FRIDAY FROTH...

RN74, a Michael Mina restaurant in San Francisco, completely wowed me and "the blondes" on a recent, and regular old Wednesday evening.  Dressed in our Sex and the City finest, we made the trip to hip South of Market for an evening of what was to be delicious food, great wine, and impeccable service, all served up in an atmosphere that transported us to a place way more glamorous than our everyday lives.  The picture above, taken from the restaurant's website, doesn't do it justice--the people and the decor give the restaurant an energy that moves you to another place.  In the bar you could fancy yourself at Gare Du Nord in Paris waiting to board a train to Burgundy for the weekend--the "departure" boards along the wall list the names of wines instead of destinations.  Once seated you can imagine yourself on the Orient Express, having a great meal on your way to St. Petersburg.  One of the "blondes" mentioned that the lighting was perfect, beautiful in reality and effect.  According to another blonde (her second trip) the people are a mix of all ages with the commonality of cool, sophisticated chic.  The champagne (a sparkling wine from Burgundy) was even a beautiful color--rose' with a hint of gold--perfect for blondes and non-blondes alike.

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Brad Pitt shaved--finally!  His graying, scruffy goatee (that he was inclined to wear in a ponytail) is now a normal, hip, trimmed goatee.  Maybe he heard that my sixteen year-old daughter said that he looked like "an old Chinese man."  What is it with very attractive people defacing themselves?  If it's an attempt to become invisible then I have big news:  time will take care of that problem for you, and it will happen sooner than you think!

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I tried to watch the USA vs. England World Cup soccer match but those incessant vuvuzela horns put me right to sleep.  I woke up, watched the 30-second highlight reel, and knew everything about the game that I needed to know.  Horns that create a beehive sounding white noise should not be legal at games where a high score is 3 to 2.  World Cup soccer has just passed golf for the "best sport to sleep to" award.

On the other hand, if you even blink during a basketball game you miss something--especially if it's the Lakers vs the Celtics.  In game seven Kobe had a hard time making his shots, but even the best players' shooting can go "cold."  To his credit (and one of the reasons he'll go down as one of the game's best) he took up his own slack by hitting boards--getting 15 rebounds, and by not losing his temper or his focus.  Tiger Woods should take some "Kobe lessons" for life on, and off the court/course.

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A couple of summers ago mid-way on a flight from Boston to San Diego I finished the book I was reading.  I must have looked panicked to be book-less because the nice woman sitting next to me quickly offered me a book that she had finished.  Water for Elephants, thoroughly researched by author Sara Gruen, takes place amid a traveling circus in the 1930's.  Spending over three hundred pages and three hours with circus people would not normally be my idea of a good time.  I started reading and found out that Jacob Jankowski, the protagonist felt the same way.  After a series of tragedies Jacob drops out of Cornell Law School just short of graduation, suffers a breakdown, jumps on a train that he soon finds out is a circus train.  Like me, Jacob had nowhere else to go so he makes the best of things by putting his veterinarian skills to use, falling in love (with a woman and an elephant) and finding out that humans can be more wild and dangerous than animals.  In the end, we both enjoyed our adventure.



                                      

FRIDAY FROTH...

POLITICAL ROUND-UP…Tuesday was a big day for mid-term politics so I though I would make a few observations.  

Three of the most interesting races featured women:

Meg Whitman won, some would say, bought, her primary.  Frankly, it’s her money and if that’s how she wants to spend it, fine by me.  Her campaign was probably the biggest boost to California’s economy the past six months!  And, given the choice of a candidate spending his or her own money or special interests' money, I will choose self-financing any day.

Carly Fiorina won her primary and then made the mistake of making a quip into a hot mike (unbeknown to Carly) about Barbara Boxer’s hair.  This is bad on so many levels.  The main rule broken here:  If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all.  Second:  On a day when we want to revel in how well women performed in the political arena, you had to go and make us look catty instead of relevant.  Find another hot mike and apologize publicly to Ms. Boxer and then pick up the phone and do it privately.

The media seem to think that Arkansas senator Blanche Lincoln came close to losing to a union-backed opponent in her primary because she voted against “card-check” and because she spoke out against a public option for health-care.  I’m from Arkansas, so I made a few phone calls.  Contrary to what the media is reporting, the consensus is that people were angry with Ms. Lincoln for voting for health-care (never mind the public option), and that they wanted a “left-wing” guy to win the primary so the conservative republican could win big in the general election.  

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Speaking of girls…

Have you seen Sex and the City 2?  Yes, it got horrible reviews but it was playing at one of my favorite theaters ( they serve fresh, hot caramel corn), so what's a girl to do--stay home?  The girls looked great!  Samantha (Kim Cattrell) is the oldest but has aged the best--it must be all of the, uh, "fun" she has.  SATC2 has no more, or less of a plot than most "guy" movies.  Instead of over-the-top car chase scenes, SATC2 has over-the-top clothes, and instead of the requisite pole dance scene, SATC2 has a pool full of rugby players in speedos--what's not to like?!?

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And more girls…

I was at lunch recently with two girlfriends who were dressed in two of my favorite color combinations.  One had on pale blue, beige, and white; the other beige and white--both looked fabulous.  Beige is the "it" color for summer.  I especially like it on shoes, they tend to disappear, making your legs look forever long!

         

TOO BIG TO FAIL?

Nancy Pelosi is a Superwoman.  As Speaker of the House, the formidable Ms. Pelosi wielded her power to get a much-debated national health-care bill; under her watch financial reform passed both houses and now awaits a final vote; and, given the catastrophic Gulf oil spill, an energy reform bill is likely in the next few months. 

Is there no end to what this woman can do?  There just may be – his name is John Dennis. 

The health-care bill has been so unpopular nationally that it’s exploded the ranks of the anti-big government Tea Party, and has gotten a republican elected to the senate in the very “blue” state of Massachusetts.  In San Francisco’s best neighborhoods there are rumblings of fear and anger over financial reform from those in the banking/finance industries who feel they are already over-regulated and are being scapegoated.  In the less tony neighborhoods, people worry that energy reform could mean higher home energy bills in an already tough economic climate.  And, the anti-war people are not happy that Ms. Pelosi voted to continue funding the war in Afghanistan--a war she opposed under George Bush.  As Ms. Pelosi continues to check items off her “to do” list, approval ratings for Congress continue to plummet.

Mr. Obama and Ms. Pelosi have brought big government back—big time. It’s growing at an alarming rate and voters have voiced their disapproval by booting incumbents from Utah to Pennsylvania.  California’s Eighth Congressional District, however, is very liberal and has had quite a love affair with Ms. Pelosi—is it possible that she too is vulnerable?

I had the opportunity to sit down and discuss some key issues with John Dennis, the man that will most likely face Ms. Pelosi in November and I’m happy to report that he is completely sane.  Mr. Dennis was well informed, articulate, and exhibited no sign of the grandiose rhetoric that one might expect from a novice politician with the temerity to challenge a popular grand dame. 

Mr. Dennis’ small government and free market libertarian leanings are antithetical to Ms. Pelosi’s big government, liberal policies. 

On health-care, Mr. Dennis feels the current bill should be scraped, saying:  “it’s a mess,” and indicating that allowing insurance companies to compete across state lines would be a good place to start the fix.  He likes the idea of health savings accounts and believes out-of-pocket medical expenses, as well as premiums paid by individuals, should be tax deductible.  In a bold move he says he is for ending tobacco and corn subsidies.  He jokingly pointed out that his stance on corn subsidies precluded him from ever running for president.  When you consider that smoking and obesity are responsible for well over fifty percent of health-care cost, it’s amazing to think that the government would encourage these problems with subsidies.

Breaking with traditional republicans, Mr. Dennis is for ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  He was however, very adamant that a “strong national defense” is essential.  His website states:  “I do not believe that our troops should be forced to be policemen of the world.  Our troops, first and foremost, should protect Americans where they live—in America.”  (With Al-Qaeda in over sixty countries and with more and more attempted attacks taking place within our borders, maybe America is exactly where our troops should be.)  When I asked Mr. Dennis if he was an isolationist, he countered that he was a non-interventionist.  Isolationist implied economic isolation and he is all for trade.

On the hot topic of illegal immigration, Mr. Dennis is for securing the borders but would like to see America get back to the “guest worker” program that benefited our country for years.  He feels strongly that any path to citizenship should start outside our borders.  Being from humble beginnings, and a product of the world of tough public housing, Mr. Dennis seems truly sympathetic to people who are willing to work hard to make a better life for themselves.  He told me that he started working when he was seven, shining shoes, and that if he got elected, this same spirit would help him stick to his principles--finding another job doesn't faze him, so pandering to special interest to get re-elected is not part of his plan.   

Mr. Dennis denounces torture and warrantless wiretaps which should please San Francisco voters.  He puts his faith in the Constitution and free markets and not in big government--ideals that could attract campaign contributions from disgruntled Americans coast to coast.  He avoided taking a swing at Mr. Obama on his handling of the Gulf oil spill proving he is no ordinary republican.  Deficits are soaring and the most liberal of San Francisco democrats are starting to get worried.   If Ms. Pelosi is vincible, John Dennis may very well be her kryptonite.   

For more information on Mr. Dennis, visit his website at:  www.johndennis2010.com