Really expensive Scrabble

This is pretty funny - you can play Scrabble on the iPad, and use your iPhone or iPod touch as the "holder" for your tiles:

On the other hand, this will set you back around $1,000.  It might be smarter to just buy the board game for $15.99.

Happy Birthday Karen!

Today is Karen's b-day.  We'll have a nice dinner tonight, just the two of us, at a restaurant we haven't tried before.

Hope you have a great day! 


Love, me

A top-notch restaurant in Oakland

Saturday night we went with some friends to Camino in Oakland, a restaurant we had heard much about but not yet tried.  The result was superb - wonderful food, wonderful atmosphere.  Everything about this dinner was good, from watching the bartenders making elegant, classy drinks, to sitting close to the open kitchen with its roaring wood fire, to the perfect Acme bread with delicious butter and a little bowl of salt.


The menu changes daily - here is Saturday's:

We tried a lot of dishes from this menu and everything was delicious.  I had the grapefuit and radish salad to start - yum.  And then I went with the grilled sausage and pork loin, with savoy cabbage, Jerusalem artichokes and lentils.  Amazingly good.  We had similar results with all our other choices.


Yet the food is only half the success.  The ambience and the service were just right.  By the time we got to coffee and dessert, we were so pleased, we all decided that a return trip was well warranted.


It is no surprise that Camino is in the top 100 Bay area restaurants (just selected again for 2010).

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to all!  

And just in case you are wondering, the Easter Bunny has existed for a really, really, really, really long time.

A book recommendation

I've started a new book that is really, really well written.  The Surrendered, by Chang-Rae Lee, is a true character study, jumping between the Korean War and then into more modern times.  From what I have seen so far, it dives very deep into the ravages of war and how they last over a long period of time.


Lee is a very fine writer whom I have read a number of times before (Native Speaker, Aloft, A Gesture Life).  This latest book seems like it might be his best.

Two cars (no. 2)

If I don't get an all-electric car like the Nissan Leaf, I have found a good substitute.  I was stopped at a light the other day, right behind a very-sharp looking car.  On the back were the words "Qvale" and "Mangusta."  I had not heard of this, so I did a little research on this beauty:

The Mangusta was manufactured in Italy from 2000-2002, but sold primarily in the U.S.  Only about 275 were made, so they are quite a collector's item, but it turns out that used ones are fairly reasonably priced.  And best of all, they were made with a Ford Cobra engine, so they are easy to service.


I'm guessing the gas mileage on this V-8 is not too great, but it would really look good to drive.  Hmmm . . .. 

Paris, here we come

It's nice to work for an international company.  I've just learned that I was selected for a 6-month rotation in Google's Paris office.  Karen and I will move there on June 1, staying until Christmas.  


One of the perks is getting to stay in the company's luxury apartment on the Champs Elysee.  


We are so excited!