Nobody 683

January 31, 2007
Nobody # 683

Nobody Asked Me But:

"Would we the gift that God has gie’ us, to see ourselves as others see us." Robert Burns

Apparently I have no such gift, for there I was sitting on a corner bench in the heart of Laguna looking sharp, (I thought) watching the world go by, as I waited for Barb to come out of a dress store. I was wearing camouflage khakis, a little baggy perhaps with their tie at the bottom, a Nalu shirt from Hawaii, old but like new, and my London Barbour hat purchased as a birthday gift from my wife - for not a small price. Next to me was my new Christmas present Tumi bag. (see picture at left)

A well-dressed man started to walk past me, glanced my way, stopped and asked me "could you use a couple of bucks?" Like a fool I said no, but I am thinking of staking out that bench and picking up my daily coffee money.<<<

While we were in Coronado Saturday we visited one of my favorite bookstores, and I bought “The Book Of Answers” by Carol Bolt. It contains a couple of hundred answers for which the reader supplies the questions. I thought it would be fun to include one periodically. So here is the first with my question. Feel free to send in your own questions as well. The best ones – which means all of them – will be included in following Nobodies.

Answer: “Not if you’re alone.”

Question: Is it all right to have sex in public?<<<

And now, back to our celebratory trip. No! I didn't get the abalone. This year Arches, (below)where we returned for Barbara's birthday dinner, had it priced at a modest $129.00. I also passed on the Lobster tails at $65 and $95 settling for an excellent lobster thermador, while Barb had her usual beef stroganoff. She liked but didn't love it, her version, which we have at home on special occasions, being much better. However, the place is the same - plush red booths, LeRoy Neiman paintings and so much history.

And therein lies the sad tale. After 60 years, this Orange Country landmark is closing. We heard conflicting stores about whether it is actually shutting down or merely moving, but, either way, it will not be the same.<<<

And while on the subject of closing, here is an E-note I sent to my bagel-loving daughter:

On our first morning in Laguna Beach, I thought of you. I walked across the street to a really neat Diedrich's coffee house (left) for reading and a cup of black. While I was there, the most incredible aromas of bagels toasting engulfed me and I knew that this would be a place you would love. They smelled so good that I almost bought one.

As it turned out, it was good that I went that first morning, because it was their last day in business. As Barb read later, they sold out to Starbuck's. So, next time I will have anew SB but not my usual "different" place - "something lost and something gained in living every day".<<<

As always, our trip was great. We stayed in places where we could walk more often than drive, which was very neat. We also relaxed more. In Laguna, we sat looking out over the beach and ocean and read a lot.

Saturday we drove to Coronado where we hadn't been for a couple of years and that was fun - especially since we found some great ice cream and the “Answers” book. When I win a big buck lottery, Coronado is a high possibility on my list of places to live. A water and San Diego skyline view would be incredible. In fact, I would buy a condo also, so you all could visit often. The only drawback would be the fact that San Diego is a world-class city with an airport unchanged since Lindberg’s visit in 1920something.<<<

Neat experiences:

Thursday evening we wanted to watch the Bruin game, and our hotel did not have the Fox sport channels, so we sought out a sports bar. By coincidence, several Bruin fans had reserved a gaming room to watch as a group, and they invited us to join them. We won, of course, but then we came home to shockingly poor play and a loss to Stanford.<<<

Discovering Pescador Fish Market in LaJolla. We were walking and passed a small fish market, fresh to buy and cooked to take home – or eat in if you could grab one of the four tables. We got lucky and had a small but excellent meal.<<<

Best of trip.

Single food or taste:

J – (1) Ice cream in Coronado (2) Lobster T. at Arches (3) Clam chowder at Pescador (4) Malt at Coldstone in LaJolla (5) Cherry scone at Panera Bread at Newport Beach

B – (1) Beer-battered prawns – accompanied by bites of rice pilaf (2) Juanita’s rolled tacos ( both flour and corn) in Leucadia (3) Beef stroganoff (4) Cinnamon roll from Bread and Cie in San Diego

Best meal: J – Fish dinner (sole, potatoes au Gratin, coleslaw) at The Fish Market in San Diego

B – Beer-battered prawns, (with rice pilaf and a shrimp salad), at The Fish Market (left)

Best feelings: Peace and contentment.<<<

But back, for a moment, to discontent. The Bruins should have beaten Stanford. But as I feel myself start to sink into a depressive state I remember that we are still 18-2 this year, and next season our weakness in the middle will be filled with Love.

Kevin Love that is, and here are a couple of his answers from a recent interview:

“Love, averaging 32.8 points and 17.7 rebounds while shooting .631 from the field and .838 from the foul line, is in the eyes of many the greatest prep basketball player in the state’s history. But the son of former NBA player Stan Love and Karen Love is also a teenager with a 3.0 GPA, a fertile mind and other interests off the hardcourt.”

“He sat down this week with the Portland Tribune for a Q&A” session.

Q: How many years do you think you’ll be at UCLA? “

A: It depends on how everything goes as a freshman and sophomore, and maybe my junior year. You have to see how you do and assess your options and see what your draft status is. If I were to stay all four years, that wouldn’t bother me at all. At least I’ll be getting my education at a top-five school in the country. It’s a win-win situation.”

Q: Where will you be in five years?

A: “Hopefully in the NBA. If not, my time at UCLA will put me in a position to succeed in life.”<<<

Book tip: Run, don’t walk to your nearest Border’s or B&N and buy a copy of Richard North Patterson’s latest novel, “Exile.” Fiction enlightens fact in this story of a Jewish lawyer who defends an Arab woman accused of being an integral part of the San Francisco assassination of the visiting Israeli prime minister, a man who may be the region’s last best hope for peace. Patterson gives a balanced look at the good and bad existing on both sides in this seemingly endless conflict. Let’s hope that he doesn’t get the Jimmy Carter treatment for daring to do so. I will have more to say on the subject next week.<<<

Despite my fascination with “24,” I strongly condemn torture. Which leads me to the question: What do you call a President who sanctions shipping out torture to Poland, a place infamous for some of the worst Nazi death camps?

Answer: Mr. Sensitivity.<<<

Kudos (actually, what the H is a kudo?) to North Carolina for being the 11th state to suspend the death penalty. No matter how you feel about capital punishment, the potential for mistakes is too high a price to pay.<<<

Allow me to finish with this pictorial reference to famous fiction. You guessed it. This is “The Old Man And The Sea.”