2.69
$2.69. That’s the price I paid per gallon of gas last night at Costco. I don’t remember the last time I saw/paid a price so low for gas. It must be more than 2 years ago that prices were at this level. Similarly I don’t remember the last time I paid less than $50 for a full tank. Last night my total came out to $44. Compared to just last month when I paid $3.65 per gallon for a total of $58, the numbers last night were like music to my ears.

The question next is will this last?

Happy Article
There was a very good article in Saturday’s Chronicle/SFGate.

Class surprises lesbian teacher on wedding day

This is one of those rare happy stories you wished you see more of on the newspaper. It brought a smile to my face after I read it. Congratulations to the happy couple.

I’ve been in the habit of reading comments by fellow readers to gauge how everyone else feels about things happening around us. This article drew more than 2500 comments. I’m not surprised as Prop 8 is a hot topic lately. I couldn’t read all 2500+ comments of course, but here are a few that either I agree with or I think deserve a mention.


“At first, I was a bit conflicted about the actual term 'marriage'. My confusion was rooted in what I felt that the actual term 'marriage' was at heart an originally religious term signifying commitment between a man and a woman. But that simple term 'marriage' imparts many rights in this country too. So after a bit of thought I've come to the conclusion that 'marriage' means more about 'rights' as far as taxes, inheritance, visitation rights, adoption, etc. than the strict religious meaning, at least according to current Federal and most states laws. So just logically for me* it seems that same sex couples should have the same 'rights' heterosexual couples have. Equal rights under the law would seem to dictate that. I'm voting 'NO' on prop 8....”

“This class field trip is not parents or administrators advancing their own ideologies. It is not a waste of time or indoctrination. It IS an opportunity for these children to get a hands-on experience with a real current event. A good education goes beyond the classroom to the world that kids actually live in.”

"’How many days in school are they going to remember?’ asked parent Marc Lipsett. ‘This is a day they'll definitely remember.’ Totally agree with this quote. I'm happy that the kids got to take part in this event.”

"i am studying early childhood education and we are taught in our abti biased curriculum class that same sex coupleing should be taught/adressed because otherwise you are teaching the children to be biased or discriminatory just like not teaching children about other cultures teaches them bias and racism etc."

“Hey! That's great! Congratulations to the happy couple! But...get those kids back to school! There's plenty of reading and arithmetic to be learned. They're definitely not going to learn any good math in City Hall!”

Two new Yelp reviews by yours truly:

Xyclo (Asian Fusion/Vietnamese - Piedmont, Oakland)
As long as you don't go with a preconception of what Vietnamese food should be, you will enjoy your meal at Xyclo. Authenticity aside, the flavors are full & robust. Overall, good.

Notable dishes are the Beef Carpaccio, Bun Hanoi, and Garlic Herb Noodles. The Bun Hanoi resembles the authentic Vietnamese version the most. The Carpaccio, while nowhere near authentic (capers?), is very tasty nonetheless. I actually enjoy what the capers do to the dish. The Garlic Herb Noodles is a must do to add to the experience.

Dishes that disappoint are the Xyclo Rolls, the Tumbling Dice, and Butterfly Prawns. The Xyclo Rolls are too bland, even with the fish sauce. I think this is mainly due to the lack of meat and over abundance of veggies in them. The Tumbling Dice, while the meat is decent, should not be served with the balsamic vinegarette salad. That's just wrong. But here I violate my own rule of not having a preconception of Vietnamese food. But I can't help it. I would be happier having it with a salad with fish sauce, like green papaya salad. The Butterfly Prawns are almost there. Just a dash more seasoning for flavor would complete it.

Overall this is a chic fusionized restaurant with a nice atmosphere and tasty food.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars


Zanze's Cheesecake (Bakery - Ocean Ave, SF)
I don't eat anything with cheese...but I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS CHEESECAKE. That says it all.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Eric Benet vs Double Chin
*Sigh* When I first looked at this picture, I didn’t see Eric Benet. I didn’t see the celebrity singer that came by our station this morning. Instead, I see my double chin! Yes, that’s the one thing that stick outs (literally) at me (or on me) in the picture. Since when has this crept up on me?? My guess is since January as that was the last time I went to the gym. I need to snap back into shape. But…easier said than done. *Sigh*

Boyfriend du Jour
Yes, I’m married. I know. But my boyfriend of the day is Robin Thicke. He came by our station for a live interview this morning. He is so so nice. No attitude whatsoever. No arrogance. Just down to earth and friendly. When I went into the studio, HE came up to ME to shake MY hand and to ask for MY name. Then after we took this picture, HE thanked ME. Oh, I melted. Heehee. And of course, he is so so cute also.

Black Hole
I grew up in SF. Lived practically all my life here. I can say I know the city in and out...except for one area. That's the woodsy area by Glen Park. This is the one "black hole" in my knowledge of this wonderful city. Everytime I drive by on O'Shaughnessy Boulevard I look over to the canyon and wonder what's there. This green and woodsy patch seem so far removed from the metropolis city, but yet, it's smack in the middle of the city. I've always wanted to wander into this black hole and explore. Today there's an article on SFGate.com featuring this rare jewel of the city. It offers information on how to get to the area, how to navigate the canyon, and even where to stop and eat afterwards. Armed with this information, I'm determined to finally pay this gap in my geographical knowledge of SF a visit.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/07/NSJM1238B1.DTL

Gee, this just sucks all the romance out of an engagement doesn’t it?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25846393

I’m not siding with either party here, but the precedence this legal case sets turns the whole notion of an engagement being based on the desire of a couple in love to live the remaining of their lives together into some sort of contract. That’s just wrong.

Hurrah for our station!
The newest Arbitron radio ratings book came out this afternoon and our station got one of its highest ratings ever. In the Bay Area, our station was ranked #1 in the Women Aged 25-54 demographic in the overall category of Mon-Sun 6am-Midnight. Women aged 25-54 is the most sought after demographic in the world of ratings and advertising. That’s where the money is. Armed with #1 ratings with this group, we are sure to attract advertisers. Besides the overall category of Mon-Sun 6am-12midnight, our weekday morning show also ranked #1 in that demographic. Our weekday afternoon show ranked #1 amongst Women Aged 25-49. These are all good numbers. Numbers our sales team is sure to boast to clients. When these numbers reached us this afternoon, everyone jumped up in joy. Needless to say, a couple bottles of champagne also got into the mix. ;-)

Nepalese Youth Opportunity Foundation (NYOF)
This is a very inspiring story. It shows how one person can make a world of a difference.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/22/MNVJ11RHRQ.DTL

Good Eats
RF and I found a gem of a restaurant in our area. It's an old-fashioned Italian Restaurant called Bertolucci's. It's situated right by the freeway off of Grand Ave. You can probably find us there a lot in the future. Here's my yelp of it:

My husband and I saw the episode of Check Please Bay Area that featured Sodini's Bertolucci's and decided this is a place to try. The old-school Italian flavor appealed to our constant quest for authentic regional foods. And now that we actually live in SSF, there's really no excuse not to give this old-school charmer a try. Last Friday we made the trip there with a friend. Without a doubt all the good things the show raved about proved to be true. From the authenticity of the food to the Godfather-like atmosphere in the middle of nowhere, this restaurant did not disappoint.

Here's list of what we had:

(1) Bruchetta ($8): This is THE MOST DELICIOUS bruchetta I've ever had. The bread initially felt a little hard as I took the first bite, but then after that it was perfectly crunchy. It's a good contrasting texture to the soft tomatoes, which were marinated with a very tasty olive oil and just the right amount of basil and garlic. The amount of garlic on it was perfect. Not too much, not too little. I've had tasty bruchetta before that had too much garlic. So much that I would have to seek the rescue of a minty gum after the meal. But not this one. This one gives you the garlicky taste but not the breath to show for it afterwards.

(2) Linguini with Clams & Mussels ($18): Very tasty pasta served with whole, shelled clams and mussels lining the perimeter of the plate along with clam meats mixed in the red sauce. They did not skim out on the seafood on this one.

(3) Spaghetti and Meatballs ($16): My husband feels this dish can really show off an Italian restaurant's authenticity. Sure enough, Bertolucci's served up a killer one. There were 2 golf ball-sized meat balls with the plateful of chewy spaghetii and meat sauce. The sauce was just perfect in flavor. Not to sweet, not too tangy. Just perfect.

All the pastas came out piping hot and portion sizes were huge. The downside to that is we had no room left for dessert. Next time we will save our stomach's for dessert.

As with the food, the service was excellent. The wait staff was smiley and attentive. Our waitress did make one mistake - she forgot to serve the Minestrone soup our friend ordered. But once we reminded her of it, she immediately apologized profusely and comped us the soup for free. We said that wasn't necessary but she insisted. This got high marks from us.

In terms of value, this restaurant gives you the bang for your buck. For $92, three of us got 1 appetizer, 3 pasta dishes, and 3 glasses of wine. While it doesn't qualify as cheap everyday eat, it doesn't break the bank either. I say this is a good place to enjoy a nice meal with close friends or family. My husband says it's also a nice place for a first date, which I have to say I agree.

Slow Down
I’ve been seeing a lot of CHP out on the freeways lately. They hide behind bushes waiting for their prey. Some even have their radar guns pointed towards traffic. This week I saw two such cops with radar guns active on 101 in the Brisbane area, on both north and southbound shoulders. So slow down everyone.

I’ve actually already been driving slower lately, regardless of the CHP. With gas prices so high, I’m doing anything I can to save a few drops. I’ve been trying to drive 55 mph as most people suggest as the most fuel-efficient speed. But let me tell ya, it’s very hard to do. I feel like grandma going at 55 with people passing me at “regular” speeds. Sometimes I succeed. Other times I just give in and drive 65.

I did notice, however, a couple of good things with my slow driving crusade. (1) Some people actually slow down with me. They don’t mind going slow either! (2) Those who continue to go at their regular speeds do not honk at me to get out of the way. They simply change lanes to pass. This makes me think people are very aware of the benefits of driving slower and they do not mind that other people do it. No more roadraging assholes forcing people to go fast with them. That is amazing.

Anyone else driving slower lately to save a few drops of gas?

This is a good idea, but let's just see if it works. I hope so.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/14/BADA11J69S.DTL

Here's a picture of the charred south side of San Bruno Mountain. The fire line actually went even lower on the mountain (which means the fire got even closer to us!) than I thought. Yikes!

Good Idea
This may be something all parents out there should do.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/06/24/national/a213405D63.DTL&tsp=1

Good job Madelyn! Smart thinking Jessica.

Another Close Call
We had another close call last night when a wildfire broke out on San Bruno Mt. at about 7:20pm. While the grass fire that broke out on May 21st burnt 7 acres and was contained within a couple hours, last night’s fire grew to 5-alarm and burnt over 200 acres. It was declared under control at midnight but full containment wasn’t declared until 11am this morning, 16 hours after it started. Cause of the fire is still undetermined.

Our house is about 0.5 to 1 mile from the fire site. We had a clear vantage point of it from our kitchen window and our backyard. Here is a picture I took from the backyard. You can see the fire outlining the mountain ridge.

Fortunately for us and especially for all the people in the surrounding neighborhoods, weather conditions last night favored firefighting efforts. Relative humidity was high and winds were considerably calm. With winds blowing to the east and our house being to the south and west, we were confident we were not in the path of the fire. Actually, RF was more confident than me. I was a bit nervous to be honest. Just one wild gust of wind can blow an ember any which way to spark another fire totally unexpectedly. Thank goodness that didn’t happen.

Here is a SF Chronicle report of this fire and all the other fires in the Bay Area over the weekend:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/23/BAS011DN5B.DTL&tsp=1

Every generation is probably going to have a different version of this. Comparing generations may give insights on how the country progressed, or in some (most?) cases, regressed.

Here’s a look at what the folks in 1955 said:


- I'll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it's going to be impossible to buy a week's groceries for $20.00.

- Have you seen the new cars coming out next year? It won't be long before $2,000.00 will only buy a used one.

- If cigarettes keep going up in price, I'm going to quit. A quarter a pack is ridiculous.

- Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging a dime just to mail a letter?

- If they raise the minimum wage to $1.00, nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store.

- When I first started driving, who would have thought gas would someday cost 29 cents a gallon. Guess we'd be better off leaving the car in the garage.

- Kids today are impossible. Those duck tail hair cuts make it impossible to stay groomed. Next thing you know, boys will be wearing their hair as long as the girls.

- I'm afraid to send my kids to the movies any more. Ever since they let Clark Gable get by with saying DAMN in GONE WITH THE WIND, it seems every new movie has either HELL or DAMN in it.

- I read the other day where some scientist thinks it's possible to put a man on the moon by the end of the century. They even have some fellows they call astronauts preparing for it down in Texas.

- Did you see where some baseball player just signed a contract for $75,000 a year just to play ball? It wouldn't surprise me if someday they'll be making more than the President.

- I never thought I'd see the day all our kitchen appliances would be electric. They are even making electric typewriters now.

- It's too bad things are so tough nowadays. I see where a few married women are having to work to make ends meet.

- It won't be long before young couples are going to have to hire someone to watch their kids so they can both work.

- Marriage doesn't mean a thing any more, those Hollywood stars seem to be getting divorced at the drop of a hat.

- I'm afraid the Volkswagen car is going to open the door to a whole lot of foreign business.

- Thank goodness I won't live to see the day when the Government takes half our income in taxes. I sometimes wonder if we are electing the best people to congress.

- The drive-in restaurant is convenient in nice weather, but I seriously doubt they will ever catch on.

- No one can afford to be sick anymore, at $35.00 a day in the hospital it's too rich for my blood.

- If they think I'll pay 50 cents for a hair cut, forget it.

Vietnam
Although I didn’t dare to the ride a bike in Vietnam when I visited almost two years ago, I can relate to a lot of the things touched upon by this article. The descriptions of the sceneries, of the people, of the lifestyle along with accompanying pictures, all brought back images from my trip. Reading this article brings the whole trip back to life. Enjoy.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/15/TRFB10URQ6.DTL

What If?
As most of you know, my husband and I purchased our home about two months ago in April. We actually didn’t mean to purchase a home that early. Our original plan was to get married in January, go on our honeymoon in May, then start looking for a home in June. But in February we got teased by the declining prices and decided to jump the gun on our home purchase. By April we found and purchased our current home. At that time we heard all sorts of opinions on the timing of our purchase. “Buy now…it’s a buyer’s market.” “Wait a little longer…prices are still falling.” Yadi Yada. After 2 months, we sometimes wonder “WHAT IF we had waited another two months like we originally planned?” With home prices continuing to drop, would we have gotten a better deal now? That is hard to say. But both my husband and I are very happy with our decision to buy at the time we did and here is why.

The real estate bubble started to burst last August. By April of this year the market had already accumulated a large inventory of unsold homes. With that, prices had already gone down significantly. It’s true prices are still falling as we speak, but how much speculating can one do? We are not property flippers looking for the best deal. Like many middle class workers out there, we’re merely normal citizens who were bitterly priced out of the real estate market since the early 2000s but finally saw a glimmer of hope as the market waned. By April, prices were finally affordable enough for us to consider paying mortgages, property taxes, and whatever expenses that may come with homeownership.

Since the down turn of the real estate market, the country has been on pins and needles about a looming recession. This led the Feds to slash interest rates by 3% in the matter of months. This was another important factor to drive us to buy - interest rates were lower than they had been in a long time. So at that point in time, we enjoyed the benefits brought on by the combined factors of lower home prices and lower interest rates.

Then little did anyone (including us) could predict, mortgage rates have actually been steadily rising again since April. Today the rate is 0.875% higher than the day we locked in our mortgage rate. Do not under estimate the difference of 0.875%. This equates to $235 more a month in mortgage payments. That’s a significant amount.

To analyze if we made a good decision to purchase our home two months ago compared to purchasing one today, let’s put these two factors together - decreasing home prices and rising interest rates. With mortgage rates 0.875% higher than two months ago, a comparable deal today would require a purchase price that is 10% lower than our purchase price two months ago. I don’t know what the statistical numbers are but from what I see in the market nowadays, there isn’t a comparable house similar to ours that is selling for 10% cheaper. Houses in our area that are listed for that price level all require a substantial amount of work to bring up to par. So in retrospect, we made a wise decision to purchase our home two months ago versus now. Versus one year from now? Who knows. The bottom line is we are happy with our purchase and we thank all the forces that came into play to make it happen.

Call Me Skeptical
I was at Costco again yesterday. Although I wasn’t there for gas (I learned my lesson already), I couldn’t help but take a peak at their gas prices to compare. A gallon of regular unleaded went for $4.40 a gallon. Compared to $3.99 on May 27 (the last time I bought gas there), the price had gone up $0.41 in 2.5 weeks. 41 cents in 2 and a half weeks!! That’s beyond ridiculous. Call me skeptical, but I cannot ignore any suggestion of price fixing in the oil industry.

Miracle Baby
This is the kind of stories I like to read. The kind that leaves me smiling. The kind that leaves me to believe in miracles and hope.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/24999650/?GT1=43001

Costco Gas
Costco is raking in the money as drivers flock to their gas stations for their lower-priced fuel. Since moving to our new home, we’ve been considering fueling up at the nearby Costco to save a few pennies at the pump. At our old place we never made a point to go to Costco for gas. We would get it if we were there, but never did we purposely go there for it. But now that we are so much closer to a Costco, we thought we can now fuel up at Costco purposely.

Last night we made our first trek to Costco for gas. Bad idea! The line was 20 minutes long! I’ve never waited more than 2 minutes at a regular corner gas station. The line to get into the fueling area snaked around the warehouse’s parking lot. I had to do a double take to make sure I was in the correct lane to be in line rather than to get into the parking lot. It was ridiculous. We almost decided to leave when we saw the line. We probably should’ve.

What we saved - $2.56. Yes, we saved a measly $2.56 while waiting idle in line for 20 minutes. Instead of paying $4.15 a gallon for regular at the Chevron near work, we paid $3.99 at Costco. I’m wondering if we SPENT the $2.56 we saved just for being in idle for 20 minutes! Then add to that the 20 minutes we could’ve spent doing something else. That’s an opportunity cost that I don’t even know how to calculate. Not to be snobby, I don’t think it’s worth the agony to save $2.56. So lesson learned for us. Forget Costco. Just fuel up at the corner gas station and save ourselves the agony.

For Costco though, they are laughing to the bank with this fuel crisis we are in. Look at our case last night for example. Within the 20 minutes we were there, I estimate the line was 4 cars deep at each of the 10 pumps (that’s 40 cars) plus another 20 cars snaking around the parking lot. That’s 60 cars, each fueling an average of let’s say $65 per tank. That’s $3900 in 20 minutes. I can’t even fathom how much they make a day!

Shopping to Save the World

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24622958/

The title of this article drew me to read it. It’s about what small choices we can make to be more environmentally friendly. One big insight the article offers is that spreading the word about being eco-friendly is probably the first big thing we can do for the environment. Hence I am here spreading the word.

While I am not the biggest tree hugger on the block, I am taking baby steps towards this worldly cause. I recently brought a reusable mug to work so I don’t have to use a paper cup everyday. Next I’ll be bringing in a set of reusable utensils so that I can also cut out my plastic fork and spoon usage. As the supply buyer for our company, I’ve been searching out recycled products as best I can. Over the weekend, my husband and I opted to buy a Brita water pitcher instead of a new case of bottled water to cut down on plastic bottles. We sometimes use a reusable shopping bag when we go grocery shopping to cut down on plastic bags. Yes, I said “sometimes” because here lies one of our biggest weaknesses. We cannot totally cut out plastic bags from our household. We still prefer to use plastic bags in our garbage bins. They’re just cleaner and more convenient. If anyone can suggest a better way to go about handling our garbage, please do not hesitate to educate us.

Close Call
A grass fire broke out on the northeastern end of San Bruno Mountain yesterday, just a couple miles from our home. Though I didn't think the fire would reach us, it was a bit too close for comfort.

Here's a link to The Chronicle's report of the incident.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/20/BA1210PQ45.DTL&tsp=1

All Moved In
We are all moved in! Yesterday, May 7, was our official move-in day at our new house. Since we were previously in a one-bedroom apartment, we didn’t have much to move. Therefore the move was fast and easy. From the time RF left the apartment to pick up the rental truck (8am) to the time he returned the truck after the move (1pm), it was only 5 hours. That includes going to 3 cities and crossing a bridge. That’s fast. We even got a lot of unpacking done. There’s still more to do but at least the vital ones are done. We can do the rest as we continue to settle in.

Now the painful part starts. We have to look into a couple of repairs soon. That’s the downside of homeownership that everyone wants to ignore but can’t. Oh well, it comes with the territory and we have no regrets.

This Is Our House
We did it! We bought a house. We chased the All American Dream. Escrow closed on Friday (not without drama of course) and we immediately started to work on the house to prep it for move-in. We really didn't have to do anything as the house was in move-in condition, but we thought we give it a little of our own touch before settling in.

On Saturday a few of our dear friends came to help us paint the entire interior, install various items, and cut the over-grown grass in the front lawn. It was a very successful work day. We accomplished everything we wanted to do plus more. With just a few more minor touches, we will be ready to move in in about a week.

We cannot wait until the day the house is complete and we take everything in and say "This is our house."

My Fairy Tale Wedding



I could not have asked for a better wedding. It was beautiful, warm, and blessed with sunshine and happy faces. A heartfelt THANK YOU to those who attended and to those who helped make it turn out the way it did. Here I'm sharing a portion of the ceremony with everyone.