But some are more equal than others…

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."
From the Declaration of Independence.

A TV interviewer was interviewing a random sample of people about what they knew of Samuel Adams. Samuel Adams, if you don’t know, was one of the founding fathers of the USA who signed the Declaration of Independence, 4th Governor of Massachusetts and a very famous brewer of exceptionally good beer (the Boston Beer Company – still excellent). Most people he questioned said they knew him as a beer maker: nothing else. Shocking. Then he decided to push a little and after the same response from his next interviewee, asked if they knew any other reason why Samuel Adams was famous. The man thought for a while and then said, “Doesn’t he now make a light beer?”

I will be very busy for the next two weeks, finals for this quarter, but then three lovely weeks in England with three lovely, lovely days at Wimbledon. Hoorah! I hope to get to see you all.

Here's a selection of pictures from the ballgame at the SF Giants stadium (AT&T park).

Every major food group: Dibs seller.


Justine eating a 'delicious' hotdog.













The best seat in the house?!




AT&T Park

The "Eh" Team

Canadians don't deal with the same kind of health care problems and traumas we face. They have a health care system based on treating hockey injuries and curing sinus infections that come from trying to pronounce French vowels.
P. J. O'Rourke

I arrived at Vancouver airport last Friday. Laura, her niece, Arja, and Arja's 9 month-old baby, Danica (an absolute poppet...you'll know why I say that later), were there to greet me. Full of chatter we headed to the car for the 2 hour drive to her house in Harrison; a picturesque small town quite close to the US border, built on hot springs, nestled in mountains on the edge of the Vancouver river, bursting with wildlife, seals, sturgeon, bears. It was a beautiful summer’s day. They got a little lost when they picked me up, even though they had a TomTom, and ended up at the aquaplane airport a short distance from Vancouver International. Naturally there was some playful banter and ‘ribbing’ in the car, especially as on the way back we were looking for a turnoff to a place called ‘Hope’; “Ignore Arja. She got us lost last time. Ignore the TomTom. It’s still on English time. We’ll just point the car and ‘HOPE’ we get there.” Etc, etc, chuckling to ourselves thinking how amusing we were.

Precisely one and a half hours after landing in Canada, most of which had been taken up going through Immigration in Vancouver airport, I was sitting in the car looking at a sign which said ‘Welcome to the United States’. The US Immigration officer came up to the car, “Welcome to the United States ladies, may I see your passports, please…”. As I was the only person in the car who was theoretically visiting another country, you can take an educated guess as to how many passports there were in the car. I think two hours through border control under those circumstances was fairly reasonable. Had a great weekend once I got there: lovely weather, fantastic spa day, great food, too many cocktails...


Harrison, British Columbia.

We have a new addition to the ‘725’ menagerie: L'il Jack (the 10 pound dog), sitting on sofa with Emma, Miss Goody Four Paws.












Finally, I had a lovely birthday. Joanna and Justine took me out for dinner and bought me a great stash of pressies. Thanks to all of you for my cards and gifts. My dresser was bursting with monkey cards!

I have a terrible confession…

Rock – as you know – always my thing. There’s barely anything else in my music collection. From Bowie I progressed to Led Zep, loved Ozzy, went to see Rush at 16 (Tom, Kathryn…2112!!!!!), discovered the eternal joys of Metallica: even my mellow stuff is Nirvana, Foo Fighters. At a club obviously I’ll shake my booty to, well, pretty much anything after a few beers as witnessed at Brian’s wedding; Sally and I could hardly walk the next morning. Most definitely I am straight on that dance floor to a bit of Aretha or Freda Payne (Band of Gold – one of my top ten songs of all time). Lucy and I painted Peru a definite shade of red in 2006 with our non-stop Abba/disco inferno showing those bright young things how the old girls do it. San Francisco Holly and I have discovered the joys of the BeeGees breakfast on occasions when I’ve slept over; and I do like cleaning to Take That. Oh the joys of the boys!

Here’s the confession…I seem to have developed a nostalgic love of Hall and Oates. It’s one thing to strut your stuff to, “…Whoo, ooh, here she comes, watch out boy she’ll chew you up…”, but “…When I feel cold you warm me, When I feel I can’t go on you come and hold me (Daryl hits that high note and I feel the tears welling in my eyes)…It’s you... and me… forever...”. It started as a joke between Justine and I when they seemed to be playing, “…I said your kiss, your kiss, is on my list…” every time we were in Safeway. But last week I found myself saying to her, “But Justine, they invented a fusion of rock and roll and rhythm and blues, a style which they dubbed ‘rock and soul’. They are brilliant." She simply said, “Milly they are not,” and she looked at me with such disappointment I realized I had gone too far; that my 80’s nostalgia had taken control of my senses. I put on some Sepultura and Rage against the Machine. I’m feeling much better now. Whoo,ooh (damn). That’s weight off my mind.

We have mid-terms next week and the week after. I’ve got a horrible physiology exam on my birthday. My birthday! I don’t even usually go to work, let alone sit an exam. I usually spend the whole day with Sally and a champagne picnic watching the Rome Masters. I’m feeling just a little grumpy. However, once exams are over I’m straight on a plane for a long weekend in Vancouver; my first time to Canada, and I’m looking forward to it very much.

This week's pictures: The Marina,Emma, with ball on the beach and a dogmate,shopfront:the Castro, the coast road.