California One

My triumphant return to California last week felt like 7 years packed into 8 days. I hit many of my old Berkeley haunts (Picante, the Albatross, Jeremy's, Moe's, Strada, Inspiration Point), tried out a few instant Bay Area classics (Bake Sale Betty's, Yank Sing, Everett & Jones in a restaurant, the Blue Bottle, the Fleuvog store), devoured tacos in Santa Cruz, mutilated crab in Pismo Beach, spotted whales off the Pacific Coast Highway, gorged on In 'n' Out in Goleta, brushed with fame in LA (the cast of HIMYM, Billy Bob Thorton at the Griddle, Ione Skye outside Largo), and caught up with my CA peeps along the way.

The trip was great, with one caveat: I arrived at the UC Registrar's office a mere 10 minutes after it closed before a long weekend, preventing me from claiming my hard-earned diploma and enjoying a Rocky-esque moment of jogging down the steps of Sproul Plaza, parchment paper in hand. Somehow mailing off $12 and waiting 6 weeks for a tube isn't quite the same.

Anyway, here are some photos of the trip.

Note to Hillary

I'm pretty sure it's the bottom up approach -- as in, the opposite of the top down approach -- not the "bottoms-up approach." That just results in "tops off."

Acategorical Top Ten List of 2008

10. Ada Zelda -- Cutest baby born to one of my friends in 2008 (Note: category unavailable in 2009 due to competition)

9. "Helvetica" -- Best documentary about a font I saw in 2008.

8. Fiddlehead ferns -- Most exciting culinary discovery of the year, this East Coast green helped me move beyond my period of mourning the 18 varieties of lemon available in California. (Pictured at left, with asparagus) Runner-up: Sugar shacks, the best place to drink shots of hot maple syrup right off the still.

7. Black, aka arroz negro -- Best paella of 2008.

6. David Byrne at the Calvin -- Here, the Rock Critic and I agree: the Talking Heads frontman's performance in Northampton, complete with agile modern dancers jumping over Byrne's head, was the best concert I saw in 2008. Runners-up include Wilco at the Shubert, The Hold Steady at Terminal 5, and New Pornographers, also at the Calvin.

5. Dreams from my Father -- Best book to read between November 4th, 2008 and January 20th, 2009.

4. My Parents Got TiVo before I Did -- Most unbelievable technological advance of the year.

3. C, eh? N, eh? D, eh? -- Funniest joke about Canada I heard this year.

2. The Ice Storm along the Mass Pike -- Most eye-popping weather phenomenon I saw in 2008. Runner-up: the 8 feet of snow that kept me trapped in my house one Friday night. OK, maybe it was a foot and 1/2.

1. SJBlog Readers -- Smartest, most loyal blog readers of 2008. And I, SJB, take top honors in the category for most pandering, patronizing blogger of 2008. Everyone wins! Happy New Year!