Suddenly Single ~ Minded

What San Francisco Needs Now- The Top 20 List Today

1. More everyone holding hands

2. More Clement St shopkeepers cleaning the dirty icky sidewalks

3. More $1 cups of great coffee

4. More Free Days at Cal Academy of Sciences

5. More free concerts in the park

6. More fabulous Pinot Noirs for $10.00

7. More  FAIR parking meters that take dimes- which buy 10 minutes /not 1

8. More “I Love You”s

9. More people walking – all over

10. More kids outside on swings, slides, and carousels

11. More museums with – random -Free Days

12. More Sneak Peek Movie Preview

13. More Ms Manners; less Entitled

14. More  people shopping at bookstores like the  West Portal Book Store and Book Passages

15. More parking  garages that welcome visitors – don’t “rob” them at $10 per hr

16. More Laugh lines~~ less botox

17. “Please, thanks, you’re welcome”

18. More  Tolerance and patience – like the good old days

19. More ‘hi, hello, hey, how ya doing,’ exchanges

20. More clothing donations to Casa de las Madres via drop at Community Thrift Store on Valencia

“There is no such thing as sensory overload”.

Walk right past Victoria’s Secret, Cartier, Tiffany’s and Prada. And don’t give Jimmy Choo’s Shoes a second look.
The sexiest store of the season is, without a doubt,  Williams- Sonoma.

With the  holiday season  upon us and fall  in the air; and everyone needs some spice in their  life. This is the best place to indulge the appetite and senses.

Enter this sybaritic splendor of Williams-Sonoma and be prepared to be both galvanized and seduced by the scrumptious displays. Even the air is infused with the aromas of cinnamon, and nutmeg and cloves. Stunning displays of pumpkin bread, ginger cookies, persimmon cakes, Maine Maple Syrup and yummy aebleskiver mixes, eye-catching cookbooks and gleaming copper pans tower on display tables.
Williams Sonoma knows about perfect placement of product. They go for seductive and satisfying ~ always a very winning combination.

The smell of cinnamon, butter and sugar waft through the air and you easily conjure up plans for baked apples, pumpkin pancakes with maple syrup, cinnamon tea, and breakfast in bed. The jewel tones of the season paired with the delectable aromas automatically inspires; happy home and… happy hearts~

It’s the season for cranberries, dried cherries, plump persimmons, ruby colored pomegranates and sensual Satsumas. The piece d résistance: tins of pretty pink and white peppermints stacked daintily on oak tables next to jars of silky chocolate sauces. So, when you are ready for an epicurean adventure, get thee to a Williams-Sonoma and spice it up. Bon Appetit!

You have  been “Lost in Space” & didn’t know it…
It happens. In the wide, wonderful, world of e-mail, every once in awhile that very special pivotal electronic message gets lost in “Ether Space”. It’s the Netherworld, that 10th Ring of Hell where, just like socks, e-mails go missing.

And, yes it’s happened to you. You just didn’t realize it. What you thought was a rejection or a rebuff, in reality, may have simply been a “Triple E,  an Ether Evaporated E-mail”.

Cell phone free-Doug wrote Erin a beautifully crafted, romantic poem of epic proportions in response to her invitation for a weekend in the Wine Country. For two days, she patiently perched near her computer waiting  for this response.    Nada. Zilch. Zero response.                                                    Erin sadly concluded Doug was ‘not that into her’…sigh…perhaps he was  a bit of cur… an, then…she concluded: “What a jerk. Next.”

Upon return from the weekend of wine tasting, tennis, chess, and charades with her friends, she checked her emails. There she finally discovered the most eloquent, poetic, e-mail from Doug accepting her invitation. Unfortunately, the long awaited e-mail was lost in the far recesses of Ether Space for several days before surfacing. It happens.

Merrygail tells the story of meeting “the most wonderful man from Santa Fe” while waiting for a plane at Denver International.  Due to “weather” and delayed flights, they spent 4 hours chatting, having coffee and being totally mesmerized with one another. They exchanged business cards and emails and reluctantly boarded  planes to their respective homes. She just knew she had met her soul mate. And then, she never heard from him again.  She sent 3 email in 3 weeks and never heard a word. Chalking it up to a “cest la vie” event – she went on. Disappointed.

One year to the month later, she was in line at the MOMA and ‘Santa Fe guy’ walked up -looked at Merrygail and point blank asked “Why didn’t you respond to my emails?” She asked him the same question…

Lost in Space...She is now Married Marrygail and living a happily ever after life

There is a new saying, “When in doubt: don’t Rescind the invitation, Resend”.

Are you still foraging through your closets looking for the perfect Halloween costume or have you given up the ghost and decided to stay home dressed up as yourself?       Here are  fun activities to lift your spirits.

Hot tickets today: Rick Steves at the  SF Commonwealth Club 12n

Traverso’s Delicatessen in Santa Rosa celebrates Columbus Day all month long and along with the Lunardis , Draegers , Mollie Stones they celebrate with My Nonnis Raviolis and Meat Sauce. Yum! These raviolis are the  perfect meal to serve on Halloween night. A mere ten minutes from the freezer to your table, and they  taste like homemade. Do yourself a favor. Ciao, baby.

Very Hot: Dr. Oz is interviewed by California Oregon Broadcasting Inc (COBI) president, Patsy Smullin. Dr Oz is the new Dr Phil. He is all about Real Age. The doctor is in and real hot. Last week Smullin was awarded the Oregon Governor’s Gold Award in Portland.

Out of the Closet on California and Polk is crawling with creative costume haunters. The countdown continues for those still deciding whether to be  Ghosts, Goblins, Hobos, Gypsies, Be-witches: be-wear.

Beginners class yoga at The Mindful Body on California Street with Dee. Monday and Wednesday  nights at 730 PM; serene, slow, fun and meditative. A gift you give yourself for a cold October Monday night.

Garrison Keillor at Cal Performances/Zellerbach Hall tonight /WED/ at 8 pm

Get out there and raise your spirits, your heart rate, or a glass. Happy Haunting.

Spooky Michael from Lombard Street writes:

A Haunting we will go…Ready to give up the ghost?       Spirits need lifting?

If your days of handing out snickers, as well as candy, on Halloween are over ~

Come on over to the other side.

We are the Aw-come on.com Salon. A gaggle of jokesters who prefer pranks and tricks to mundane sweets…

Hearty and hale, we number 13×3, and are comprised of all three genders

(That got your attention…)

Some are quiet philanthropists and others are noisy philanderers, one polyglot, one polyamorous, one bisexual, one try-sexual, a Rolex Rider avec Harley, a few preppies, two die hard Eileen Fisher fans replete with mandatory chunky necklace, true femme fatales-  two ol guys who default to Tommy Bahamas attire only, six bike -coalition -easy -riders,  and the rest of us – a bevy of Snow White’s and we’ve drifted…Really Tall Dwarfs? We’ve got Grumpy, Happy, Trippy, Tipsy, … and a whole passel of people who eschew any and all  labels.

The Boars Head and the Bullshed, Ella’s and Eliza’s  are a few  of our favorite haunts and we absolutely refuse to frequent any establishment where the words ‘gobble’ or ‘burger’ are present … We avoid Union Street /Square like the Bubonic and prefer Gin and tonic…

Collectively, we miss Henry Africa’s, Thomas Lord’s, La Pergola, BLUMS, The Wash Bag, Pierce St. Annex, Dante’s on Columbus and Paoli’s, Doro’s and Vanessi’s. ‘The Committee’ and the very merry pranksters, The Suicide Club inspire us.

We have a lively agenda – hauntingly beautiful ideas for Tricks – sans treats- for all hallows eve in The City.

Mike and the 09 Merry Pranksters

sign up.

Looking for love in all the wrong places?

There are a million stories in the dated city. Some are all lightness and air and others are like the Clint Eastwood movie: The Good the Bad and the Ugly. The ugly: the romance scams which are rampant at on line dating sites. Dubbed ‘the Nigerian hustle’, these scams have been the subject of a fascinating MSNBC special, and the subject of  a recent Dr. Phil show. A quick search on line indicates that  a huge number of  Dating Alert Websites have cropped up to warn and alert on line daters of the hustles and scams that are so prevalent.

Both Janice in CT and Anne in Houston wrote similar Match.com stories to say, “It all started with a wink”. Both women  were flattered by ‘a wink’ from a great looking guy in San Francisco. His profile picture resembled Burt Lancaster, on the beach,  in the movie, From Here to Eternity. 

Without much thought they both  returned ‘the wink’ and within hours received a response from ‘Cheney’. Both women said the  first clue something was amiss was the salutation, “Hello, Dearie”. Anne said she had never met a man who called anyone ‘dearie’  The letter instantly fell apart: a train wreck of broken English and a request to contact him at a Yahoo.com address. Fortunately, both Janice and Anne  knew immediately it was a scam. They had almost walked into an infamous Nigerian scam. Best advice: be careful, be aware and remember: Google the guy or gal.
“Let us not look back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness”. James Thurber

The Top 10 Romantic Places in San Francisco

Everyone knows the San Francisco is the consummate romantic Mecca and there are dozens of romantic places to  buss/smooch/osculate and KISS                                                                                             The Top 10? After much research ~ I can heartily attest:

1.    The Top of the Stairs at Broadway and Lyon – the view, alone,  will take your breath away. It’s a secret place, off the beaten track and and it inspires romance.

2.   Under the Clock of the Ferry Building
The Golden Ghetto ~ on Saturday mornings ~ the sight of the famous Farmer’s Market.  See the aubergine and tangerine, enjoy quaffing champagne, or sample at the Caviar Bar, select divine picnic items, revel in the sweet smells of butter, sugar and cinnamon wafting from the numerous bakeries, indulge in a Blue Bottle coffee…enjoy the towers of stunningly beautiful fresh flowers, and gaze at the Cowgirl creamery cheeses ~walk along the water …everything is pretty darn seductive and suggestive. Can you say: An Affair to remember?

3.   The corner booth at The Grand Café. (Geary and Taylor) It’s all about location, location, location.  Sexy, seductive, alluring and private.  Ambiance. Fabulous hors d’ oeuvres and  great mixologists.

4.    The Make Out Room named appropriately, you don’t need another clue. Stimulating venues.

5.   The Tonga Room. At the Fairmont ~Nob Hill.  Yum~ Drinks with tiny umbrellas – tropical atmosphere and It’s like the Tiki Room without the birds~ Nowhere else in San Francisco can you kiss in the rain forest.

6.    Sweet – As you leave divine and sublime XOX truffles in North Beach-  with a small box of San Francisco’s  real “treat” ~The quality and richness of the 27  unforgettable yummy flavors are sure to entice

7.    Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco’s most majestic and remarkable shrine...originally created for the  1915 World’s Fair by the incredible visionary Bernard Maybeck …near the columns,  under the statues of weeping women, at the  lagoon or undulating grassy area.

8.   Golden Gate Bridge, anytime of the day ~ must be midspan…even with the infamous summer fog and wind whipping about -  The GGB is one of the City’s most romantic and frantic destinations.

9.    The Pier – Crissy Field, the only pier pressure, you will find us from your gull-friends swooping overhead. 360 degree views …Crashing waves, frothy white caps, sometimes blue skies and a breathtaking skyline.

10.    The Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park the spun sugar palace,  replica of Kew Gardens, is all good things: sultry- sexy and steamy. Bonus ~Beautiful flowers in abundance.  A Must:  Buss behind the begonias…

Hey~ get on the buss~ Everyday is Valentine’s day in Romantic San Francisco~~~

~~

Do you act like a lady ….. or a gentleman? Missed Manners?

Stroll down the aisles of your local independent bookstore and checkout the ever-expanding Relationship/Self Help section. Next, locate the burgeoning shelves for ‘Date-Mate-Fate. Prepare to be initially dazzled then overwhelmed with myriad choices. There are books for every facet of today’s dating society including straights, gays, bi-sexuals, try-sexuals, divorcés, polyamorous and polyglots, widows, trophy wives, and the list goes on.

You’ll see there are encyclopedias of advice, books on rules, spells, techniques, how-to-, what-not-to-do, when-to-do-what-with-whom books. Walk right past all those and look for the book
Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man by comedian and radio host, Steve Harvey.

In addition to a long lived, successful stand-up comedy career, Harvey hosts call-in a radio show where men  and women  barrage him with questions about dating,  bosses, relationships, in-laws and daily life. Fortunately for us, Harvey has gained some terrific insights and he wrote this very candid and  perceptive book.

Since the Garden of Eden women have wondered what men are thinking. Eve must have frequently asked the other tenant on planet Earth: “What are you thinking?”

Harvey’s observations are sobering and prescient. You will be amused and educated.

The Date Watchers gather to compare notes on their dating conundrums, conquests and confusion. Bottom line: they all want to know what men are thinking. “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man”  is their required reading this month. Men will also totally benefit from reading the book, too.  And,  the Yoga Dudes at the Mindful Body have also made Harvey’s book required reading. Getting the two groups together for a de-briefing book review could be a sell-out. Stay tuned.

Harvey’s quick paced book addresses hot cha- cha- cha- topics like: why men do what they do; R- E- S- P-E-C-T is more than  just a song title; and are you strong, independent and also Lonely? Solutions? See Chapter 11.Chapter 12 and Chapter 13.

This book should be October’s required reading for every suddenly-single-minded person you know.

Change the channel?

What television shows filled your hearts and minds growing up? Who says the “Mad Men” and television executives didn’t have an agenda? As children we all swarmed around the television set and watched:

Father Knows Best, Make Room for Daddy, Bachelor Father, My Three Sons, Sky King, Bonanza, Perry Mason,Gomer Pyle, Leave it to Beaver, Rat Patrol, Dragnet, Hogan’s Heros, Daktari, M.A.S.H., the Dick Van Dyke Show, Ironsides, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Mickey Mouse, Ed Sullivan, Get Smart, Dr Kildare…Do you see a pattern?

Thank heaven for I Love Lucy and then the smart-talking housekeeper, Hazel who eventually graced our screens in black and white. Psychology Today must have had a field day analyzing Television Programming gender bias. Who noticed such things? Sunday night’s Disney’s Wonderful World of Color was definite ‘appointment TV”.     Television gradually expanded and we saw: My Little Margie, December Bride, the Patty Duke Show, Petticoat Junction and the Carol Burnett Show. The early 1970’s introduced the Mary Tyler Moore Show, the Waltons, All in the Family, the Partridge Family and Bridget Loves Bernie.

And you had to laugh…

We laughed a lot at the surprising wit and double entendres on Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-in, at the Smothers Brothers, and Car 54, Where are you?, Happy Days, the Odd Couple, Mork and Mindy, Gilligan’s Island, the Bob Newhart Show, the Flying Nun and the Beverly Hillbillies. Genies,monkeys, monsters, talking horses ( it could happen) martians, and witches kept us laughing with: The Munsters and the Monkees and Bewitched, Mr. Ed, and I Dream of Jeanie.

Remember the laughter, smiles, giggles, groans and guffaws.

“Nothing show more about a man’s character than what he laughs at”. Goethe