Palo Alto Square.

Every day I go to work at Palo Alto Square.jpg, half a mile from Stanford University. Here is a late-fifties photo of what it looked like before the towers were built. It now stands where you see the open field in the bottom right corner. My, oh my, how times have changed. It would have been so beautiful and peaceful back then.

Sighted on T-Shirts.

My friend and studio guru Terry has this caption on a t-shirt: "I have gone to find myself. If I get back before I return, keep me here."

Another person at the bbq had one that read, "I have had no professional training. I have already given my best. And I have no regrets." That one, of course, is from the guy rejected from that wildly popular singing television show whose name I cannot recall this early in the morning.

Sweet Music.

Tonight's the big night and I'm all set: got my portable grand electric piano waiting downstairs. The only thing I need that I don't have is a roadie. My back's been killing me lugging all this equipment around.

For The Musicians.

Found a really cool site with free computer wallpaper. This is the one I am using. Check out the gallery archives (at the bottom of this page).

On This Day.

From the NY Times: "On March 18, 1965, the first spacewalk took place as Soviet cosmonaut Aleksei Leonov left his Voskhod 2 capsule and remained outside the spacecraft for 20 minutes, secured by a tether."

I remember this. I was five years old and recall how Captain Satellite explained it to his young viewing audience, moving a cardboard cutout astronaut against a feltboard made to look like outer space. A week later, our guys did the same thing.

Cool childhood memories.

Weird Fun Makes Precious Moment.

My daughter is so cute. She helped her friends make a birthday cake yesterday for their friend, Mark. They made it pink with blue frosting. Sounds terrible to eat but a blast to make. She said her cheeks were hurting from laughing so much.

Bumper Snickers.

Never saw these before. I like them.

"Fish tremble at the sound of my name."

"Bicycles just smell better." This one, of course, was pasted on a bike.

Miss Understood.

When opportunites present and your camera won't work, it can try a person's patience. I finally got it to work. Ladies and gents, meet my precious family. Happy 80th Birthday, Grandpa Joe. We love you ever so much.

Girl with Grapes.jpg

Rough n Tumble Boy.jpg

Strawberry Boy.jpg

Daddy Hug.jpg

Emily and Madison.jpg

Sherman Grandkids.jpg

Gallegos Kids.jpg

Madi the Serious Artiste.jpg

Kyle the Poet.jpg

Gary and the Girrlz.jpg

Father And Son 2.jpg

Classic Camelias.jpg

Carol and Kyle.jpg

My Pretty Sis.jpg

Casual Kids.jpg

Pickin' N Grinnin'.jpg

Happy 80th Joe.jpg

Thank you goodnight!.jpg

Things Said At A Party.

BK: "I have a twelve-and-a-half year-old daughter. I figure I have a year, year and a half before things start to cave."
Me: "Hah. Listen up. I'm the mom of a 16-year-old girl. She can be sweet, or she can frazzle my last nerve. Be prepared. Every day is a new joy-ride."
BK: [ Winces, rolls eyes] "Terrific."

Little Green Sprouts From The Sprout People.

Here is a website that sells seeds and gives various ways how to grow them. The recipes are somewhat bizarre, but exemplify their enthusiasm.

It is easy and fun to grow your own sprouts. No dirt required. Here it is in a nutshell. Growing a new batch every other week or so has been a lot of fun.

All you do is take a 1 quart mayo jar, place 2 Tbsp seeds* inside, cover with water and let soak an hour. Place a piece of nylon screen or cheesecloth, about 4" square, over the mouth of the jar, and secure tightly with a wide rubber band. Drain water out of jar. Turn jar upside down and tilt slightly so air can circulate, and place, tilted, in a shallow dish. (I use a 2" deep rectangular plastic Rubbermaid container.) Now put everything in a well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight. Rinse sprouts morning and evening, and clean drainage from bottom of dish. After a week, pull sprouts from jar, place in a large bowl , and cover sprouts with water. Gently shake sprouts under water, separating them gently with your hand so that hulls rise to top. Some sink to the bottom. Rinse off all hulls the best you can, drain well and store covered in fridge. Use within 4-5 days before they wilt.

We like a little sandwich with our sprouts...very delicious. Eat enough of them and you begin to smell like chlorophyll. No fooling.

*You can buy seeds at Whole Foods or Country Sun. I suggest a mix of alfalfa, fenugreek, broccoli, onion and/or lentil. Broccoli sprouts have the highest antioxidant levels. Broccoli seeds and onion run about thirty bucks a pound.

When Constant Is Good.

My car is getting a little surgery today. Had to bring her in to repair a broken c.v. boot. C.V. stands for "constant velocity." I think "constant velocity" is important in a car, don't you?

Yesterday.

Yesterday I sang my heart out to a room full of beautiful people. Yesterday I drove for miles down a sleek highway awash in poppies and cliffs that sparkled with the glint of sunlight off the waves. Yesterday my love gave me a symbol of our love. Today I am happy and well and dreaming of good years ahead.

Bubbles, Bubbles Everywhere.

This is going to be my next restaurant review. See you there.

Justice Is Served. On A Charming, Rustic Silver Platter.

"Martha Stewart was convicted today of obstructing justice and lying to the government about a superbly timed stock sale -- a devastating verdict that probably means prison for the woman who epitomized meticulous homemaking and gracious living."
And it's a good thing.

I say, "Good!" because she's a bad witch. Make an example out of her. Hopefully the judge won't go soft on sentencing. Oh, and please, just throw away the key.

There now. Isn't that nice?

Latest To Sell-Out.

Peter Gabriel sold "Big Time" to General Motors. Hearing him sing those ads makes me angry.

Bill says, "At least Springsteen and Hornsby refuse to sell their music for advertising."

I quoted John Lennon, saying, "Yeah. Kinda cheapens it."

I performed at the open mic at Espresso Garden last night. What fun. You show up, put your name in the jar, they have a draw and you pick your place in the lineup. I put myself at 10, out of 20. There were a couple of true amateurs there but overall it was terrific. Rowland came out to support me, that was very nice. It is a really cute cafe. I plugged my appearance this coming Sunday at San Gregorio. Tim will be with me, and are we ever going to shine.

Join the Club.

Here at the office we have what I secretly call the "little librarian glasses club." The group, so far, includes myself, Julie, Elena, Laura and Monique, and Gloria just got hers. I saw them on Mighty Girl last year, and she's so fashionable I just had to have a pair. We all look so smart.

House Calls: Here Comes The Judge.

No longer will we have to threaten foes with "I'll see you in court!!!" Now, you can actually send the Court right to your enemy's very own doorstep.

My, what lovely things my taxpayer dollars are doing here in Silicon Valley.

Not Much Has Changed Since 1968.

The Presidential race is hot. War is an issue. The economy is in the tank. People are screaming about everything. Love is the most important thing.

Quote of The Day: "I'm A What???"

Like a good citizen yesterday I voted. I was mortified to discover that the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters has me registered, erroneously, as Republican. Ever so wrong. I voted Green in the last presidential election, and Democrat before that. Had to be a Registrar of Voters' mistake, not mine. Going forth, I discovered that if you are a Registered Republican that you are allowed to cast votes for Republicans only. I was told I was required to vote for the Republicans on the ballot. I did not much like hearing that. In my sweetest voice I asked if I could possibly change that and was scolded. "No, sorry, not today, but there's a form that will help you do that, and you can do it tomorrow for next time." I made sure to take one of those handy forms with me.

On the nice new electronic voting screen, my choices for President were "George W. Bush" and "Write-In." I "wrote-in" Ralph Nader just for old time's sake, and continued voting on the local measures. Good thing I caught it in time for the November election.

Now Read This.
I read with fascination this article by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in the latest issue of The Nation. This will surely help some Republicans to see some things a bit more clearly. Read about The Junk Science of George W. Bush and how the Bush Administration is putting the entire human race and all of the planet's species at risk, for political gain.

And One More Thing.
I'd also like to advocate the Million Mom March on Washington DC on Mother's Day, May 9, 2004, and would ask you to sign this on-line petition to continue the ban on assault weapons that expires September 14, 2004. Or you could download a little card to sign and send in. Or you could give it to me and I will mail it for you. Those who know me know how much I detest guns.