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January 25, 2006

The best worst show on TV

Perhaps the above assessment is not a fair one, since "The L Word" is the only show I'm watching live. Still, it's hard to imagine a rival. On "The L Word" the acting is awkward, the plots laughable, the outfits cute and the cast cuter -- all of which makes it perfect to watch with friends.

Molly and Jon have been inviting me into their home on Sunday nights to revere and mock our favorite bad show. This week Molly's sister Betsy joined us, just in time for our experiment in singing along with the show's truly terrible theme song, to see if that made it more bearable to sit through. It really didn't, though since I was laughing too hard to sing so I'm not sure it was a fair test. I'm counting the days until the next episode!

Posted by emily at 9:46 AM | Comments (2)

January 24, 2006

Emperor Norton

A beloved figure in this city's history, Emperor Joshua Norton paved the way for San Francisco eccentrics about 150 years ago. As the self-proclaimed Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico, Norton held court in SF from 1854-1880. He issued both his own currency (which was honored by restaurants and theaters) and proclamations (he was one of the first to propose building the Golden Gate Bridge).

He was also a bicyclist -- which is why some of us in the SFBC made a giant papier mache Emperor Norton and biked him down Mission Street in the 1998 Carnaval parade. Parade biking = fun biking.

I was remembering all of this on Sunday, when Nicole and I went to see "Emperor Norton: The Musical" at the Dark Room Theater. It had creativity and spirit in spades, so I'll let my official review stand at "uneven," but I can't really recommend it, except for the most die-hard Emperor Norton fans.

Posted by emily at 10:02 AM | Comments (1)

January 17, 2006

The Glamorous Life

There are some things in life that you can count on: death, taxes, that 'Deep will have a big party for his birthday, that the theme will be "glam," and that hours and hours of dancing will ensue.

Glamming it up at Saturday's pre-party: Priya, Marni, me, Naomi, Jen and Leah. Pictures from the actual party here.

Posted by emily at 9:37 AM | Comments (1)

January 10, 2006

The end of an era

Doug is moving to Portland, Oregon this week (wife Nikki and daughter Sydney are already there). Even though we don't see him enough anymore (hey, I didn't tell them to move across the bridge), it's pretty unimaginable not to have the option. Though not technically a Rat Pack founder -- that would be me, Ted, Fred and Hope -- Doug has been a member in good standing and A-list friend for over 10 years. He was at Slackerpalooza in 1996 and co-wrote "Dick T's Favorite Daughter" a year later. He led the "Tour de Alameda" and led us to the Tastee Freeze in Muscatine, Iowa. Doug and Nikki were the ones who introduced me to both White Russians and the infamous Diet Dr. Pepper/Coors Light combo (tastes best when rafting). We've done too many canoeing trips, fun runs and BBQs to count.

Saturday night Ted, Naomi, Isabel, Rick, Michelle, Kelsa and I had a farewell dinner for Doug at his old haunt, Dino's Pizza on Fillmore. It's going to be a lot harder to plan shenanigans, but I think there will be another BBQ Sauce Tasting Contest or, god forbid, Chris Elliott Appreciation Night in our future.

Posted by emily at 3:19 PM | Comments (2)

January 4, 2006

Holiday report

Besides a little of the usual post-holidays malaise, I came into work this week feeling pretty happy about my vacation. I had lots of good family time, good friend time and good alone time. Then I found out Kyle got my dream Christmas presents (2 Ipods and a Roomba) and I started to question how well I was doing after all. Intense jealousy aside, I'm happy for him. But, grrrrrr.

My Christmas was in San Diego, where my aunt and uncle live. 12 adults and 2 toddlers for all of the family traditions: long walks, longer Scrabble games, and multiple movies. This year I saw "Pride and Prejudice" (which I know I said I was boycotting, but it was actually pretty good) and "The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe" (wasn't expecting much but loved it -- double true).

Went to Ted and Leah's cabin in Bear Valley for New Year's weekend. A record 16 people and 3 dogs made it even more festive than usual, and really beefed up the conga line at the Lube Room, the dive bar where we go dancing every NYE. Super, super fun.

Here's a picture of me and Leah ringing in the New Year with our favorite local DJ, who is not wearing a cowboy hat or doing the white man's overbite dance ironically. Happy 2006!

Posted by emily at 3:49 PM | Comments (3)