Skip is so Proud

This weekend my bestest friend Kristin (and The General) finished the San Francisco Half-Marathon...on her way to the Chicago Marathon in October.

Congrats Bunny! I'm so proud.

Skip is Intrigued

While inconspicuously avoiding my mounds of work today, I came across an article on my most favorite of search engines/portals, Yahoo!, about rubber sidewalks.

Apparently, these pavement pieces are being installed around the country as a surprisingly cost-effective way to beautify city scenery; they are more expensive than concrete but last longer and don't crack or giveway to bullying tree roots. There is an added health benefit as well both in the way of scooping up environmentally unfriendly tire rubber and providing a knee-happy surface on which to walk.

How novel! I love the ingenuity of the civic-minded, tree-huggers. Really though, I just want a little bounce in my step.

Skip's a Tortured Soul

I think it's the 14-hour work days this week and the uncanny way misery loves company that have led to my recent obsession with the lyrics to this song.

miles behind me by the Hotel Lights

fading out of sight into the back of your mind all this water under the bridge everything comes sneaking back and we didn't talk after that nobody saw you fall nobody saw you fall nobody saw you fall miles behind me things that we worried about then when patience had run thin laughed when we wanted to hide on different sides of the line we went to the end of the night nobody saw you fall nobody saw you fall nobody saw you fall miles behind me familiar roads unrecognizable turns seem to be dead ends in tiny rooms out of view everything's born again and this time you're gonna win at least that's what i tell myself nobody saw you fall nobody saw you fall nobody saw you fall miles behind me nobody saw you fall nobody saw you fall and i don't care it's all miles behind me

Happy Birthday, Anne

Happy Birthday to my most striking friend Christina!

Music to My Ears

I believe concerts and live shows to be vital in determining the genuine talent of a singer or band. You can't very well speak authoritatively on musical genius when you've only heard digitally augmented voices and instruments enriched by studio acoustics. Pure vocal and songful art is rare, to be revered and assessed only in person (an honor claimed, as of press time, only by a few; Teitur, Mat Kearny and possibly Matt Pond PA and Matt Nathanson) .

However, a particularly fruitful visit to Rasputin this evening and the subsequent rhythmic research on iTunes has resulted in some impressive albeit emo-skewed finds. Though I have yet to make my final judgment, the following artists and their recent hits are worth a look.

(1) Griffin House 'House of David, Vols. 1 & 2' particularly 'Show Me Yourself' a steal at $2/each
(2) Brett Dennan I can't praise highly enough for his incredible, lyrical gift
(3) Greg Laswell 'Through Toledo' and his songs 'Sing, Teresa Says' and 'High and Low.' You will have to trust me on this guy, he's got mass-commercial potential...
(4) Regina Spektor, we must give credit to the Russians both for her voice and $5 at Rasputin (though clearly I'm late to the party with this chick since she's already showing up as a bestseller on iTunes)
(5) Eric Hutchinson, it's the cheeseball in me that likes the college-y, Tyler Hilton party ballad 'Rock & Roll'

The Wonka Closet

Courtesy of Scrap...

Photo Magic

Last Sunday, I had the pleasu...er, opportunity rather to see the movie 'A Scanner Darkly' with my gal pal Lauren. It was without question one of the most exceptionally bizarre, macabre and peculiar films I have ever seen (helped along no doubt by our collective hungover fog). I couldn't even begin to tell you precisely what the movie was about, but I will note that the method of filming was quite clever; the entire movie was Adobe Photoshop'ed into a strange watercolor. The sponge effect? Paint daubs?

It was inspirational. I've included some of my own versions below...

Skip's Bridge Goodbye

I realize that I can't very well continue to fill my blog with luminous bridge photos and vapid comments that attempt to do the pictures justice. It's insulting to my intelligence and purported wit. Thus, I bid my photo series farewell with one last entry...

I mean, really?!?! Who wouldn't want to live here!?!?

Skip's Turning Blue

Tell me, please, that someone has seen these! Happy little video clips of Halo filler scenes dubbed over with ludicrious, riotous dialogue.

Seriously, I cannot stop laughing. I'm turning blue from lack of breath.

At Red vs. Blue.

Skip Loves Canteen

Recently I had the pleasure of dining at Canteen, an itty, diner-like restaurant no bigger that a train car in downtown San Francisco. While I am not about to turn this blog into a restaurant review site (I'll leave that to Yip), I just have to take a moment to wax lyrical on anything and everything Canteen because it was quite marvelous.

The restaurant offers three seatings, 6:00pm for the downtown theatre-set, 7:30pm for the yuppies and 9:15pm for the effortlessly cool (that's me) while the actually sitting options are 4 booths or the 8-person counter. We thought we were 'stuck' at the counter but it was grand! I've always been a fan of counter-eating, mostly because of the romance of Edward Hopper and the retro, urbane attitude it suggests of such diners. There were two of us (don't even try to take a large party here, this is a two-people place only...if you want to eat comfortably) and we arrived a bit early for our reservation so we opted to have cocktails in the Red Room next door. We were retrieved about 20 minutes later, though I certainly don't mind waiting if I've a cocktail in hand...

From that moment onwards it was perfection; from the tiny watermelon shooter to the homemade croissant mini-buns, the appetizer of tuna tartar to our steak and veal entrees, each was prepared with flavorful thoughtfulness and blue sky combinations. The service was genuine and the waiter (there is only one for the entire restaurant) ever-so classy (he didn't even blink when we sent the wine back which was quite the first time either of us had even considered sending a wine back), that I can't even consider the flat wine a failure. We ended up being the last couple to leave, having been enveloped in the permeating intimacy and quietness of the restaurant, a true Nighthawk moment.

Since the menu changes daily based on available ingredients, I cannot wait to get back. Seriously. RTT?

PS- The restaurant has recently been chosen as one of the best in the city by San Francisco magazine. You know what that means, you'll never be able to get that 7:30pm reservation again.