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So, I alluded to our new GPS navigation helper who we have named “Emily” after her lilting British accent. Other than our test runs at Christmas, we haven’t done any long roadtrips, so we’ve taken to trying to fool Emily as we drive around the City. We plug in obscure destinations and then mock Emily as she tries to take off our “normal” route.

Still, Emily is patient when we ignore her directions. “Recalculating…” she announces calmly after each missed turn.

I was thinking that you could really have some fun with programming a GPS personality…particularly the NAG that berates you when you miss a turn. “Didn’t I tell you to turn left? Why don’t you just figure it out yourself, genius.” 🙂

No, not our Emily. She is sweet. And she seems to know where every Starbucks in the world is!! What more can you ask for?

Jeff and I joined our friend Chris for a very yummy brunch in Noe Valley this morning. We ate at a hip hole in the wall called Toast, which seems to specialize in mouth watering French toast and pancakes. I didn’t happen to have my camera today…which made me think of these photos from our Sunday lunch LAST weekend at the de Young 🙂 (I tried this flavorful pastrami sandwich.)

We hit the de Young as the afternoon sun was just starting to light everything up with a hint of red. This really set off the panoramic landscape around the de Young’s observation tower. One cool aspect of the tower is that it is free to everyone, not just museum visitors. A very nice gift to the community.

The sunlight also set off the new Academy of Sciences, which is under construction directly across from the de Young. Slated to open in 2008, this building already captivates the imagination with its sine-wave roof.

One of the stranger sights that might catch your glance as you drive through serene Marin County is the historic San Quentin State Prison, a maximum security facility complete with gas chamber. It also happens to sit on prime SF Bay waterfront property, with vistas to remind 6000 inmates how good life is on the outside.

Jeff and I spotted the prison as we were taking a quiet, sunny drive through Tiburon. The facility stands out as your eye pans across wetlands and multi-million dollar waterfront condos.

As you might expect, the pickings are slim in the calendar aisles of the bookstore. Nevertheless, 22 days into the new year, I wandered off to dig through the scraps for a $5 wall calendar. (For the past three weeks, I have been gesturing .to the blank spot on my wall where a calendar usually hangs…soooooo, I had to find SOMETHING suitable.)

Sure, there were the normal cute kittens and well-dressed puppies; there were ducklings, cows, pigs, and even “jackasses”. But the 12-months of hamster photos took top prize as the oddest calendar to grace a wall.

What did I buy? Hardly surprising: vintage black and white photographs of trains. There were actually THREE competing calendars with that theme.

Birthdays are a bit more magical when mixed with a pinch of surprise. Jeff's cold nixed our plans to drive north for an overnighter in Sonoma, so had to concoct a new treat. My simple solution was to treat Jeff to a variation on his favorite birthday cake (Black Forest)…I made Black Forest cupcakes instead. Aren't I a clever one?