Iyow - in your own words

As a frequent Muni rider, I must say that sometimes I’m bored by my iPod. Yes, I love music, but how many times can I listen to my “38 AM” playlist? So, I was excited to finally give the podcast a go. Yes, I’m a little late to the scene (at least for San Francisco), but I am now a fan.

If you are unfamiliar with podcasts, I like to think of them as radio programs that are ready when you are (but, basically, they are media files). Many podcasts are weekly radio shows (like NPR’s popular Fresh Air) that are syndicated on the internet. Thus far, I have used the iTunes Store to download them for FREE (yea!) to my iPod. You also have the option to subcribe to many of these podcasts – iTunes will automatically download them to your computer when they are available.

Since I am obsessed with food and cooking, I did a quick search for podcasts on Chowhound. Then, I did a quick search on iTunes under Podcasts. This is just the beginning in my podcast listening, but Good Food on KCRW has already set the standard. This fantastic show was even included in Saveur’s recent Top 100 issue as the “Dishiest Radio Program”.

Until I’m able to upgrade to video (and, thus, the vodcast), the podcast is my latest adventure. If you’ve never tried it, give it a go. There are many, many topics to choose from. In fact, it’s a bit overwhelming.

If you have a favorite podcast you’d like to share, please post a comment. Thanks!

When’s the last time you saw a spork? Grade school lunches? Better yet, when’s the last time you used one?

For better or worse, I used a spork a few weekends ago at Vik’s Chaat Corner. This Berkeley institution, chosen by SF Chronicle as one of the best bargain bites, is popular even on a rainy Saturday. I was hoping to miss some of the lunch crowd by arriving at 2pm, but no such luck. The place was hopping as the regulars staked out empty tables. The line moves quickly, and we were lucky enough to snag a table near the open kitchen. I didn’t realize how lucky until each dish we ordered came out at a different time.

My name is Sachie, and I’m a coffee addict. I love my cup of joe. I fill my stainless steel Zojirushi thermos with delicious home-brewed coffee Monday through Friday. Though our Cuisinart Grind & Brew is a pain to clean, it’s well worth the effort.

But on the weekends, I am free to roam. Brunch and strong coffee can’t be beat. Among the best in the city are Universal Café and Boogaloos (when you don’t need to wait an hour).

Expanding our coffee radius over the holidays, my husband and I finally went to Blue Bottle Coffee in Hayes Valley. It’s hip. It’s cool. It’s somewhat hidden. The lines are long. And the individually brewed coffee gives you a strong buzz. So strong, in fact, that it has led to inane arguments. And yet we still went back for more.

As for the best of the brews, this past weekend we decided to try Philz Coffee (the Castro location). I had heard about this place from a Mission hipster and was skeptical. But my husband insisted we give it a try. And I’m so happy he did. The coffee at Philz is transcendent. Brewed “one cup at a time” (like Blue Bottle) you need to wait for your coffee. I ordered mine with sugar and cream. Fantastic. I want to try every blend, but I don’t know if I’ll make it past the Tantalizing Turkish coffee with my current cardamom obsession.

The coffee is so good in fact that we gave it a shout-out last year. But when most of us are headed to work 250 days a year, sometimes we need a reminder to start the day with ‘the kind of thing that will get you excited about life’.

I’ve been meaning to go to Nopa for months. My husband and I saw it one day when we were driving though his old neighborhood. “That used to be my laundromat!” he exclaimed.

In fact, this is just one of numerous changes I’ve witnessed since we started dating eight years ago. As this “North of the Panhandle Area” continues to gentrify, it is now harder to find parking here than SF’s popular Castro district and easier to find foodie gems.

But I digress. I feel like I’ve read about Nopa in every food magazine – Gourmet, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine. The last straw was seeing it described as one of San Francisco’s “cool” restaurants in O Magazine (a gift from my mom, OK?). Wondering how much longer it would be cool, now was the time to make it happen. I was determined to get reservations on Saturday night.

If you haven’t heard of Ladytron, you’re not alone. If you have, perhaps you were born in the 80s and “listened to them in high school” as one of the students at my school told me.

My husband – a self-professed college/internet radio devotee – requested a Ladytron album for Christmas on his Amazon Wish List. He heard them on SomaFM. I had no idea who they were, but found Witching Hour displayed at Virgin Megastore and bought it (sorry Amazon…and Tower). During an iPod update, I added the album on a whim.

Unlike some of his other selections, this one was surprisingly good from the start (not just obscure and weird). It drew me in. Before I knew it, I was playing it on a regular basis. Unfortunately, Ladytron sold out at Mezzanine before I could get tickets…. Thankfully, they played again at the Fillmore this past Monday, Oct. 16th.

Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect. When I saw them I found a link to my own dark past – when applying black eye liner was a daily ritual. The weird part was that I liked it.

I was excited to learn that Morgan Spurlock’s show 30 Days is back for a new season. What a refreshing change. People still watch thought-provoking television?!

I missed the first episode about Immigration, but Tivo caught the second episode on Outsourcing. Definitely a hot topic in the US, especially in the Bay Area. In fact, my husband enlightened me to the fact that the Bush Administration suppressed a controversial report on the outsourcing of high-tech jobs during an election year (surprise).

The part of this show that impressed me the most was the impact of outsourcing on Indian families. In particular, women. Culturally, Indian women take care of the entire family (immediate and extended). With so many new job opportunities for English-speaking workers in India, women are quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with in business.

So, Pamela Anderson is getting married three times – to the same guy, for the same marriage. (The first reported St. Tropez yacht wedding wasn’t legal because neither Kid Rock nor Pamela are French citizens.) Two down and one more to go. Is this a new trend in the wedding industry like cupcakes? If your friends and family can’t make one wedding, they have two other options?

Is this triple the stress and money, or just triple the fun?

My own wedding anniversary is coming up at the end of this month. It was a wonderful, touching experience. Personally, I can’t imagine planning and being the star of three weddings. Then again, I’m not Pamela Anderson.

I know you’ve seen them. Bright yellow plastic bags with bold, black type. Carried by 13 year old teens to 50 year old women. Ah, the allure of youth and great marketing. I give you Forever 21.

Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately?), I’m far from 21. That means I have bills and responsibilities. I can’t buy whatever I want and pay the rent. Oh wait, I can…sort of. Credit cards are nasty little things. But I digress. As Cyndi sang, girls just want to have fun. Thus, stores like Forever 21 were created.

If you are far from 21, but are among the curious, here are a few tips for surviving this shopping experience:

Why did I wait so long to experience Pizzeria Delfina? It opened last year on July 19th and it is now one of my favorite places in the city for delicious, thin-crust pizza. And I owe it all to Pizzetta 211 running out of pizza dough.

Living in San Francisco, I do more than my share of walking. While I long for Carrie Bradshaw’s Manolo Blahniks, the knock-off versions do not do wonders for my feet. I’m not ready (and, let’s face it, probably never will be) for a pair of typical Birkenstocks. So, what’s a girl to do?