

Places We Go : South of Market (SoMa)
One great thing about living in Oakland, CA is that I'm only a 25-minute BART ride from San Francisco. Last Thursday, Jayne and I met at Thai Osha for a lunch of pumpkin curry and lemongrass chicken. The restaurant filled up quickly - nice to see people back at work in San Francisco's Financial District. Crossing nearby Market Street, we moved into SoMa (South of Market district). The one-mile walk to our destination was curtailed as we came across a gondola. A new trans


Happy Hour : Barely Halloween
Every been in a restaurant when it turns "Happy Hour?" You notice the mood instantly changes as everyone is ready for fun. Whenever I'm having a Bad Hair Day, my cure is always a personal Happy Hour. Of course, I'm hopeless addicted to interiors; so for me, this hour is all about decorating. In this series, we'll look at some quick and happy mood changers for our very own Happy Hour. Each should take about an hour - a mere 60 minutes - to perk up our minds and our rooms.


DecorBook Classic : Exterior Refresh
In my Year of the House (2022), I have been devoted to getting my house shipshape. Besides the fun bits this year, there was a new water heater (who knew it could sound like a rocket launching?) and mold abatement (one week with a team in hazmat suits). I had to put my big girl pants on to spend money getting this 30-year old house whole. I always knew that that the final project would be the exterior. We thought we'd do it in 2020 and then Covid struck and later, P did


Happy Hour : Updating a Musical Bookcase
Every been in a restaurant when it turns "Happy Hour?" You notice the mood instantly changes as everyone is ready for fun. Whenever I'm having a Bad Hair Day, my cure is always a personal Happy Hour. Of course, I'm hopeless addicted to interiors; so for me, this hour is all about decorating. In this series, we'll look at some quick and happy mood changers for our very own Happy Hour. Each should take about an hour - a mere 60 minutes - to perk up our minds and our rooms.