A nice living room

Come on in.  Have a seat.  Donations are on a sliding scale, from $10 to $20.
There’s no TV or kitchen, just a nice young sarode player in the center of the room.  Tabla player too.  Oh, and don’t forget Gautam, who runs the show.
We spent our Friday night at the Sangati Center, located at 22nd [...]

Jai Slumdog

And so it happens. A movie not quite Indian, but more Indian than most, captures the attention of cousins in Mumbai, San Francisco, and who knows where else. Edmonton, Canada? Gold Coast, Australia? I don’t know how many in my clan were watching the American Academy Awards.

Occupational bingo

First, there was the theater student turned TV station employee turned finance company administrator.
Then, the part-time English teacher who writes poetry.
Next, the investment bank escapee turned photographer.
And who will visit my apartment-in-need-of-a-tenant tomorrow?  The human rights nonprofiteer turned disaster-management employee.

The best reviews ever… (article)

The San Francisco Chronicle has the best approach to reviewing new albums and CDs:
CD: Guns N’ Roses, ‘Chinese Democracy’
Aidin Vaziri
Sunday, November 23, 2008

Axl Rose is an idiot. 

How to save a life

There’s a stretch of tunnel that you’ll pass through if you happen to be on Geary Boulevard in San Francisco.  It’s a part of Geary that crisscrosses below Masonic Street.  As you keep driving, you are suddenly in a world of multi-laned flourescent light.
I had once been given a speeding ticket for doing an irresponsible [...]

Blind date

As I pulled up to her home, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  We had only corresponded via email, but she sounded hip.  Her emails were signed “Sue.”  The “From” field had a longer name — “Suzala SF.”
I parked my car and ascended the four flights of stairs.  It was a grand old apartment building [...]

I scream for ice cream.

I’m pretty certain that I’m going back. The headache was a bummer, and the ice cream did just the trick. Well, actually, the ice cream didn’t really do anything. Why? Because when you have a migraine, nothing does anything.
Only time. You just sit and wait.
But if you are going to [...]

Indo-Irish

Somewhere deep down, I always thought the diva culture was wierd. At some point, we Americans were stripped of our own musical voices. We were taught that if you want to sing, you can’t just be a singer. You have to be young, beautiful, and hip. No physical imperfections allowed.
There are [...]

Alone Man

Almost every time I take a seat, he is there. He sits at that same table, alone, sipping a cup of coffee. A large yellow sketch book is placed in front of him.
His expressionless face hides behind a large pair of glasses. His faded short-sleeve shirt wraps tightly around his huge tummy. [...]

Looking for a sublet!

Hey y’all:
I’m looking for a sublet from now through August 31st in San Francisco. Or a good chunk of that time.