshing fat tire amber ale)

f|break: saturday morning

a BUFFET of fiber ... via DASjr's collection of literal lyrics music videos. and as DASjr mentions - some links may be gone due to copyright claims. last year when i saw one of the videos for the first time, total eclipse of the heart, hooked (on literal lyrics videos, not the song)! enjoy your own choice for fiber break with literal lyrics of (over here). meanwhile ...

enjoy a 5+ min fiber break
with bad romance (lady gaga) at levmyshkin's literal video
over at funny or die (over here)

"i love sexy
must have my safety glasses
spread out atoms form gases"

Lady Gaga - "Bad Romance" literal music video version - watch more funny videos

that is some strange applause

enjoy another ~ 1-min BONUS FIBER
with funny bieber or die (over here)

"... and i've taken over funny or die"
"let's go get a lollipop"

now who's old enough?!
(thanks andy!)

dooky me: cow burps methane

keep fear alive.
attending?

although i am not heading out to d.c. on oct 30th, this evening (errr ... this early moring) i contributed to SPOOKY or DOOKY and added a fear. as of 12:08 AM on 10/15/2010, i was at 55% dooky as cow burps methane.

vote over at spooky or dooky.
(also, a bit about cow costume history over here)

better yet - ADD a fear for yourself!