Now for something a little different.

It's been raining here in San Francisco for about 3 weeks now. It actually doesn't bother me all that much...I like the feel of rain on my face, and I know it won't last forever. However, because the jet stream is positioned just so, we're getting storm after storm after storm across the Pacific Ocean from Japan.

I tend to look at it like this: The sidewalks have much less urine than usual, the air is very clean, Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is full (no water rationing this summer), and people will probably be skiing up in the Sierras until July. The downside is there will be a lot of dry brush this summer, which means conditions will be ripe for wildfires come September.

Not too bad as far as I'm concerned. I mean, it's winter. It's supposed to rain. This is California. We get earthquakes and wildfires. That's Just How It Is. At least we don't get blizzards or hurricanes or tornadoes.

And the food here is incredible...let me tell you about what I had for dinner.


My friend Tanya owns and operates The Blanca Cafe on Grant Avenue here in North Beach. She called me up while I was doing laundry, saying she had NO customers, she was bored off her ass, and would I please come visit her and keep her company. Now, I love the Blanca. It's a really cute little place with great lighting and ambience and some of the best authentic Spanish wines and tapas in the city. So threw in my whites, abandoned my plans for tuna mac (iTuna), and walked 3 blocks over to hang out for a bit.

When I got there, she poured me a glass of 2004 Livor Tinto Tempramillo from Rioja, Spain. It was utter ambrosia. In fact, I almost burst out singing "You're the Biggest Part Of Me" right then and there. My appetite stimulated, I ordered a plate of sobrasada, which is a Moroccan-style sausage sliced thin and served on a piece of sliced baguette with a pinch of cabrales picon on the top. I literally sat there making Chad Fox Yummy Noises while I ate it...I couldn't help it. It's one of my favorite things on the menu. She also gave me a little piece of atun, which is tuna, roasted red peppers, red onions, and chiplote aioli served on a little slice of baguette. Again...just incredible. I then had a pollo bocadillo, which is a hot sandwich with marinated chicken, tronchon cheese, red leaf lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, and parsley aioli.


Do you know how Homer Simpson gets when he eats donuts? That's kind of the way I am with the Blanca. And I know there's a certain blogger out there who is sitting there, shaking his head, saying "There ya go being all fancy." Well, I'm a San FranFancyPants. Even my ketchup is fancy. It says so right there on the label. When you come visit me, you'll just have to try this. Then you'll be all fancy too.

She then asked me if I wanted a "splash" of another wine. Never one to turn down wine, I of course graciously accepted, and she poured me some 2004 Eguren Tempramillo from Tierra de Castilla, Spain (and it was much more than just a "splash" let me tell you). Let's just say these Spanish wines were giving Napa Valley a run for their money as far as my taste buds were concerned. Just incredible.

Afterward, I bade her good night and walked back home in the light rain, stopping here and there to take some pictures. It's sad a lot of people won't come visit me over here in North Beach, because it's such a cool neighborhood during the week. I know on weekends it's filled with bridge & tunnel douchebags who like to tag up the murals around here with "San Leandro" and "El Cerrito" and "510 Bitchez" or whatever it is they scrawl. Let's just say if I ever catch anyone tagging up the mural on my street again I'm gonna break their fucking arms. Enough is enough. I'm not kidding.

/rant

Like I was saying, few San Franciscans from other parts of the city will ever come over here because they always have one of three excuses. 1: It's a pain in the ass to get here on MUNI. 2: Parking sucks (no shit, it's North Beach, take a goddamn cab already). Or 3: It's too "straight" for them. Well, does that mean they're disappointed because the neighborhood won't have sex with them? Give me a break. I know you either have to go through the Financial District, Chinatown, over or through Russian Hill, or from the Embarcadero to get here, all of which are psychological barriers to people in the Mission or the Haight or Noe Valley, or the Castro folks who don't realize there's a whole other part of the city beyond 16th Street (there is...it's called "downtown"). But this is such a cool area, and the tourists that are running around here are actually pretty well-behaved and are loving the fact that they're in San Francisco.

And for those of you who don't know where North Beach is, do you know that big pointy building downtown? It's right by there next to Coit Tower. You can't miss it. It smells like Italian food and has lots of little old ladies with pink bags.

Walking home from Blanca, this is what my neighborhood looked like tonight:


















And do you know what's nice to listen to on a rainy San Francisco night?

STMF 8, that's what.

It's a little departure from my usual podcasts...for one, it starts out with an old Mel Torme KSFO jingle from the late 1950's, and kinda runs along that vein from there. The songs are all from 1951 to 1966, and I've heard all of them on the now sadly-departed KABL AM 960. So pour yourself a glass of wine, or a cup of hot herbal tea, curl up with someone you love, or just by yourself, and give it a listen.

Yeah, I talk on this one. You asked for it. I think I've pegged the dorkometer on this one, though. I dunno. Let me know what you think.

I'm off to Phoenix in the morning to visit Darin. Atari Age will also be there, and hopefully I'll get to meet Jimmi and Playne Jayne while I'm there. So you kids behave yourself while I'm gone and play nicely together. I'm sure I'll have stories for you all come Monday morning.

Also...if you have the chance, pop over to Alex Geana's place and show him a little love. Things are a little rough for him right now. Also, little private note to Jason and Matty who don't know each other but are going through the exact same thing right now...this too shall pass. We'll hang out when I get back.