2002-11-10 - 7:47 a.m. soup's on again... I really should be walking the 10 blocks to the grocery store to procure the napa cabbage and veggie stock that re the last two ingredients I need for my roasted vegetable soup that I plan to simmer on my stove all day today. The sky continues to darken as the clouds collect. The rain will start at any time. But I am sitting in front of the computer, sipping my coffee in my cozy apartment, looking out at the cold gray morning without any desire to go out into it. At least it will warm up a bit when the rain showers start again... Last week's election results made me happy, once again, to live in Northern California. Reading columnists opine about the next few years we have in store for us politically speaking makes my stomach churn. It also incents me to claim Canadian citizenship while travelling in Europe. I'll have to ask Bugginyou for some tips on appropriate Canadian travel etiquette... Then again, since that nice man at the pub two weeks ago thought I was Irish, perhaps I have nothing to worry about. Perhaps, since people want to be around people like themselves, others naturally assume you are like them (same nationality/views/etc.) until they learn otherwise. This (plus my dark hair) would explain why when I'm in a Spanish restaurant or in Mexico or Italy I've been mistaken for a native. The newspaper this morning was chock full of weirdness. Such as an article about a certain yogi who is now gong to go franchise (like jiffy-lube or McDonalds or Starbucks) with his method. Will we have to use their special yoga mats and drink their special yoga water and wear their yoga enhancing outfits too? His is the only yoga method that I've gotten very much out of from a workout standpoint, but I'm not certain I'd support the franchise effort with my $11 a lesson... Further, why would I want my yoga studio here in SF to be a carbon copy of one I'd go to in NYC? I'm not someone who picks a homogonized hotel chain and eats in chain theme restaurants in order to feel "at home" wherever I travel. Yuck. But back to my soup. The rain stopped and the sun came out yesterday morning, blessing my decision to trek out to the farmers' market after returning my videos from Friday night (a South Park video with the wickedly evil "Scott Tenorman Must Die" episode featuring Radiohead, plus "The Royal Tenenbaums"). I came home with Summer pink and red jolly tomatoes, baby eggplant, russian banana fingerling potatoes, dill, and gorgeous red carrots. They will join the mushrooms, garlic, and sweet onions I have on hand and become enough soup to last me for lunch all week. Mmmmmm. Although my farmers' market journey also included a purchase of some amazing June Taylor fig and plum jam (I've only been eating her jams and conserves for the past 3 years now 'cuz they are so amazing -- check out the latest issue of TASTE magazine for an article on her)and some Marshall's Marin wildflower honey, stocking my pantry wasn't the primary objective. I had decided to complete my first assignment, a description of a place, by writing about the market. Unfortunately, after getting swept up in the search for the perfect vegetables for my soup, and the bliss from tasting JT's jam, I forgot to take notes, or to find a place to sit and observe the action. Of course, I've been going to this market for 5 years or so now, so it's probably not actually necessary...but I feel guilty all the same about not following the instructions for the assignment. BUT I don't want to write about anything else right now, so it will have to do. I'll post the description here later today to let it breathe a bit before I submit it...for further amusement until then, check out these photos of interesting advertising signage and juxtapositions. any comments? (0 so far) previous - next recently on almostgoldsf... in defense of an email box I came to do battle with SPAM - 2008-05-17 hello 2006 - 2005-12-31 Happy Thanksgiving - 2005-11-14 bon voyage - 2005-11-05 October already? - 2005-10-09