18 February 2002

Last night after Timprov opened his birthday presents, we headed up to Berkeley. Stopped in The Other Change to say hi to the Nice Mean Man and to buy a used Judith Merril book and two magazines (Black Gate and SF Chronicle), and then we walked down Shattuck to César, where Amber was waiting for us. Tapas (thanks to Heather, who recommended this place). Oh, yum. Who knew that the Spanish knew from cheese? But they do. Wow. We had a Spanish cheese plate and some canneloni with crab and shrimp meat all chopped up in them and some wild mushrooms and these lovely rosemary potatoes. And then we got a salad with watercress, endive, pear, walnut, and gorgonzola, and then this amazing smoked salmon sandwich.

Happy birthday Timprov!

Also happy Timprov's birthday Mark!

(I don't have these pictures trimmed and formatted and so on while I'm writing this, but that's okay -- we don't have FTP, either!)

We walked back to the downtown area for Ben & Jerry's, since none of the desserts looked particularly appealing Timprov, and it was his birthday.

Amber had a cool new coat, which looked much better on her than this picture suggests.

I just had Chunky Monkey in a waffle cone.

We caught each other up on happenings and gossiped about other people we know and who's going where when and how Jen really truly is going to work for the State Department (we're all a little boggled by that one). Then Amber walked back to her car and we BARTed home and I only sung about one line of Simon & Garfunkel on the whole BART trip, so you should be proud. C.J. tried calling while we were out, but that was really the only flaw in the plan.

Today I hate James Lileks, even though I usually like him, because he was wandering around C.J.'s neighborhood just for fun yesterday, and he doesn't even know C.J. Whereas I would have appreciated it, and I don't get to. Bah.

The newspaper amused me today, in an article about Sasha Cohen, one of the American figure skaters. It said, "Cohen is not the meek teen her delicate, 5-foot-1 frame might suggest." Um, hello? Has this reporter met any short people? Who looks at short people and says, "Ah, yes, she must be meek"?

They need a Michelle, is what.

Many people do.

We're going into the City with the rellies. It'll be an adventure. I shall return, with pictures and so on.

And if I remember from, lo, these many moons ago, it's Jim's birthday. Happy birthday if you're reading this, sweetie! And remember, no matter how old you get, I'll always be younger.