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Mama's Bakery and Lebanese Deli Wednesday hours
A friend sent a text message on Monday, inviting me to join him for dinner at HOB (House of Blues). I have known Rick B. since 1980 & we just don't get to see each other very often (he lives in San Francisco). We arrived at HOB at the same time, joked around with the hostesses, and were then taken to a table near the end of the bar, across from the bar. Jenna was "Johnny on the spot" ready to take our drink orders. Rick brought up the subject of 'measured pour' & we had a lively discussion, learning that HOB does not utilize that method when serving wine to their customers. Jenna brought Rick a 'taster', we ordered wine and started gabbing. Jenna did check on us and we finally ordered dinner & another glass of wine. Rick ordered the 'special', salmon with pineapple/papaya salsa and vegetables. I had the rosemary broiled chicken with mashed potatoes & vegetables. We waited a while for the food, being advised that the chicken was almost ready. When we received our meals, the presentation was quite nice. Rick's salmon & salsa looked wonderful and he confirmed that it was. I had a little trouble cutting the chicken as it was 'hard' on the outside, more like charbroiled. It was quite dry and definitely overcooked retaining the rosemary flavor but could have used some gravy!! The potatoes were good, lumpy which I like. The vegetables were yellow squash, zucchini, onion, which were cooked just right, not mushy. We did not have dessert but I know the bread pudding is wonderful. Next time. Overall, it was a pleasant dining experience, only slightly marred by the overcooked chicken. We were not rushed and took the time to enjoy conversation, Rick showing photos of grandkids!! I have had lunch & dinner at HOB on several occasions and this was the first time it was not very good. It was not busy, a few folks lingering from Happy Hour, a few people having dinner. I must say that Jenna was an excellent server and we enjoyed our conversation (about wine).— June 17, 2009 3:50 p.m.
A Generational View
johnegger Simple math says if you leave the bars open, people will drink more. MADD has some great statistics about bars, closing time, DUIs, etc. Dumping all the people on the street at the same time will happen no matter what time the bars close. What is your definition of a "conservative night life"??? You go ahead a 'party' all night log every night, every year & see how you turn out. Actually you can do that now, as there is entertainment every night. Maybe you can get them to crank it up for you on Tuesday.— June 16, 2009 1:34 p.m.
Computer misadventure
Dear eldo: I would not buy an extended warranty anyway because it covers almost nothing and costs about as much as repairing a computer. On the website, there is one service plan that is priced at $999. I was able to determine it was broken by the fact that it would not even power on. Just how would spending more money get things squared away? That isn't whining, it is anger. All 3 men had the same agenda, "sell something". AND, I am not a "numbnuts". Thanks for reading my blog.— June 16, 2009 1:25 p.m.
David Letterman Controversy
Letterman's "justification" went on too long. Repeating the jokes may have been unnecessary, but not everybody heard them the night he did them. They were OK & an apology is unwarranted. I would suggest that Ms. Palin get over it. The jokes by Dave Letterman were just that: JOKES. I do not think that anyone watching the show came away thinking it is all right to rape a woman. I thought the jokes were OK. I did think the one about A-rod was funny. Ms. Palin mentioned statutory rape, HUH? I know I thought Dave was talking about an 18 year old woman, the one in the news, the one who got "knocked up". I did not even know there was a 14 year old Palin daughter. I only was aware of the fact the 18 year old female was pregnant. Ms. Palin has stepped into a quagmire of free speech. She put it out there about her daughter & comedians are going to use it. Dave admitted his jokes may have been in poor taste, but he said & I thought it was quite apparent that his references were to an 18 year old, ADULT. I am unable to follow Palin's train of thought that Dave's jokes are contributory to young girls' self esteem. Jokes are jokes especially when they involve a public figure, such as Ms. Palin. She is using Letterman to further her own agenda. She referred to President Obama's family being "off-limits" to the media, while her family was the target of JOKES. She is certainly showing her desire to be in the news. Maybe Ms. Palin should return to Alaska and see what the Russians are doing and take some time to watch comedians. She should try to develop a sense of humor.— June 12, 2009 1:03 p.m.
A Generational View
So, Johnegger23, you think the bars should stay open longer. California DUI statistics disagree. If you want to continue drinking past last call, you can always go home and open a bottle or can. The advantage is that it would be much, much cheaper. I will continue my quest to move all loud music entertainment to indoors. The big offenders are the rooftop bars. This is a definite quality of life issue. I have lived downtown for 11+ years (before The Ivy Hotel). Many people have hearing problems due to prolonged exposure to loud music. The problem is persistent & that NOISE is cranked up 3 nights a week, sometimes more. It affects sleep, can make people angry, both of which can lead to health problems. So, I will continue the good fight. Downtown San Diego is big enough. The many, many, highrise buildings will, hopefully, be occupied one day, increasing the current downtown residents by several thousand. I would hate to lose any readers, but there will be comments in my blog from time to time about the noise issue. Thank you— June 9, 2009 12:18 p.m.
A Generational View
Thank you, EAMartonyi. I actually conducted an experiment by handing out maps at a recent gathering. Out of 18 people, only 1 person got all the states, but faltered on 5 capitols. I happen to think that learning is something we do all of our lives. But, so many of the children (seemingly those that could be my grandchildren) born since 1980 or so, not only don't care, but are not the least bit interested. I definitely do not have the answers and I applaud your efforts, using the computer. I do research and learn new things all the time. Have you tried Google Earth? It is definitely a fun way to look at "us".— June 9, 2009 11:59 a.m.
Define Art. And Graffiti?
Walls are definitely boring and I am amazed at some of the wonderful wall murals around town. This is a great idea. Give the artists a chance to demonstrate their abilities, while giving others a chance to see & enjoy their work. I would hope that taggers use other places for their mean spirited ruining of good works. Maybe they can be artistic??— May 31, 2009 10:14 a.m.
Here we go again
This is my last comment on this subject. The Statue of Liberty is over 100 years old (1886). At that time there were wide open spaces, infinite resources, lots of land for farming, grazing, building. That is gone. Do you REALLY want to live shoulder to shoulder, begging for food, water, shelter?? I don't. We do welcome plenty of Immigrants every single year. It's the ILLEGAL ones that are the problem. I just used the Mexican Immigration Laws as one example/comparison, since the biggest ILLEGAL population comes from Mexico. That's it. Now I have to go fight the good fight with Cox!— May 28, 2009 1:29 p.m.
Here we go again
Hey shizzyfinn, thanx for keeping my blood pressure up! No, didn't mean that, just want to keep you on your toes. There are thousands of numbers in thousands of studies. They can be (& usually are) manipulated to make the point of the person presenting them. I have personally witnessed the excessive use of the medical system. Often an ambulance will bring in ssssomeone with the flu or a cough. That is a HUGE drain on the hospital budgets. There are several hospitals near the border that lose money due to providing maternity services. And this problem is compounded by the fact that the patient has had NO prenatal care, making the delivery high risk. So, we can agree to disagree. I have made this point hundreds of times: ILLEGAL is ILLEGAL. Enter properly or stay home. I don't see any mention of the Mexican Immigration Laws. They are precisely what we need to do. Read it! ILLEGAL aliens use the hospitals as private doctors as doctors will not treat them, usually. I could go on, but need to post today's blog.— May 27, 2009 12:23 a.m.
Here we go again
OK, shizzyfinn. Take a look at: "http://www.rense.com/general56/illegalimmigrantsc…" That's all I have time for now!!— May 26, 2009 12:03 a.m.