One consequence of your blog having rodent readers who comment

This morning, I checked SIAJ on my phone to see if I needed to respond to any comments.  Google chose an interesting banner ad for the last post…

Noirmania

“Who’s Crazy Now?” was this year’s Noir City theme, and they stuck to it pretty well.  Every movie seemed to involved someone going a little cuckoo.  I suppose it’s not too hard to find such films in the genre.  I went to a record 12 flix this year (out of 24) including both 4-film overload Saturdays.  Hard to pick a favorite–  but probably I would have to go with  Fritz Lang’s”The Secret Beyond the Door” — in which our heroine is swept off her feet by a stranger she meets in Mexico, marries too quickly and is brought to live in his mansion filled with eccentric relatives and remodeled rooms that replicate famous murder scenes!.  It’s a goofy plot with fantastic cinematography and great suspense.

the Mighty Wulitzer plays to a packed house

a few fedora hats in the lobby...

Where were we?

We just took a vacation, but we were both working. Except for one day, when one of us ate pork puns (dim sum) and an innovative taco outdoors. One of us, however, had an Americano from a satellite branch of one of San Francisco’s holy trinity of espresso purveyors. We stayed in a hotel, but never once went in or out of their front door. Fancy meals included antelope and turnip soup. One of us almost forgot his dirty laundry in a drawer. It wasn’t too far away. Where were we?

Hint:

Because every post needs a picture.

Four letters. Your turn …

P.S.

KiwiTunes

Speaking of New Zealand, and hallelujah! The album I spent most of our return flight L-O-V-I-N-G, by the Wellington-based Phoenix Foundation, has just been released on iTunes. It’s called “Buffalo” and they were one of the featured artists in the musical portion of Air New Zealand’s audio entertainment during the month of December. Enjoy the video I’ve embedded below and check ’em out; if you likee let me know.

P.S. Brad, I also really dug the latest Flight of the Conchords album. Have you seen this video?

Very delayed vacation pix post- Part 1

Did we ever get around to posting about our trip to NZ? If not, here are a few pix from the days spent in the capital Wellington. I felt very at home in “windy” Welly –coffee, “bad” weather, beautiful harbor, arts scene, cable cars … it was quite comfortable.

Mt. Doom as seen from the train

Cable Car Down Under (& cricket pitch in the background)

the Beehive (NZ's capitol building)

Wellington Phoenix vs. "same old Aussies ... always cheating"

one of us impersonating a sundial (it was actually 4 pm ... amazing!)

Breakfast 1/15/11

Caffe Pascucci apparently is an Italian chain which just opened up its first store in the US down in South Beach.  I stopped by on the way home from work yesterday with high expectations.  I was hoping for an Italian Blue Bottle, but instead found an Italian Starbucks–  with muffins that are even more stale.  bleh.  At least the barista had a sexy accent.  That’s about it.

i'm not sure what the hell a "frapuccino confuso" is

 

Foodie map of the month

I’m starting to see this map on more than one food blog– which gives each state its prototypical food.  Grapes for California, chiles for New Mexico and so on.    But Utah?  What is that big GREEN square??  hmm…  OHH!

click to enlarge

 

And to think that 9-down’s clue was “carte blanche”

An amazing experience this morning.  I had Bar Agricole ALL TO MYSELF.  It’s not often that you get to treat a San Francisco hot spot as your own personal playground.  But if:

– the hot spot recently just started serving morning coffee

– it’s a rainy January weekday morning

– and there is nothing on the menu except for espresso drinks and laugenbrötchen…

… then you might be in luck.  I’m sure it won’t last.  Brunch is on the way and word will soon spread.  But today, I was able to do my crossword and enjoy a top quality americano in peace with no laptop zombies or cellphone chatterers in sight.

Scenes from a staycation

a new urban hike

Troy's annual attempt at cooking dinner

snack before Kurosawa film at Viz

eating out Fri night