Cheesey

Many of you have lived through hearing about my unfullfilled business ideas ranging from cupcakes to a men's salons. My latest business infatuation is a restaurant. I have always thought it would be great to operate a small eatery. Now, I would not know where to start but the idea sounds great. San Francisco is a food city. It would not be easy. But there is restaurant in NYC I would love to copy and open up here. S'mac. Everybody loves mac 'n cheese and several posh places here have it on its menu. M-n-cheese would be the main attraction here. Love it. The mini cast iron skillets embody comfort food. Prices are modest. It would be a sure fire success. Care to help me start?

Extra Money

With Michelle away until February I gave myself a few goals to meet during that time. One, of course, is to run and bike more. This I am finding hard to achieve due to the weather. I am finding it hard to find the motivation to battle the chill and when I do, I am finding my feet are turning numb...I need to wear two socks.

Where I am succeeding in is finding unique and quick ways to make an extra buck. A quick scan of craigslist is an electronic mine of opportunity. There are numerous odd jobs and tasks people are willing to pay you for. One of them is taking part in focus groups, which are plentiful in SF. Now, to do this I can not tell the company what I really do for a living but that is easy. If I do I will be automatically disqualified. I pulled in $200 thanks to an IBM focus group and $50 for a web site design group. I have another lined up in a two weeks, $50.

Other things in the works include passing out hors d'oeuvres at a posh event, $100 for three hours and being a cycling model for a photo shoot for some marketing group, $75.

While this will not make me rich it is fun and makes life interesting. It makes me want to find some other way to constantly make money instead of my daily 9-5. And heck, who can't use a few extra dollars?

Aloha

I walked into a tiny Hawaiian restaurant for dinner and was greated with a pleasant "Aloha". I had the urge to say aloha back but didn't, feeling my aloha would be less genuine since I am not Hawaiian, don't work there, and really just wanted to grab a quick bite to eat. Plus, I thought is was kitchey and one time only, meant just for me. Then lady said it to every customer who walked in the door. And after I ordered the waitress said "Maholo". Again, I had the urge to say mahalo back but didn't. She was saying this to every customer. Then I got to wondering, in a place with so many countries represented on the menu, this is the only place where they greet everybody in the native language. Yes, I know, Hawaii is not a country, but you get my point. I walk into a Vietnamese restaurant and the staff greets me in English. The Turish place I frequent, they don't speak Turkish. Thai, Pakastani, Russian, Indian, they all greet me in English. Every now and then in a Japanese restaurant they will say "Konbanwa" (good evening) but mostly is it 'hello'.

What seperates Hawaiian from the others? Do they feel adding value in saying these little pleasantries in Hawaiian will make my dining experience any better? I don't think so. The only way you can make Hawaiian dining any better is to give me a real life view of a Hawaiian beach while I am gnawing on my chicken katsu. Aloha.

In my ear

Remember when Napster was first starting?
I have yet to get an iPod or any mp3 player for that matter. My mother is hipper in that category as she has one. Heck, I don't even own my own computer. The internet is revolutionizing how music is distributed and heard, we know this. I recently read an article stating the internet has given new life to the once 'dying' classical music scene. With the internew, new listeners are downloading classical music because it is easy and nobody else has to know it. There is no great risk in downloading something you are not particularly familiar with. Despite my lack of online music prowness, that does not stop an auidofile like myself from enjoying music. Here is what has my ear right now.

1. Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense. This is not something I just stumbled upon but everytime I reach for a CD or LP (yes, that is what I have) I reach for this. 'This Must Be the Place' is as mesmorizing now as it was when I first heard it. 'The less we say about it the better Make it up as we go along Feet on the ground Head in the sky It's ok I know nothing's wrong . . nothing...

2. Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals - Lifeline. The new album is simply brilliant. It is acoustic, it is bluesy, it is Ben Harper at his best.

3. Toby Keith - Big Dog Daddy. I am a sucker for country music. I am not ashamed of my country love. I am not a big fan of his Ford commercials or his try at holiday music, but Toby's no-nonesense style is always fun.

4. Radiohead. Anything and always.

Twice in 1 Year

My feet were on fire, my hips in ached and my knees cringed in pain, but somehow I managed to cross the finish line of my second marathon this year. Once again the best part about it was running it with my good friend Omar. To make it even better Omar and I had our own little cheering section, his parents.

This race is one of the better supported marathons I have run. All along the race course there were people cheering you on, especially the final 4 miles. It sure is an emotional boost having them there. You can't stop running when somebody is cheering you on. The course takes you from the Folsom Dam to the State Capital and running in December you see all the vibrant tree colors.

And talk about a post race score! An All You Can Eat Buffet ...for $4.99! If you are ever in Sacratomato and in the need for a good inexpensive meal, I highly recommend Annabelle's in Old Town.