Stanford Archives - Portmanteau Suitcase

May Wrap-Up: Concerts and More!

After a fun Chicago trip, there were still a lot of fun things that happened during May. Although we haven’t been to BottleRock, we took advantage of a local show that was billed as “BottleRock After Dark.” It was our first show at The Guild, a local venue that is really, really nice. They had a COVID reno and the sound system is amazing in a really intimate venue. There is some tie-in with the Grateful Dead and they must have strong ties to the music industry because they punch above their weight class in bringing in amazing artists. SMS and I felt a little silly that we hadn’t yet been but the Lucius show was a great intro.

They were so good! I had heard of them and listened to a few songs in the preceding days but I now have a new top band! They’re great and excellent musicians. The live show was wonderful. They played several tracks off their newest album “Second Nature.” It features really upbeat-sounding songs about really sad source material (relationship falling apart). This might not sound like the catchiest tagline but really, it’s great music and I recommend!

Purchases this month included a tire after a nail embedded in the sidewall which required replacement instead of patching (boo hoo). I also bought the popcorn above as a joke but it ended up being deelicious! CoCo floss, which is excellent and although a dentist recommended Dr Tung’s SmartFloss as a cheaper alternative, it is not equivalent and CoCo’s wins as a slightly fiber-y floss that really gets the job done. It’s a substitute to a J&J floss they discontinued (boo) that we liked. Wait, wait, come back dear reader! I will stop talking about dental floss and onto more exciting things like…

This dress. I was searching for a dress for an upcoming formal event and I am still kicking myself for not getting it. And it was on sale!!!!

Even my work bestie thought it was a great idea!

SMS and I went to Frost Amphitheater and saw James Taylor. It was another fantastic show. Nothing could beat seeing him at Tanglewood in 2001, but it’s not always fair to compare one experience to another. Tanglewood was the concert where I was with great friends in cheap-o lawn seats. During the encore of “Fire and Rain” with Yo-Yo Ma playing in a guest appearance, the skies opened up in a thunderstorm. I am not even kidding. I felt like I was in a movie, like “The Notebook” without a Ryan Gosling in sight.

The internet continues to offer treasures: Truthiest meme of the month

SMS photo of Andytown Coffee on the first day of their Menlo Park outpost opening! Hooray! Snowy Plovers for all!

Birthday weekend, Part 4: Palo Alto, SJC

After an amazing birthday weekend, I got a little extra bonus time to spend with my parents. I had Monday morning off from work so after saying goodbye to SMS, I hung out in the morning until they woke up. Then we ate breakfast and had coffee.

We had a small window of time before we had to leave to the airport, so we went to the Stanford museum, The Cantor Center for the Visual Arts. We went to the Rodin Sculpture Garden and then we went inside for a few minutes. Better a glimpse of beauty and art than none at all, right?

I thought Mom and Dad would like the 19th & 20th Century European Galleries. The space is beautiful and really well laid-out. I saw an older Picasso that I really liked (1909?). The bottom left corner in particular had a beautiful palette so I snapped a picture for future inspiration.

Then, le boo, it was time for Mom and Dad to go to the airport. I drove them to SJC and was pretty sad. BUT, we had a great weekend and everyone is happy and doing well so really, I feel very lucky.

Loving Mountain View!

Commissary!!!

SMS and I continue to have an awesome time in Mountain View. Work is going well and I was glad to get the first week under my belt. Also, we found Moffett Field and its still functioning commissary last weekend. Yeah! How lucky is it to find a tax-free place for grocery shopping in NorCal?!

Hanger 1 with its outer covering removed, a former Naval Airship hanger

Friday night, I worked out at a nearby Pilates studio. I’m so happy to be doing Pilates again! Afterwards, we went to the Computer Science History Museum for a Friday night food truck and music event. We were there for the last hour so the music was done, but the food trucks were in full-force. There weren’t a ton of healthy options (excuses!) and I picked the simultaneously amazing/terrible waffle chicken sandwich with a fried egg and bacon, accented by maple syrup. It was SO DELICIOUS!!!

Shoreline Park

Saturday morning, SMS and I headed to Shoreline Park where we walked along the trails circling the lake and bay. We want to rent a tandem bike some weekend and picnic, but it requires slightly more planning than we had done that weekend. It was really beautiful and I can’t wait to go back. We also walked along the outside of the historic Rengstorff home. It’s a house formerly owned by a big shipping magnate in the region, although it was moved to its current location several decades ago and fell into disrepair before being restored. Now, it’s a popular wedding site.

A study for the Burghers of Calais, a group of six leaders of Calais who volunteered to surrender
to King Edward III after a long siege. Although they were to be executed, the were saved by
the intervention of Queen Phillipa.

Aesculapius

After Shoreline, we went over to Stanford. We headed to the Cantor Arts Center and wandered in the Rodin Sculpture garden. It was really awesome. My favorite Rodin museum is the one in Philadelphia but this one was also impressive. It has one of the five casts of the Gates of Hell in existence, which is a masterpiece which recapitulates a lot of Rodin’s themes and earlier sculptures within it.

We also went up the Stanford clock tower for the view. There was a moderate wait and a nominal $3 charge. It was a great day- very clear and we could see all the way to San Francisco. Although we felt a bit rushed, it was a great sight and maybe we’ll go back on a weekday.

Finally, we went to Philz Coffee where we tried a delicious iced coffee mojito. I know, it sounds so weird but picture a mint mocha (delicious, right?), minus the mocha. Despite taking away the chocolate, it somehow works and is so tasty and refreshing. We walked to Trader Joe’s and along the way, found a road sign to Opportunity Center. Here’s to that search!

That night, we had a nice BBQ with several friends from our apartment complex. There was a great assortment of food and I got compliments on my cooking, which I’m always a sucker for! I also ended up grilling the fish since the guy who brought it was not sure how to grill it and had put it on the grill as a whole fish but not wrapped in foil. I quickly filleted it while it was on the grill and it turned out beautifully and was so tasty. I hope Summer BBQs become a thing because there are really a great group of people here and so different from the medical types I’m so often (happily) surrounded by!