dare to excel & two pennies

We got in a motor vehicle last night and drove over to M St. to meet for dinner with some friends of WonderTwin #2. Courtney and Sarah had been over to the commune towards the end of last year and we'd had a nice dinner, sans Corey (alledgedly sick and I only point this out because yours truly had to suddenly be two, not one, tall, short-haired, glasses wearing cooks). On that fateful night they brought along their two daughters who were promptly secured to furniture with a big purple snake by the gate-keepers. Whatever picture you have in your mind is all the description that's needed. Last night we selected a well recommended Malaysian joint located amidst the lobbyists offices and the gentlemen's clubs. With the new lobbying rules for Congress I wonder if gentlemen's clubs are on or off limits. The final determinant must fall to whether or not the food is served with flatware; I'll do some research. We found street parking right across the street, I paralleled like an expert, and we trotted down the stairs into Malaysia Kopitiam - "Restauranteur of Year 2002" (the Washingtonion), and still on the magazine's 100 best list. It was a wait for a table - A WAIT. It's a small place and the service/management isn't even spotty; think no spots. There was at least one group (or a girl representing a group she didn't know) waiting for their table for seven to ten people. We were next in line, in fact we were the only others for the next 10-15 minutes. Then things starting piling up, a small scrum of folks waiting for tables - and after our 30 minute wait we got the call from the leader and were seated at the table that had been open the entire time we were waiting. We had menus with words, menus with pictures, a small drinks placard, and many decisions to be made. Our orders involved lots of letters and numbers, I had the A26 and S5 which roughly translates to the spicy anchovy paste with cucumber and the spicy shrimp soup thing with flat noodles. I've not done Malaysian before but it's quite similar to Vietnamese and anything that looks or sounds like Pho is going in my face opening. Excellent food all around. But back to the service for a minute. The one ordered beer was late (asked for twice); the bottle of wine was opened with the cork half-smashed back in and placed on the table; the appetizers and mains all came together and were dumped all over the table; we never saw the wait staff again. (The water crew was good, as an aside.) We somehow managed to sort 9 of the 10 plates with the final dish unknown to anyone present. We tackled them for the bill after our conversations finished and headed out into the cold night. I wonder just how good the food must be in order for the service to be so horrible yet the restaurant still pulling in the raves - it was good, 4 (of 5) stars; the service about 1 star, and I'm feeling generous with that one. You can do the math.

The various topics de jeur were very high-minded (mind you, I'm the only non-lawyer at the table): Supreme Court decisions, legal citation procedure, travels around Europe, northern vs. southern California, Clarence Thomas' confirmation hearing, clerkships, literature, and socks with holes. We ended on the socks portion - girls cackling.

On a trip to Olsson's this morning I noticed the above cleaners across the street - Seven Star! That's the spirit of excellence! Five stars is so passe, nobody should be satisfied with five stars...ever. I can see the owners pondering the name "Maybe Five Star Cleaners...it sounds so capital!". "Five? I think we can come up with something better, six, Six Star Cleaners. NO! SEVEN STAR! Let's kick it up and see if anyone dares top seven - plus, that leaves six open to another operation that might be just better than five, but not much better." This brought to mind two other moments of hilarity: the scene in There's Something About Mary when the guy who picks up Ben Stiller on the road starts a rant about the '6 minute workout', which is much better (and quicker) than the '7 minute workout'. Stiller's character offers up the idea of a '5 minute workout', to which the driver says, "You can't get a good workout in five minutes!". The other is this article in the Onion - genius.

I haven't got the hang of the camera in hand yet so I missed out on a picture from the restaurant last night. What do you get instead? Me driving and Seven Star Cleaners...consider me caught up.

Peace.

P.S. Lest you think I think Something About Mary was good...it wasn't. Utter garbage, but the scene in the car was priceless.

memo to john

Date: 6 Feb 2007

To: J. Steinbeck

Subject: East of Eden

I’ve finished my first reading of your novel and must say I’m quite impressed. There are a number of contributing factors to my enjoyment so I’ll try to cover them as quickly as possible.

1. The setting of your book reminds me of the dusty and hardened times reflected in country music – a scrabble to achieve anything in this world against endless odds and decisions not made. Often times it never seems like it’s a bad decision that does one in, it’s no decision at all. Kind of like knowing when to “hold ‘em, when to fold ‘em; know when to walk away, know when to run”; I don’t think Mr. Rogers every clarifies a firm decision in that song but I’ll have to go back and listen to it again. Reading about generations of families cursed by things not said, and beliefs unchallenged, makes one ponder just how often it happens to so many folks.

2. That Catherine/Kate was a cold beeyatch and I wonder just how one gets their head into someone like her. There has be to some experience or character that brings something that cold and calculating to the surface. I’m not great in the psychology area (see my college transcripts), but I never got to the point of feeling anything but hate for her – isn’t there suppose to be a point where my emotions waver from hatred and I feel some sympathy? Just asking.

3. Lee is a great counterbalance to that evil you pushed at me. I wondered through the last half of the book if Lee was the hub of the tale - the bit holding all the broken and bent spokes together until we make it home. I’d be hard pressed to come up with a character I’d respect more than he. Well done.

4. How come it’s always brothers that are at odds? I get the whole Adam/Eve/Cain/Able thing but maybe a change from boys to girls as we cruise through generations would be good. I’ll work on some minor changes to the latter chapters.

5. That’s some powerful misbehavior you’ve got going on for a novel set in the early 20th century. I don’t mind it, I think it gets to the root of a lot of bad in the world today, I was just surprised.

6. What a way to pull me in at the end – You May. It’s all about those choices, the fact that I May, and if I do, cycles can be broken.

I think I’ll give the book a rating of 4 (of 5) stars. Maybe you lose a bit of that last star for going on for 600+ pages and for killing off Sam Hamilton before I was ready to see him go. Trust me, four stars is mighty for a reader of non-fiction. I considered reading another one of your books but time is of the essence. Anyway, I have Springsteen’s The Ghost of Tom Joad and I think it will have to suffice.

I’m onto some Annie Proulx this month. In case you didn't know, she writes very choppy sentences and paragraphs.

Thanks,

T

P.S. Kenny never did give me a decision in that blasted song...just repeating the same old stuff with different words.