Tales of Seven

Leeloo Costume Recipe

I really like the character Leeloo from the 5th Element and am making a go at at one of her costumes for Halloween this year. 2 parts flour, 1 part sugar, a dash of cinnamon, here is one recipe for the Leeloo Costume:

1 White Dance Shirt: White Dance T-Shirt, Harmonie Body Wear. This shirt has a futuristic-looking fabric and can be easily cut off and sewn to be shorter. I kept mine full length so I could pull it down on those cool walks between clubs ;), then tucked it up once inside.

1 Pair Semi-Shiny Leggings: American Apparel, Shiny Nylon Tricot Legging , in the color 'Chino'. Get black trim from a sewing shop and sew on the stripes.

1 'I Mean Business' Black Belt: Any 2" patent leather belt with a plain buckle

1 Pair of Cloddy-Looking Boots: Merona Black Winter Boots. I found them at Target.

1 Pair of Neon-Orange Suspenders: These are tough to make and authentic-looking materials aren't easy to find. I found one company that just started to make them here.

The Hair: Bought a human hair wig (blond) and dyed it using Manic Panic Hair Dye in the color of 'Tiger Lily'. It looks more in line with her hair than the synthetic hair orange wigs. Unless you like being bright orange, don't dye your own hair, even with temporary color!

Jordan Slideshow

A short slideshow with some of the highlights of my recent trip to Jordan!

Picture of the Week - Point Bonita

Just across the Golden Gate Bridge and down a winding road that hugs the coast is Point Bonita.

This lighthouse itself sits precariously on a chunk of rock that is steadily eroded by the pounding waves below. And it is only accessible by this historic footbridge. Given its age, Rangers stand at either end and only allow 2 people to cross at a time.

Picture of the Week

Yesterday's sunrise lights up the Palace of Fine Arts and Golden Gate Bridge.

The Dance Partner Sample Platter

Cafe Cocomo, San Francisco

A sample platter of Salsa dance partners I met at Cafe Cocomo this evening .... an especially flavorful selection...

The Minimalist  His feet barely lift off the ground. Just a hint of a lead… a thought…. a subtle suggestion. A Scone, no Jam.

The Deep End of the Pool  He’s had a lot of lessons and he’s danced for a decade. A complex maze of a lead that has a prize at the end if you can find your way. Steak Au Poivre.

The Rocket Launcher. The most dangerous of salsa partners. Round and round and round you go, to which end of the floor he’ll launch you, nobody knows. Spicy Thai Noodles.

Jazz Hand Man. He will step back from time to time to do an elaborate solo comprised of jazz hands, rainbow gestures and a hip shimmy. Strawberry Ice Cream with Sprinkles. 

Spin It Man. Ring around the rosy, my stomach is no longer so cozy. Just Uni.

Pumpkins in a Half a Moon

The brittle crunch of dried corn stalks.

The bright orange shine pumpkins against wet, green grass.

The smell of woodsmoke and crisp chill of winter-arriving.

Half Moon Bay is just half-an-hour’s-drive-with-the-top-down from San Francisco and made for a perfect day-off destination for me last week.

As it prepared for its Pumpkin Festival, the tiny town offered the perfect combination of orange-festivity and local flavor (grilled fresh fish and micro-brew) set against a backdrop of wind blown seaside town.

A few pictures from my visit...

Golden Gate at Sunrise

More images from the Treehouse.

A view of Golden Gate Bridge and Palace of Fine Arts at 8am this morning just as the light of sunrise lit them to a warm glow. It's a clear, sunny day, with just a small chill in the air. The water has a mirror like calm to it.

Parrots visit the Treehouse

One fun, unique thing to be found in San Francisco is a flock of birds dubbed the 'Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill'. In a city of sparrows, these flamboyant, brightly colored fowl always make an impression. Story has it that a pair of pet parrots got loose and gave rise to the entire flock. And since then the flock has acquired much fame through a film made about its members.

This morning around 8am, I had my first close-up, celebrity encounter with the little stars. A handful of them alighted on a tree outside my apartment to watch the sunrise.

(Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill with The Palace of Fine Arts and Golden Gate Bridge in the background.)

HeroRat

Hurrah for simple innovation.

HeroRat is the brainchild of one man who has a love of rodents and a mission to make the world a better place. After working in Africa and encountering many landmine victims, he came upon the idea of using rats to sniff out landmines. They are lightweight (won't set off mines), highly trainable, and easy to raise and maintain.

He is currently running numerous programs to de-mine areas around African villages and schools. Learn more or Adopt a Rat at their website. Next time someone asks you which charities you support, this will be a good one ;).

Climbing into 'The Treehouse'

It's a defining moment, at least in San Francisco terms. I've finally made the move onto bedrock out of the sandy flats. In addition to improving the chances my wine glasses will survive an earthquake, the new apartment offers a few other notable qualities:

1) It's bigger than a tuna can

2) The convenient oval-shaped layout allows my pets to run at full speed.

3) It's painted a brilliant, glaring hospital white.

4) And it has the sense of 'treehouse' about it.... perched with lots of branches (stairs) to climb

A few first pictures following my first climb into The Treehouse (and I hope to share more!)...

• Center - the San Francisco Bay from the Treehouse Living Room
• Right - Russian Hill with Windows Reflecting the Sunset
• Slight Right - Sunrise view of Alcatraz