Learning how to save, three years later

In December 2006, I wrote a post called Learning how to save which put down in words what I had done to organize my finances the year prior (opened an IRA and rolled my previous retirement accounts into it). Since…

My embroidered gnome overalls

My mom was giddy this morning. “Can I check something on your laptop?” she asked. “Umm sure…” A few seconds later she passed it back to me and told me to read this: Gnomes … traveling through time. I scrolled…

Happy New Year from Bastrop, Texas

Matthew spent Christmas with Beth’s family this year, so we spent the night at their house to ring in the New Year and celebrate a more complete, albeit belated, Christmas with them.

Getting rid of stuff

It’s so easy these days to get stuff without even thinking about it. That’s Amazon’s whole value proposition. How to go from thinking about something to buying it in mere seconds. But getting rid of stuff is another matter altogether.…

Rincon Center Eagle

The Rincon Center used to be a US Post Office building, hence the stars and bars. But it’s the clipped wings that get me every time.

The 2009 Photo Book

It’s one thing to put together a photo book. This shot was inspired by How to Photograph a Design Poster It’s a whole ‘nother thing to rewrite the program that builds the book to increase the margins and add a…

Vin pour la Pétanque

It’s been a while since I played my first game of pétanque (the French version of bocce), but when Stephanie discovered this wine at Trader Joe’s, it brought back fond memories.

Vespa rocking horse

I want. For my collection. Source: Motoblog.it: la Vespa a dondolo del piccolo Diego And a bonus—though the future parent in me screams, sharp edges! Source: theblogpaper.co.uk: the rocking horse

Chili without spices

One of the first cookbooks that really taught me there was more to cooking than combining a few off-the-self ingredients was Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Seasoned America. Published in 1991, he reinterpreted a broad range of American melting-pot cuisines and “kicked…

Things I did not know about Chipotle

This may be old news, but I learned a lot watching this interview with Chipotle’s founder, Steve Ells, and Polyface Farms’ Joel Salatin. Nightline interview of Chipotle founder, Steve Ells (Source: Chipotle Seeks New Model for Quality Fast Food) Pretty…

Le pot de yaourt

In France, Fiat 500s are called “yogurt cups” because they resemble the shape of an upside down yogurt cup. Or at least that’s what Stephanie tells me. Here’s a beautiful old Fiat 500 we saw parked in front of Ristorante…

Sheep Showdown

That would be the name of the cheese class I attended at the Cheese School of San Francisco last Saturday. It was taught by Michelle Buster, who led us through Cheeses of the Mediterranean a year earlier. This time we…

It’s not a choice if you don’t have one

Source: In Touch Weekly cover for January 25, 2010 We’re glad we chose life. –Sarah and Bristol Palin You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. –Inigo Montoya

Why do the French eat raw milk cheese but drink ultrapasteurized milk?

Not all cheeses in France are made with raw milk, but many are, including those aged less than the 60 days required to sell raw milk cheese in the US. Brie and Camembert, for example, are generally aged only 3-4…