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

FRIDAY FROTH...

A good friend (and fellow Southerner) with a knack for picking books that you are sure to be seeing on all the best beaches, recently recommended Kathryn Stockett's fiction debut, The Help.  The "help" in the title refers to the household variety, and, because this book is set in 1963 Jackson, Mississippi, the help is black.  My friend promised me that this book was not a white bashing, southerners-still-want-slavery book, and that in fact, it takes a fair and honest view of blacks and whites and their relationship during the time it was set--and it does, for the most part.  One of Ms. Stockett's main characters is a woman that is hell-bent on making sure that all of her Jr. League friends have separate bathrooms in their homes for their "colored" help.  The problem for me with this book is that this character is more "mean girl" than she is racist.  She treats her mother as badly as she does her black maid, and she browbeats her white friends into submission.   The Jr. League girlfriends go along with varying degrees of malice toward their help to keep in good standing with Miss High-and-Mighty League President.  I might have enjoyed this book more if memories of my daughter's Jr. High school run-ins with mean girls wasn't so freshly splattered across my mind.  Mean girls are still aplenty in our society but thankfully we've made some inroads on racism.  If I had ever suggested that our "help" use a separate bathroom the "help" would have spanked my bottom, but not half as hard as my daddy would have when he found out.  Pick up The Help-- while it's neither profound nor poetic, it is a quick and entertaining read for the beach or poolside.

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Robin Hood could have been a great movie.  Its star, Russell Crowe, and its director, Ridley Scott, have made beautiful music before:  Gladiator was an award-winning work of art.  But alas, Robin Hood could not keep me from constantly moving my legs around--the more my mind is engaged, the less my long legs move around looking for a comfortable place to rest and vise versa.  You would not have wanted to sit in front of me during Robin Hood!  It's not that the movie was bad -- it was an okay to good film; however, I expected better from the talent involved in its production.  Surprisingly, Scott's new movie has caught some criticism because it's a prequel to the story that we are familiar with.  This current version of the story shows the events in Robin Hood's life that eventually led him to his mission of stealing from the rich and giving to the poor--I liked seeing the forces that motivated the man.  The essence of Scott's Robin Hood is that the former king has spent the nation into poverty with foreign wars, and the new king wants to tax everyone into poverty to restock the coffers -- sound familiar?  Robin Hood knows that taking from the rich and giving to the government, um, I mean king, never works -- a concept that clearly makes me very uncomfortable as well.  Now that I think about it, maybe my flailing legs were more of a reaction to the idea of wealth redistribution than boredom.

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My fall fashion prediction is that over-the-knee boots will be a must-have come September.  This ever-so-sexy footwear is showing up more than traditional boots.  There are lots of styles to choose from so don't be afraid that you can't make tall boots work for you--you can, just keep everything else simple.  Above:  Manolo Blahnik's lattice-top boots would look great with a grey wool sheath and pearls or black tights and a slim tunic.  Ralph Lauren's flat brown boots would make a great statement with jeans and a t-shirt or cords and a sweater.  Come on...don't be shy!

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They've arrived!  College students are home for the summer and they are tired and hungry.  If you have the male variety then you're exhausted from shopping and cooking (and let's face it, you're still cleaning up after him) to keep the poor baby from starving.  If you have the female variety your clothes and shoes are disappearing, or either dirty when you want to wear them.  With either variety your car and credit card are being requested daily and cash evaporates from your wallet.  They like to go out when you are going to bed and go to bed when you are getting up.  Hang in there.  September will be here before you know it and someday they will have their own teenagers returning from college for the summer and you can laugh out loud with delight when they complain about them.

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And now for a non-frothy item (because there are some plain-old black coffee drinkers out there):

What do you think about Joe Sestak being offered a job by the White House to not run against Arlen Spector?  It's all very fishy isn't it?  You can bet the administration's delay in talking to the press was so they could all get their stories straight.  While what went down may be illegal, it's probably nothing that hasn't been done by both parties many times before, but the bottom line is that people are tired of this type of shenanigans in government and Mr. Obama said that he was going to change things--he hasn't.

FRIDAY FROTH...

As the end of the school year approaches we can expect our kids to come to us with ideas for graduation/end-of-the-year trips.  If they suggest Mexico you should think long and hard before saying yes.  Its warring drug cartels have made Mexico a very dangerous place--I'm sure you've read about the murders, kidnappings, and innocent people being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  What you may not know is that Mexico now has one of the world's most liberal laws for drug users.  Roughly speaking, legally you can have four marijuana cigarettes, four lines of cocaine, 50 milligrams of heroin, 40 milligrams of methamphetamine, or 0.015 milligrams of LSD.  Maybe you are confident that your child won't be tempted by the legality of drugs while they are in Mexico--I'm sure they won't--but what about all of the other people that your child will be partying with in the clubs or on the beach?  Scary!

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Some of my favorite books are fiction with a strong historical component.  I've just finished The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff.  Mr. Ebershoff entertains as well as illuminates in his intertwined stories of polygamy.  In one story, Ann Eliza Young, 19th wife of Brigham Young, tells of life growing up in a polygamist world and her eventual apostasy from the Mormon Church.  This is not a love story.  Ann Eliza was at times in awe of Brigham as a leader, but most of her time as his wife was titular. The modern-day story,within-the-story, also involves polygamy, as well as being a murder mystery, and has its own apostasy--not regarding polygamy but gays, and the Mormon Church's rigid stance that has caused them to leave the church, if not the religion.  I like books with interesting finales and this author has a unique and clever way of integrating the two stories at the end.

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The recent gubernatorial debate between Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner offered little in the way of new information.  However, it did confirm that negativity is alive and well in politics.  Mr. Poizner came out slinging and Ms. Whitman found herself on the defensive, but she managed to throw a few feeble punches of her own regarding Mr. Poizner's flip-flopping on issues. Pundits quipped that Meg might not be tough enough to govern.  Tough may not be what we need.  Arnold is tough, yet he has had a hard time making an impact.  We need someone who can make Californians understand that we are in deep trouble and that it is not going to be pretty or fun getting out of this mess.  We need someone to instill pride and a sense of duty in Californians--not a sense of entitlement.  We need a leader.  Right now we have a state that is covered in a security blanket that has become threadbare by pensions, labor unions, and illegal immigration.  Our politically correct, freewheeling attitudes have taken us down the road to ruin.  The "right" candidate for California would be running ads of Greece's current nightmare with a voiceover saying, "California will be the next Greek tragedy unless we all pull together for the greater good."  Too many politicians cater to special interest instead of dedicating themselves to making tough choices.  They make promises to get themselves elected or reelected: solving problems is a distant second on their agendas.  I'm not optimistic--feta-stuffed grape leaf anyone?

PS--If you think Greece is not our problem think again.  The trillion-dollar bailout will be partially funded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the largest contributor to the IMF is yes, you guessed it, America.  This  means Mr. and Ms. American taxpayer will not only be paying for health-care and other social services for Americans, but also Greeks.

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It was just me and my sometimes snuggly, always feisty, 16 year-old daughter on Saturday night so we went to the Jennifer Lopez movie, The Back-up Plan.  Ms. Lopez is not a great actress but she looked fabulous strutting around (pregnant, no less) in her five-inched Christian Louboutins.  And to be fair, her co-star, Alex O'Loughlin looked great too.  Mr. O'Laughlin doesn't need $1000 shoes because he has million-dollar abs that he flaunts while driving a tractor shirtless.  The movie opens with Ms. Lopez being artificially inseminated because she desperately wants to have a baby but has not met anyone who can fill the bill as father.  She leaves the doctor's office and meets the man of her dreams before you can say baby-daddy.  This is not a great movie--it's predictable, silly, overly sentimental and at times, gross.  However, if your daughter is in a snuggly mood it's a perfectly fine way to spend an evening.

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It would not have been hard to miss the news that there was major flooding in Tennessee earlier this month.  Even if you heard there was a flood, chances are you are not aware of how catastrophic it was.  The flood has gotten short shrift by the news media and the White House.  With few complaints about being over-shadowed by terrorist attempts in Times Square and an oil rig horror in the Gulf, the good people of Tennessee have pulled together to take care of themselves.
Check out this video:  YouTube - Nashville Tennessee Flood 2010

FRIDAY FROTH...

I think it was really big (no pun intended) for Britney Spears to release the unretouched photos from her recent Candies' ad campaign.  Ms. Spears is a young (28) and fit woman who is generally thought of as having a good figure--and she does.  These photos show the reality of a good body vs. the ideal of a body that is the norm in magazines, but is rarely seen at the beach.  If you have a daughter you should show her these photos and remind her that what you see in magazines is an image that has been enhanced by lightning, hair and makeup experts, and retouching.  You should also mention that it's a split second in time and life is not lived that way so she should go easy on herself.  If you have a son, you should show him these photos and remind him that what you see is NOT necessarily what you get--what you get is imperfect--yet it moves, breaths, and is infinitely more fun.  I've never thought of Ms. Spears as much of a role model for young girls but it looks like she's proving me wrong--check her out!

Britney Spears Reveals Unretouched Candies Ads (PHOTOS)

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Marriage can be a grind--kids, jobs, and endless trivial, but necessary, things "to do" around the house.  Marriage can be boring but sometimes boring beats the alternative.  This is the premise of the movie Date Night starring Tina Fey and Steve Carell as Phil and Claire Foster.  The Fosters love and are eager please each other, but when Claire hops into bed wearing her spit-laden mouth guard we know the thrill is gone.  In an effort to get the magic back, the suburban couple dresses up and heads to a fancy shmancy Manhattan restaurant.  A case of mistaken identity takes Phil and Claire on the ride of their lives and makes them almost appreciate their boring existence.  Tina Fey is very funny and Steve Carell is his usual nerdy, but hilarious self (Really, this guy is so un-sexy!  I'm betting the director gave Ms. Fey the drooly mouth guard to make his point but he probably told Mr. Carell to just show up in bed and act natural).  I laughed until tears streamed down my face; but I have to tell you, the two handsome men that I was with (one a teenager; the other not a teenager!) didn't laugh nearly as hard as I did.  Despite the pole dance, the car chase (both are departures from the normal fare), and the title, this is ultimately a chick-flick.

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David Benioff's City of Thieves is a great book that I hope will be made into a film (unfortunately, a quick search of IMDB didn't show anything currently in the works.)  City of Thieves is a buddy/odd couple/ road trip (minus the car)/ coming-of-age story that takes place during the Nazis' siege of Leningrad.  This compelling book is both frightening and funny with an underlying pathos.  Protagonists Lev Beniov and Kolya are both trying to balance staying alive with having a life when they find themselves in the same prison cell.  Their journey begins when they are released from prison to pursue an impossible task.  Mr. Benioff is an imaginative writer--he turned his novel, 25th Hour, into a screenplay that was brilliantly directed by Spike Lee and should have been nominated for an Oscar back in 2003.  Mr. Lee, if you are listening, I think Jude Law would be a great Kolya--and because he is one of he best actors out there, and he was amazing in your last novel-to-screenplay effort, Ed Norton would be a swell Lev!

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Check your mobile phone bills.  When you do you will probably notice that your teen is sending considerably more text messages than he/she is making phone calls.  When it comes to driving, both are dangerous but the combination of teenagers and texting is especially lethal.  You are 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash if you are texting and over 60 percent of teens say they text while driving.  Many states have laws that prohibit texting while driving, and there have been recent reports that they are stepping up the enforcement of these laws.  But, will knowing the statistics and law keep teens from texting behind the wheel?  Probably not.  It just doesn't fit with the "it won't happen to me" rebellious nature of the beast.  I have a few ideas that may help teens resist the temptation to text while driving:  1) Make them put their phone in the glove box and lock it before they start the car.  Yes, they can drive around the corner and turn the car off and get their phone out but at least you've made it more difficult.  2)  Show them this YouTube clip YouTube - Texting While Driving - British PSA (warning:  it's very graphic)  3)  Get them to sign a pledge to not text while driving and to wear one of the thumb rings that say, "texting kills" (think Lance Armstrong's yellow Live Strong bracelets, but black and for the thumb!) Thumbs Up to the Safest Holiday Ever - Take the Pledge.  4)  Cross your fingers and pray like crazy!

FRIDAY FROTH...

Despite my disappointment in the iPad, I'm a huge Apple fan and I am anxiously awaiting the release of the new iPhone OS 4 this summer.  (This will be Steve Jobs' chance to get the g [for genuflect] behind his name again in this blog.)  The new phone is promised to be more powerful and will be able to multitask.  There is a current limit of 180 apps that you can have on your phone but the new phone will be able to manage 2160 apps--amazing!  To get you started I thought I would introduce you to some favorites.  If you are already into apps, comment and let Qmuse know what your favorites are and why.

One of my favorites is Shazam--a great name and so fun.  If you hear a song you like or want to know more about it, just hold your phone up to a speaker and Shazam will tell you the name of the song you are hearing, who sings it, and more.  It will also connect you to iTunes to download the song.  You'll have to pay for the song download but the app is free.

Hungry?  Urbanspoon uses Wi-Fi to find you and then gives you restaurant recommendations in your area.  You can lock-in neighborhood, cuisine, or price and then shake your phone to find alternatives.  You can also get reviews and ratings and this app is also free.

 My Vacation will cost you $3.99 but it is worth it.  This application will help you plan your vacation, journal and then share your notes and pictures.  I want to go on vacation just to play with this app.

So many apps; so little time!

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And now for the HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM segment of FF...  Would you like to take a guess at the percentage of people that will be paying NO federal income tax this year?  The answer is 47 percent.  Yes, that means almost half of filers will pay nothing.  Most people that I queried guessed that the number would be in the in the 20 percent range.  It gets worse--of that 47 percent that pay no federal tax, 40 percent will actually get money back from the US Treasury.  Also interesting, the top 10 percent of earners pay 73 percent of taxes.  There are rumors that a VAT tax may be in America's near future.  It's controversial, especially now, because it's a consumer tax and it may slow consumption in an already slow economy.  Maybe, but I would be all for it if it replaced the income tax.  It makes no sense to me to penalize people for working and making money.

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If you are feeling down and want to wallow in your sadness then head to the nearest cinema and spend a couple of hours watching the recently released, The Greatest.  This film stars Pierce Brosnan, Susan Sarandon, and Carey Mulligan (An Education) and explores the different ways people grieve. There are no surprises in the ways that this families' grief is manifest, but there is a complication between the parents. The movie starts out strong--there is an especially good scene in the beginning of the movie of the family stuffed together in the backseat of a limo on their way home from a funeral.  The director keeps us in the car watching them for what seems like forever--it forces you to look at grief and feel just how uncomfortable it is.  There are some good moments throughout the movie, but it solves everything a little too fast and too tidy.  A good film if you need a good cry.

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In my continuing effort to keep us all feeling good and looking great, I have to report that an article in the New York Times this week suggest that when it comes to weight lifting, more weight is better: "...when women performed various resistance exercises at different weights and repetitions (85 percent of their maximum ability for 8 reps, versus 45 percent for 15).  Subjects lifting more weight fewer times burned more energy and had a greater metabolic boost after exercise."  Two other studies support this finding and one specified that the women who used the heavier weights lost more "intra-abdominal" fat.  So, the bad news is that your gym workout needs to be harder.  The good news is that you'll be out of there sooner and headed for that latte with non-fat milk, because we all know you need some protein within 30 minutes of a workout to really benefit those muscles.