As Mark Twain might have said, the rumors of Maude's death were greatly exaggerated. After several weeks of renting truly awful cars, Martin brought Maude in to see the local mechanic, who immediately discovered that Someone had crossed a pair of wires when trying to find the source of the dead radio and dashboard. He uncrossed the wires and voila! Maude runs perfectly again. Which gives us a little breathing room to find her brother, Harold. The Audi A3 is looking pretty good...
In other news, Erika is frantically preparing for the company Iron Chef contest on Saturday night. The ingredients: cardamom, rice, and bacon. She is planning to surprise and delight the crowd with Le Pigeon's recipe for apricot bacon cornbread with maple ice cream, among other things...stay tuned.
I have been augmenting my diet lately with some beautiful apricot-colored tulips that I found placed conveniently on the kitchen table. Between the tulips and the hefty dose of sunshine we've been getting lately, my coat has become quite soft and shiny.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
R.I.P. Maude
A few weeks ago Maude was towed from a questionably legal parking spot, and she was never the same after that. I think her dignity was insulted. At first she refused to play the radio or display the correct time on the clock. After that was fixed, she just plain gave up starting. Or idling. Or some mechanical term that I, as a cat, have no clue about. Anyway, she has not budged for several weeks now while Martin and Erika rent various horrid cheap American cars and try to find a replacement for dear old Maude. A younger, more Harold-like vehicle. No, they are not considering jet-black XKEs, more along the lines of Subaru wagons that fit infant car seats comfortably in the back seat.
They haven't been trying too hard, between a 5-day trip to Maui, a weekend trip to L.A. for Erika, and a weekend trip to Portland for Martin. Next weekend for sure. Maui is the home of Erika's maternal grandmother's youth, and after this most recent visit, Erika is happy to know that Nana did not live to see Lahaina turned into a strip mall. Why does there need to be a Hard Rock Cafe in paradise? Happily, the rest of the island is still incredibly beautiful and mostly unspoiled by the blight of chain stores that has ruined most of the rest of the country. Erika found snorkeling especially relaxing, as it helped her forget about the extra 30 lbs she is carrying around her middle. Martin ate poke and pineapple to his heart's content and even a little beyond that. Their bedroom was so close to the beach that the noise from the pounding of the surf actually woke them up the first few nights. Now THAT is a vacation.
Back in San Francisco, the Microhoo debate continues to rage, and Erika continues to try and finish her work project up before the baby makes an appearance. MUNI is getting less and less tolerable as a transportation option for a largely pregnant woman [insert chivalry rant here]. Erika actually managed to scare someone in Peet's the other day, simply by turning around and revealing the full extent of The Belly. The baking frenzy has slowed to a trickle, manifesting itself only in a small batch of chocolate chip cookies today. However, the company Iron Chef contest is coming up in less than a week, which should inspire a last burst of creativity in the kitchen before we settle back into our burritos and Thai take-out diet. Luckily there are local options like Blue Plate (coconut cream pie to die for and it's practically across the street from our apartment) and, most recently, the fabulous and New York-esque Bar Tartine to break up the monotony. Marrow, anyone? Duck with fois gras agnoletti? Come on down...
The nesting urge is still present, but it has somehow switched to the Gardening Channel. Ever since the discovery of Flora Grubb (thanks Jice!), Erika has been dying to buy plants. Today was the big purchase day, and as soon as there is a break in the monsoon, the deck buddha will have the company of 3 new plants (2 succulents and some kind of winter-blooming other plant) in 3 lovely new pots. There is even a planter for herbs, which still need to be purchased. It's a start. The root-bound ficus will get a new home at the same time. Hopefully all of this loveliness will inspire the sun to return to San Francisco.
In other news, I plan to sleep through the Oscars tomorrow night while Erika watches with a girlfriend. Will Cate finally be recognized for her SECOND portrayal of Queen Elizabeth? Will Viggo come from behind to beat out DDL? Erika has no idea because she saw very few of the nominated films. Stay tuned...5pmPT. Despite her mixed feelings about the Coen brothers, her money is on "No Country for Old Men" for best picture...
They haven't been trying too hard, between a 5-day trip to Maui, a weekend trip to L.A. for Erika, and a weekend trip to Portland for Martin. Next weekend for sure. Maui is the home of Erika's maternal grandmother's youth, and after this most recent visit, Erika is happy to know that Nana did not live to see Lahaina turned into a strip mall. Why does there need to be a Hard Rock Cafe in paradise? Happily, the rest of the island is still incredibly beautiful and mostly unspoiled by the blight of chain stores that has ruined most of the rest of the country. Erika found snorkeling especially relaxing, as it helped her forget about the extra 30 lbs she is carrying around her middle. Martin ate poke and pineapple to his heart's content and even a little beyond that. Their bedroom was so close to the beach that the noise from the pounding of the surf actually woke them up the first few nights. Now THAT is a vacation.
Back in San Francisco, the Microhoo debate continues to rage, and Erika continues to try and finish her work project up before the baby makes an appearance. MUNI is getting less and less tolerable as a transportation option for a largely pregnant woman [insert chivalry rant here]. Erika actually managed to scare someone in Peet's the other day, simply by turning around and revealing the full extent of The Belly. The baking frenzy has slowed to a trickle, manifesting itself only in a small batch of chocolate chip cookies today. However, the company Iron Chef contest is coming up in less than a week, which should inspire a last burst of creativity in the kitchen before we settle back into our burritos and Thai take-out diet. Luckily there are local options like Blue Plate (coconut cream pie to die for and it's practically across the street from our apartment) and, most recently, the fabulous and New York-esque Bar Tartine to break up the monotony. Marrow, anyone? Duck with fois gras agnoletti? Come on down...
The nesting urge is still present, but it has somehow switched to the Gardening Channel. Ever since the discovery of Flora Grubb (thanks Jice!), Erika has been dying to buy plants. Today was the big purchase day, and as soon as there is a break in the monsoon, the deck buddha will have the company of 3 new plants (2 succulents and some kind of winter-blooming other plant) in 3 lovely new pots. There is even a planter for herbs, which still need to be purchased. It's a start. The root-bound ficus will get a new home at the same time. Hopefully all of this loveliness will inspire the sun to return to San Francisco.
In other news, I plan to sleep through the Oscars tomorrow night while Erika watches with a girlfriend. Will Cate finally be recognized for her SECOND portrayal of Queen Elizabeth? Will Viggo come from behind to beat out DDL? Erika has no idea because she saw very few of the nominated films. Stay tuned...5pmPT. Despite her mixed feelings about the Coen brothers, her money is on "No Country for Old Men" for best picture...
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Nesting
Winter weather like we've been having makes for great nesting. Ever since Martin and Erika purchased their new king-sized Tempurpedic bed, my new favorite nest is among the many pillows there (Erika now requires no fewer than FIVE strategically placed pillows to get a good night's sleep). I especially like Martin's new contoured memory foam pillow (see picture). All three of us could go on and on about how the king-sized memory foam mattress has changed our lives for the better, but this post is about Nesting, not lazing around in bed.Neither Erika nor Martin is much of a nester, but the chemical urges of impending parenthood are not to be taken lightly. A few weekends ago they acquired a sofabed (purple, velvet, many-pillowed, shows off cat hair quite nicely), 4 dining room chairs, and a secretary (family heirloom, borrowed from Erika's parents). This necessitated an entire re-arranging of the house, moving the "library" from the big unused storage room to the living room (no small feat) and finally turning the storage room into a dining room/guest bedroom. There was also a shuttling of dressers and tables from one room to another, which resulted in a much more livable and cozy configuration. Did I mention that all of the paintings are finally hung too? Now all we need is baby furniture...
Since Erika is unable to physically move anything much heavier than a 20-lb cat, she has channeled her nesting urges into a baking frenzy. This month she has produced three batches of scones (Meyer Lemon, Coconut, and Orange-Almond) and a Meyer lemon pudding cake with cardamom whipped cream that is to die for, but not quite at the same level as what you get at her new favorite restaurant - Range. A shopping spree at Williams-Sonoma to trade in on her winnings from the company bake-off should enable much more where that came from, especially since her purchases included the Tartine cookbook. She is looking forward to reproducing at least half of the recipes, starting with the Gougères, or maybe the savory bread pudding...
In other foodie news, Martin and Erika have continued their exploration of Mission Street and found a Delicious Cambodian restaurant on the corner of Mission and Cortland. It even delivers, which practically guarantees our patronage after April 30. I'm sticking with my "Healthy Weight" Wellness cat food for now, though I *did* deign to eat a tiny morsel of real Virginia Ham last night, courtesy of Uncle Dave and Beth. Not bad!
Monday, January 7, 2008
The Big Storm
Many of you have inquired about The Big Storm that hit San Francisco this weekend. It was a doozy! Our power went out Friday morning, a few minutes after Erika left for work. It came on again ten minutes before she got home from work. In between, I was not affected, as I spent the day in front of our (gas-powered) fireplace. Martin was home sick, but was able to cook on the (gas) stove and when his laptop eventually ran out of juice, moved out to the Nervous Dog for the rest of the afternoon. The Nervous Dog is our Other local cafe. The first cafe, which is just a few doors down Mission Street from us, shall remain unnamed because we have only bad things to say about it. Its only redeeming qualities are that it is very close and has free Wi-Fi. It was never very popular in our household, but it REALLY fell out of favor when Erika observed The Chef (Martin has another, less flattering nickname for him that begins with A) baking scones and practicing some VERY unsanitary kitchen habits which involved the contents of his nose. But I digress.
My point was that we weathered the storm just fine. Lots of downed trees, but not on our street. Erika's umbrella only made it a few blocks before the wind completely destroyed it, turning it into an unsalvagable collection of bent metal and tattered black material. Sadly this incident coincided with the breakdown of the MUNI (bus) system in our neighborhood, forcing Erika to walk 10 minutes to BART in the pouring rain and gale-force wind without an umbrella. Luckily her office was warm, dry, and with power for the entire day, and the rain had stopped by the time she left the office. We were lucky - friends in Davis were in the dark from Friday morning all the way to Saturday night.
The best part of the storm was visiting Ocean Beach on Saturday morning at around 8am (early rising - one of the benefits of jet lag). The beach was completely gone. The water came all the way up to the cement stairs and walkway and there was all kinds of detritus scattered in places where the water normally never reaches. The ocean was exactly the color of a latte, and yards of coffee-colored foam made it look even more like God's morning coffee. The waves were relentless and chaotic, rolling constantly towards the shore and against each other and crashing violently into the cement walkway. If you stood long enough in one spot, you could actually see the dunes being changed and re-located as the waves wore away at the sand in unaccustomed places.
Erika misses the thunder and lightning storms of the East Coast, but has decided that watching the ocean after a storm is an even more powerful reminder of who is in charge of this earth.
My point was that we weathered the storm just fine. Lots of downed trees, but not on our street. Erika's umbrella only made it a few blocks before the wind completely destroyed it, turning it into an unsalvagable collection of bent metal and tattered black material. Sadly this incident coincided with the breakdown of the MUNI (bus) system in our neighborhood, forcing Erika to walk 10 minutes to BART in the pouring rain and gale-force wind without an umbrella. Luckily her office was warm, dry, and with power for the entire day, and the rain had stopped by the time she left the office. We were lucky - friends in Davis were in the dark from Friday morning all the way to Saturday night.
The best part of the storm was visiting Ocean Beach on Saturday morning at around 8am (early rising - one of the benefits of jet lag). The beach was completely gone. The water came all the way up to the cement stairs and walkway and there was all kinds of detritus scattered in places where the water normally never reaches. The ocean was exactly the color of a latte, and yards of coffee-colored foam made it look even more like God's morning coffee. The waves were relentless and chaotic, rolling constantly towards the shore and against each other and crashing violently into the cement walkway. If you stood long enough in one spot, you could actually see the dunes being changed and re-located as the waves wore away at the sand in unaccustomed places.
Erika misses the thunder and lightning storms of the East Coast, but has decided that watching the ocean after a storm is an even more powerful reminder of who is in charge of this earth.
Friday, December 14, 2007
The Alemany Farmer's Market
We are all settling into our lives in San Francisco in different ways. Martin and I finally understand what Erika meant by "drafty old Victorian" and "damp cold", and we spend the majority of our time at home in the laundry room/Martin's office (makes keeping an eye on those delicates in the dryer easy to do) or Right Next To the gas fireplace. Erika, on the other hand, having learned in New York about The Importance of Wearing Hats, has been out and about, visiting her new favorite San Francisco institution - the Alemany Farmer's Market - as often as she can.
The Alemany farmer's Market is NOTHING like the Ferry Building farmer's market.
A comparison:
Ferry Building produce: beautiful, organic, heirloom, and priced for the tourists
Alemany produce: not *certified* organic (the process is expensive and time-consuming and many farmers grow produce organically without getting certified), incredibly diverse, and priced for the locals. I've seen raw peanuts, hand of Buddha, pink lemons, smoke-stained grapefruit from Riverside, and even a lone Durian fruit. Where do they GET this stuff?
Ferry Building prepared food booths: Ten-dollar sandwiches from well-known San Francisco restaurants
Alemany food booths: 2-dollar Pupusas, Tacos and Tamales!
Ferry Building Shoppers: Designer sweats and strollers, tourists from places where lettuce doesn't grow year round gawking at the foodie paradise around them
Alemany Shoppers: Everyone else and by everyone, I mean EVERYONE: Grey-haired, heavily pierced gay men comparing bok choy with little old Chinese ladies. Veiled Muslim women haggling with Mexican farmers. Wiccan lesbians (see photo of car belonging to aforementioned females). A radiantly beautiful African woman teaching an Asian grandmother how to play bongos. One hard-to-ignore blonde in platform boots and a black corset that made her cleavage so prominent that she could have hidden a few bunches of rainbow chard in there and nobody would have been the wiser. I am not making any of this up - these are ACTUAL examples that I witnessed.
Ferry Building entertainment: Jamaican steel drum band or those annoying Peruvian pipes
Alemany entertainment: The Cat Lady!
Ok, I need to take a break here to explain the Cat Lady. She is probably in her 70s or even her 80s, and she plays ragtime music that must be from her childhood. She has some sort of boom box laying down the main track, and she accompanies it with a variety of instruments, my favorite of which are the saws. She uses a bow to play saws of various sizes like violins, all the while keeping time by "tap-dancing" her toy cat with her foot! And not just any cat - this feline sports star-shaped pasties! Suffice to say, the Cat Lady draws a crowd every Saturday (see picture). [Editor's note: Actually you can also see the blonde in the platform boots in this picture, behind the cat lady. Her cleavage, however, is hidden.]
In other news, Erika is also very busy out-growing all of her clothes. The Belly at 20 weeks is a Thing to Behold. She still managed to fit into a cocktail dress for the company Christmas party last night, but it was a stretch (literally). Ah, yes, the Company Christmas party. Erika has again succumbed to the world of full-time employment, at least for the next 4 months. The job was too good to pass up, especially when the urban goat farm did not work out.
Martin is busy plotting our move to Sonoma County (some time next year?), which is fine with me as long as the new house has a proper heating system and I am allowed to go out in the yard and sun myself. I have discovered the roof in our current apartment (see picture) but it makes Erika and Martin nervous when I spend too much time up there.
The kittens return next week, when Erika and Martin go to Prague. I am dreading sharing my space in front of the fire, but at least I get to eat junk food for two weeks.
The Alemany farmer's Market is NOTHING like the Ferry Building farmer's market.
A comparison:
Ferry Building produce: beautiful, organic, heirloom, and priced for the tourists
Alemany produce: not *certified* organic (the process is expensive and time-consuming and many farmers grow produce organically without getting certified), incredibly diverse, and priced for the locals. I've seen raw peanuts, hand of Buddha, pink lemons, smoke-stained grapefruit from Riverside, and even a lone Durian fruit. Where do they GET this stuff?
Ferry Building prepared food booths: Ten-dollar sandwiches from well-known San Francisco restaurants
Alemany food booths: 2-dollar Pupusas, Tacos and Tamales!
Ferry Building Shoppers: Designer sweats and strollers, tourists from places where lettuce doesn't grow year round gawking at the foodie paradise around them
Alemany Shoppers: Everyone else and by everyone, I mean EVERYONE: Grey-haired, heavily pierced gay men comparing bok choy with little old Chinese ladies. Veiled Muslim women haggling with Mexican farmers. Wiccan lesbians (see photo of car belonging to aforementioned females). A radiantly beautiful African woman teaching an Asian grandmother how to play bongos. One hard-to-ignore blonde in platform boots and a black corset that made her cleavage so prominent that she could have hidden a few bunches of rainbow chard in there and nobody would have been the wiser. I am not making any of this up - these are ACTUAL examples that I witnessed.Ferry Building entertainment: Jamaican steel drum band or those annoying Peruvian pipes
Alemany entertainment: The Cat Lady!
Ok, I need to take a break here to explain the Cat Lady. She is probably in her 70s or even her 80s, and she plays ragtime music that must be from her childhood. She has some sort of boom box laying down the main track, and she accompanies it with a variety of instruments, my favorite of which are the saws. She uses a bow to play saws of various sizes like violins, all the while keeping time by "tap-dancing" her toy cat with her foot! And not just any cat - this feline sports star-shaped pasties! Suffice to say, the Cat Lady draws a crowd every Saturday (see picture). [Editor's note: Actually you can also see the blonde in the platform boots in this picture, behind the cat lady. Her cleavage, however, is hidden.]
In other news, Erika is also very busy out-growing all of her clothes. The Belly at 20 weeks is a Thing to Behold. She still managed to fit into a cocktail dress for the company Christmas party last night, but it was a stretch (literally). Ah, yes, the Company Christmas party. Erika has again succumbed to the world of full-time employment, at least for the next 4 months. The job was too good to pass up, especially when the urban goat farm did not work out.
Martin is busy plotting our move to Sonoma County (some time next year?), which is fine with me as long as the new house has a proper heating system and I am allowed to go out in the yard and sun myself. I have discovered the roof in our current apartment (see picture) but it makes Erika and Martin nervous when I spend too much time up there.The kittens return next week, when Erika and Martin go to Prague. I am dreading sharing my space in front of the fire, but at least I get to eat junk food for two weeks.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Nasty little kittenses
We *hates* the kittenses...nasty little kittenses...
There is a reason I haven't posted in so long. Actually, several reasons. Not having an internet connection in the new apartment is one. And the other two are Maurice and Tango - two kittens that we have been baby-sitting ever since we moved in. The first few days I intimidated them so much that they wouldn't leave their room, but NOW the tables have turned and they torment me night and day. I can't believe how much energy they have, racing from one end of the house to the other. One will stalk me from the front while another one bats at my tail - I can't stand them! Erika and Martin seem awfully attached though - luckily they are leaving tomorrow and won't be back until Thanksgiving.
While I've been busy fighting off the kittens, Erika and Martin have been exploring the neighborhood and Working! Yes, they are Both working full time these days. Erika found her (temporary) dream job working at a web strategy firm South of Market in San Francisco, and is applying for an urban goat herder position to fill in the gaps. After work, E&M have been making their way up Mission St., trying every restaurant on the block. Burritos, amazing Thai food (California Larb, anyone?), burritos, passable Dim Sum, burritos, and last night - Guatemalan food! And they haven't even reached the end of the block yet. Next week: Crossing the street! Martin has been eyeing the Peruvian and Vietnamese restaurants across the way... This should keep us busy until crab season starts on November 15.
The only downside of the hood is the local grocery store - Safeway. Erika went in search of San Francisco sourdough bread there last week and found "San Francisco" sourdough from three different states, none of which were California. As it turns out, the guys in St. Louis, MO make pretty good sourdough bread! Soon she will succumb, and drive to one of the THREE mega-Whole Foods in the city. For those of you who have not been following the debate between Michael Pollan and John Mackey, the CEO of Whole Foods, Whole Foods has changed their practices to include a much larger percentage of locally sourced foods. Erika found a mousetrap behind the refrigerator over the weekend, so my food source might be getting a bit more local in the coming weeks...stay tuned.
There is a reason I haven't posted in so long. Actually, several reasons. Not having an internet connection in the new apartment is one. And the other two are Maurice and Tango - two kittens that we have been baby-sitting ever since we moved in. The first few days I intimidated them so much that they wouldn't leave their room, but NOW the tables have turned and they torment me night and day. I can't believe how much energy they have, racing from one end of the house to the other. One will stalk me from the front while another one bats at my tail - I can't stand them! Erika and Martin seem awfully attached though - luckily they are leaving tomorrow and won't be back until Thanksgiving.
While I've been busy fighting off the kittens, Erika and Martin have been exploring the neighborhood and Working! Yes, they are Both working full time these days. Erika found her (temporary) dream job working at a web strategy firm South of Market in San Francisco, and is applying for an urban goat herder position to fill in the gaps. After work, E&M have been making their way up Mission St., trying every restaurant on the block. Burritos, amazing Thai food (California Larb, anyone?), burritos, passable Dim Sum, burritos, and last night - Guatemalan food! And they haven't even reached the end of the block yet. Next week: Crossing the street! Martin has been eyeing the Peruvian and Vietnamese restaurants across the way... This should keep us busy until crab season starts on November 15.
The only downside of the hood is the local grocery store - Safeway. Erika went in search of San Francisco sourdough bread there last week and found "San Francisco" sourdough from three different states, none of which were California. As it turns out, the guys in St. Louis, MO make pretty good sourdough bread! Soon she will succumb, and drive to one of the THREE mega-Whole Foods in the city. For those of you who have not been following the debate between Michael Pollan and John Mackey, the CEO of Whole Foods, Whole Foods has changed their practices to include a much larger percentage of locally sourced foods. Erika found a mousetrap behind the refrigerator over the weekend, so my food source might be getting a bit more local in the coming weeks...stay tuned.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Another Move
While I am fairly certain that I have terrorized Montana the House Cat enough to necessitate years of Kitty Psychotherapy for that poor pussy, I'm not sure how psychologically prepared I myself am for tomorrow's move. I finally have Erika and Martin perfectly trained to open the front door within 30 seconds of my first or second "I want to go out NOW meow" and I'm not sure I'm ready to become a full-time indoor cat again.
After spending the morning supervising movers who filled up our new San Francisco apartment with boxes, Erika too became a little wistful. Especially after realizing that this is her 4th Autumn Move to SF. It's becoming something of a tradition.
First there was the move in November 1997 from Mountain View to a charming studio on Jones in Nob Hill. It was exciting to finally live in the Big City, but parking a 4WD truck in one of the hilliest and most competitive parking areas in the city soon lost its charm. Hosting dinner parties where two of the seats were on the futon bed and the other guests had to bring their own chairs finally convinced Erika to move to a 2-bedroom with a roommate in Alamo Square.
After a brief hiatus in Sunnyvale, Erika's next move to SF was in November 2000, to a drafty old Victorian on Waller in the Lower Haight. The broken heater was a hardship (a theme to be repeated in several New York apartments), but it was the crazy roommate who kept re-arranging the kitchen in passive-aggressive/obsessive-compulsive rages who finally forced Erika out. She asked Erika to leave so that her boyfriend could move into Erika's room (and pay only half of the rent that Erika had been paying!).
After living in New York for 2 years, Erika moved back to SF in December of 2003, into a gorgeous Arts and Crafts-ish one-bedroom on Steiner in the Lower Haight. It was perfect, but the neighborhood was not. The gunshots, drug addicts, break-ins, and stolen cars got a little too frequent, and Erika decided that she would be better off in NOPA in yet another drafty Victorian, but this time with two great roommates.
Fast forward 4 years to the last days of October 2007 and Erika finds herself moving back from New York yet again to SF for probably the last time, this time to Bernal Heights. Another beautiful Victorian - time will tell whether or not it is drafty too. This one has 2 bedrooms and a tiny half-bedroom in the front, just right for the Baby who will be joining us at the end of April. We are ALL hoping that our Next move will be to a place in the country that is big enough for our growing family to thrive and put down some roots...
After spending the morning supervising movers who filled up our new San Francisco apartment with boxes, Erika too became a little wistful. Especially after realizing that this is her 4th Autumn Move to SF. It's becoming something of a tradition.
First there was the move in November 1997 from Mountain View to a charming studio on Jones in Nob Hill. It was exciting to finally live in the Big City, but parking a 4WD truck in one of the hilliest and most competitive parking areas in the city soon lost its charm. Hosting dinner parties where two of the seats were on the futon bed and the other guests had to bring their own chairs finally convinced Erika to move to a 2-bedroom with a roommate in Alamo Square.
After a brief hiatus in Sunnyvale, Erika's next move to SF was in November 2000, to a drafty old Victorian on Waller in the Lower Haight. The broken heater was a hardship (a theme to be repeated in several New York apartments), but it was the crazy roommate who kept re-arranging the kitchen in passive-aggressive/obsessive-compulsive rages who finally forced Erika out. She asked Erika to leave so that her boyfriend could move into Erika's room (and pay only half of the rent that Erika had been paying!).
After living in New York for 2 years, Erika moved back to SF in December of 2003, into a gorgeous Arts and Crafts-ish one-bedroom on Steiner in the Lower Haight. It was perfect, but the neighborhood was not. The gunshots, drug addicts, break-ins, and stolen cars got a little too frequent, and Erika decided that she would be better off in NOPA in yet another drafty Victorian, but this time with two great roommates.
Fast forward 4 years to the last days of October 2007 and Erika finds herself moving back from New York yet again to SF for probably the last time, this time to Bernal Heights. Another beautiful Victorian - time will tell whether or not it is drafty too. This one has 2 bedrooms and a tiny half-bedroom in the front, just right for the Baby who will be joining us at the end of April. We are ALL hoping that our Next move will be to a place in the country that is big enough for our growing family to thrive and put down some roots...
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