In praise of a perfect day

This is a post in praise of the perfect day. Today, I awoke to a bright blue sky (well, actually, I awoke to somebody--a wrong phone number somebody--calling my cell phone at 8am on a Saturday, but I digress) and a day almost completely without plans. I've been intentionally low-key lately, trying to recover from my tuberculin cough and my first week at a new job, so it was a great thrill to have the entire day free.

In the morning, I paid a visit to the humble, lovely Alemany Farmers' Market, which happily seems to have more vendors this spring than ever before. I bought pencil-thin asparagus and a chocolate croissant, had my knives sharpened (finally!), and got a hot tip about the best farm fresh eggs, sold by the olive oil vendor. He doesn't advertise them--he just has a basket in the back and sells them to those in the know. The best part is how he packs them up for you--tenderly tucking them into a brown paper sack lined with hay. Charming! I can't wait until breakfast tomorrow.

Then I had a long, leisurely lunch with a good friend, the kind of lunch that stretches through the afternoon--the kind of lunch that you daydream about when life is hectic. A lunch with a glass of white wine, a glorious abundance of fresh salads, cured meats, and good conversation, followed by an excellent ice cream cone. If there was some way to stop time, I would have stopped it for a couple of hours today.

It's spring here, now, no doubt about it. Tomorrow we'll turn our clocks forward, revel in the warm weather and extra sunshine and look forward to the happiest days of summer.

Grey skies are gonna clear up....

Well, it's been kind of a whirlwind, to say the least. You know when you're wishing and hoping for things to happen, crossing your fingers, throwing salt over your shoulder, blowing out birthday candles, hoping? It seems like that's when things DO NOT happen. It's like an emotional watched pot--the more you hope, the less that comes your way.

But when you get too busy for hoping, too busy for planning--that's when things seem to unfold in front of you, glorious and bright. Friends, I've been riding high these last weeks. After a few years of freelancing, followed by a 6 month gig at Sunset Magazine (great, but underpaid), I've finally gone off and gotten myself a "real job" as assistant food editor at 7x7 magazine, the San Francisco city magazine. What does this mean? Well, I'm not sure yet--my first day is tomorrow--but it's the beginning of a new chapter, and a new, deep familiarity with the city dining scene. Stay tuned!