Maiden Mushroom Hunt

First day of winter vacation- G&L took us foraging in Olema and Pt Reyes. Our golden prize- chanterelles hiding under live oak groves. C did not find any, but yours truly chanced upon two specimens- plump for the taking. Consolation prize- oyster mushrooms to be had everywhere- so plentiful that I took very little of what was available.

I'd been in a food funk lately as grocery stores haven't been doing it for me lately. Luckily last week, C caught a rock crab off the coast. My parole officer at work brought me beautiful big bag of lemons. I squeezed lemons all night and then decided against making lemon curd. Instead I baked a persimmon pudding which only I myself enjoyed as C was fast a sleep snoozing by the fire.

Tried a new restaurant on 4th Street- Tacubaya. No leftists insurgents in sight. I had a big bowl of tripe. Sadly, my menudo really lacked kick. My pork tamale, sweet but mealy.



One of C's art chums from L.A. showed up at our door today. Nothing like hung over art ex-grad students in your back yard. Almost always in such situations, Sam McPheter's Dog Dairy idea comes up. Dog cheese, doggy yogurt and the like. Malamutes and Great Danes. Yuck is right.



Of course none as entertaining as Joel- our double denim suit wearing tragic comic art hero. Joel sweetly phoned C to let him know the SFMoma was having Rauschenberg and Arp show. "Man, we've shown with both them fools."

Word Drought & Hidden Spaces



EJ,J and S waited and waited at Dulles Airport this morning. Hugo had been yukking it up in Seoul and was due to arrive any minute. Much to everyone's surprise, Hugo came out the double doors a transformed man. He dazzled June in a smart looking tailored hand stitched 100% cashmere coat. What had happened to the country boy?



Apparently Hugo was living large at the Lotte Plaza Hotel which was attached to a posh shopping mall. I guess EJ and J's sartorial sense finally rubbed in. Of course underneath, he still had his dorky turtleneck and corduruoy pants. As J dismissed, "That coat did not deserve that kind of treatment."



Today I climbed up the roof. Yes it's true, I've been bitten by a writer's block. I've baked a chocolate cake (with chestnut jam) for the occasion but still can not squeak out a story. If things continue in this fashion, I think I'll have to resort to a crunch BLT sandwich. Back to the roof up the rickety ladder, I was having a moment there.

C has been threatening to make one all week and he did. The dreaded no-war pumpkin. I thought it would be one of those meaningless liberal gestures that one sees so often these days. And it is. But now that C's carved it, it looks pretty hot.

The one legitimate chance to dress up as a hobbit, I missed. Miss Sof said she was going to be Smurfette(woo woo). C and I eagerly await the photos. Last year she as a dominatrix;a.k.a party girl with a whip.

C and I've been striving for days to have a pumkpin pie date. This is where two romantically involved persons get together, make a smashing pumpkin pie, and eat it. Sadly, intervening events leave the ppd in the air just as the library dates have fallen by the way side. Yesterday at work, A took me out for an icecream cone. En route, we saw a man being picked up by his wife; lucky dog got the full hug and kiss service on top of the pickup service. I asked A if his wife provides such welcome services. He said not all the time. I boasted that I did. I said you have to train 'em. Every time(regardless) after each new meeting, you have to smile in to their eyes, look a bit confused and say "Did we hug when we meet?"