To The Left To The Left . . .

I made a couple minor updates to the blog that I wanted to bring your attention to.

First, I have updated the the section "My Friends Blog Too." This area will now be arranged by the blog that was most recently updated. It will show you how recent the blog was updated and what the title of the most recent blog entry is.

Second, I have added a section called "Just Jon By Tag." This will show all the "Tags" that appear at the bottom of each blog entry. It will also show how many entries have the same "Tag." For example, if you want to read all the entries that pertain to "Muni;" you can simply click on the word "Muni" and it will take you to those posts.

Hopefully these changes will enhance your Just Jon experience!

The Song Of The Day - Irreplaceable by Beyonce

Do You Wanna Go For A Ride . . .

The last Friday of the month means one thing; the commute home is probably going to be delayed by Critical Mass.

Critical Mass is a monthly bicycling event.

Started in 1992; the event gathers hundreds of bicyclists together for a ride that takes over the streets of the City with no official route. Often times the route is determined by whomever is at the lead of the pack. The original purpose of the event was to draw attention to how unfriendly the City was to cyclists.

The riders usually have police escort and can tie up traffic for hours.

For the most part the event is peaceful and can be fun to watch if you happen to be stuck on one of the public transportation vehicles that is unable to move because of the cyclists.

See the above brief video from the beginning of last nights ride that stopped cars and Muni trains along the Embarcadero.

The Song Of The Day - My Body Says Yes by Titiyo

The Definition . . .

It's Lent.

In the Catholic faith that means giving something up for the 40 days that span from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday.

This Lenten "Sacrifice" is to remind us of the 40 days of fasting and prayer that Jesus experienced in the desert.

Some people have re-defined the Lenten Sacrifice. Instead of giving something up, they try and do something good for 40 days. Frankly; that usually turns out to be harder than giving up a particular vice.

A few years back I tried to deny my sweet tooth its satisfaction by giving up chocolate. That choice negatively impacted all those around me as I was grumpier than ever!

I also thought the chocolate sacrifice would help me loose weight. Not even close. I gained weight. My brain was so fixated on its desire for chocolate I kept trying to eat other things to satisfy my cravings. Nothing worked.

This year in an "Oh my gosh I need to think of something to give up for Lent" moment; I went with the first thing that popped into my head.

Dessert.

Six hours later on day one I was already re-thinking my choice.

How stupid could I be? I am the type of person that has to have some form of dessert with every meal.

By hour eight, immediately following dinner, I began to rationalize. What technically defines dessert?

Dessert usually comes after a meal. What if I wait two hours, then have a snack that happens to be a cookie. Is that dessert? Technically no, that would be a mid-evening snack. And so my twisted logic went on and on trying to figure out how I could get some treats without breaking the rules.

By day two I decided the only thing that would end this mental debate would be to look up the actual definition of the word "Dessert."

I went to dictionary.com and crossed my fingers for a definition in my favor!

dessert [dih-zurt]

-noun

1. cake, pie, fruit, pudding, ice cream, etc., served as the final course of a meal.

2. British. a serving of fresh fruit after the main course of a meal.

Yes!

Later that day I used my new found knowledge to my advantage when there was a birthday celebration at work. They rolled out the ice cream cake and started passing around slices.

"Why, yes I would like a piece," I said.

One of my co-workers looked at me and said, "Didn't you just yesterday tell us you had given up dessert for Lent?"

"This is not dessert," I said. "This is a free standing celebration of someones birthday not preceded by a meal. Therefore I am perfectly entitled to my slice of ice cream cake."

Yes, I know, my lack of will power is sad.

I have also decided that a late night decaffeinated white chocolate mocha from Starbucks does not count as a dessert. That is a drink.

The good news is, I am totally not grumpy like when I gave up chocolate.

It's all in the definition!

The Song Of The Day - The Definition by Brandy

The Look . . .

"Borderline tacky."

That is what one of my co-workers said about my use of accessories today!

We were having a team building event where points were awarded for every accessory you were wearing.

Apparently, two bracelets, a ring, a watch, a necklace, a beanie, and glasses was just too much bling to be sporting around the office in the hours prior to the event.

The only thing is, I thought "Borderline Tacky" was an amazing assessment. I am thinking about making a t-shirt for the Just Jon Junk Store that says "Borderline Tacky!"

Thanks Roxie for my new slogan!

"itsjustjon.blogspot.com ...Borderline Tacky!"

The Song Of The Day - The Look by Roxette

I'm Moving I'm Coming . . .

On Sunday my friends and I went on a 4.4 mile hike through the Marin Headlands.

It was a beautiful day once we got outside the City where the fog had already burnt off.

Please enjoy the slide show featuring images from our hike.

The Song Of The Day - Pure Shores by All Saints

Simply The Best . . .

Sometimes I crave Chinese food.

My local Chinese take-out restaurant sends flyers in the mail and always includes a menu/advertisement in the bag with the food.

See if you can find what I think is so hysterical about the above flyer.

I will give you a hint...

Don't Date Yourself!

If you look closely at the middle of the flyer in the yellow box; Andy's proudly proclaims "Best Take-Out in Bay Area by Bay Guardian, July 29, 1998."

1998!

That's almost 12 years ago!

If you haven't been voted the best in over 10 years, then perhaps you are no longer the best.

I'm just sayin'.

I will continue to eat at your restaurant, but maybe its time to update the literature.

The Song Of The Day - The Best by Tina Turner

Sing For Your Supper . . .

Bi-annually the City of San Francisco holds an event called Dine About Town. During the event restaurants offer special prix fixe menus for lunch and dinner.

This year, patrons could get a two course lunch for $17.95 or a three course dinner for $34.95, drinks, tax, and gratuity not included.

For this winter Dine About Town my friends chose the restaurant supperclub.

As I have mentioned before on this blog, I am not the foodie in the group, so I usually let my friends pick the restaurant and I just show up when I am told.

Several weeks ago when my friend An picked the date for our outing and I wrote it on my calendar at work. I didn't even pay attention to what restaurant had been picked.

The day before the event I looked up the appointment and found the name of the restaurant we were going to.

supperclub.

I didn't know anything about this restaurant so I went to their web site to find out what the menu looked like. The web site featured a semi naked man laying on a bunch of pillows.

I honestly thought I had gone to the wrong web site. What were we getting ourselves into?

When we arrived at the restaurant we were greeted by the host/hostess named Lee who was dressed in little more then a corset, fishnets, and garter belts. He checked us in, offered us an hors doeuvres and told us we could have a seat in the bar.

As the bar became more and more crowded the wait staff started to come around and ask if we were "ready to be put in bed."

The supperclub does not have tables and chairs, it has communal beds. Each party has a portion of the mattresses that run the perimeter of a large industrial like building divided into two levels.

After we removed our shoes and climbed into bed we started to review the menu. I love that the menu had the following disclaimer on it:

"In short, we are not your typical restaurant or club.

In fact, to classify us would be a mistake.

If you are easily offended, want to eat a quick meal or are not into exploring the intricacy of what San Francisco really is, then please put back on your shoes, drag yourself out of the white beds, and leave at once.

We are not for everyone, and you will do us both a favor."

Are you kidding? I am totally in now. This is going to be awesome!

Shortly there after, one of the wait staff came around tossing latex gloves at all the guests periodically saying, "this is for eating the first course."

The first course was pan seared radicchio with buffalo mozzarella, balsamic vinegar, pine nuts, and bruschetta. It was delicious. I used that latex glove to wipe the platter clean.

As we enjoyed the first course the first performance started. A trapeze was lowered into the center of the room and two aerialists began to perform.

I would describe the scene as a modern day Moulin Rouge or where club kids/ravers go to work when they are in their 30s.

The second course was heirloom chicken breast with sauteed turnips, broccoli and salsify in chicken stock with black kale. It was just OK.

What was great was the second course performance. The host/hostess from earlier in the evening came out and performed a burlesque striptease to a slowed down remake of Britney Spears' Toxic.

The third course was rhubarb crumble with vanilla ice cream. All I can say is a little rhubarb goes a long way, and there was a lot of rhubarb.

During the third course they did a fashion show. The highlight of the fashion show came just after the last swimsuit model walked off the stage. One of the drunken patrons stripped down to his underwear and followed her on the runway. Classic!

It was a very fun evening and I would go back. The atmosphere was light hearted and fun. I would however like to see how the food is when it is not a prix fixe menu limited to $34.95. My one concern about Dine About Town is that I worry that you are not getting the best the chef has to offer because they are trying to hit a set price point.

The Song Of The Day - Sing For Your Supper by Carroll Gibbons and the Savoy Hotel Orpheans

"C" Is For Cookie . . .

You know you're a bachelor when . . .

You think it's a good idea to try and bake Nestle Toll House frozen cookie dough on a George Foreman Grill.

The Song Of The Day - C Is For Cookie by Cookie Monster