Every year Moya, my wife, makes a music mix for friends. This year she named her mix “2011 Saints.”

I’ve mixed up 5 different cocktails and bottled them to give to friends, along with Moya’s music mix. Together they are the perfect party starter – a music mix, and a pre-mixed cocktail. For most of these, just add ice and stir or shake and strain!

(left to right) Douglas Fir Gimlet, Winter Tale, Honey Saffron Liqueur, Pear Rosemary Cocktail, Autumn Leaves (and, yes, that's a magazine tree in the background!)

Here are the recipes:

Douglas Fir Gimlet (from New York Times)
Winter Tale (my concoction)
Honey Saffron Liqueur (from Eat Boutique)
Pear Rosemary Cocktail (from Bi-Rite Market)

Autumn Leaves (I don’t remember where I found this)
Combine in a mixing glass, stir, strain, garnish with orange peel:
3/4 oz Apple Brandy (I used Laird’s)
3/4 oz Rye (I used Bulleit)
3/4 oz Carpano Antica (or sub other sweet veromuth)
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1 dash Cinnamon Tincture (fill a small jar with cinnamon sticks, add vodka to cover, let soak 2 weeks, strain and refrigerate)

When I take a photo (almost always) with a smartphone, usually the photos are never right-side-up because a smartphone has a button on screen that moves as the hardware is rotated.

Droid1 has a hardware button for the camera on one side (Droid3 lost the button), and the iPhone4s can use the volume button for the camera, but I rarely use those buttons. I pickup a smartphone, turn it on, open the camera app, and take a photo from any every which way.

Then I post these photos, from a Droid or iPhone, to Flickr, to Facebook, to Twitter, and, frustrated sigh, the photo is posted upside down or sideways.

So I go to the app or the web site, on my smartphone, and there’s never ever a feature option to rotate the photo. (STILL AFTER ALL THESE YEARS OF MOBILE APPS!)

Then I go to the “full standard” web site for twitter, facebook, flickr, etc, and navigate it on my smartphone to rotate the photo. This takes a while. Flickr, in particular, has memory loss and asks me to login repeatedly. Facebook doesn’t always recognize my finger taps.

Any mobile or smartphone app with photos, simply because it is for smartphone use, and because smartphones are easily spun around in our hands, should have a rotate button.

Please.

When I was a kid I loved that part of my mom’s family – my great-aunts and great-uncles who all lived in various parts of Yamhill County in Oregon, mostly on farms or hilltops with lots of trees to climb and views to see and tree fruit to pick in the summer.

His daughter Julie (my mom’s cousin) commented on my blog a week ago. I was thinking of him because of her comment, and because of my digital photo organization project and the dashing photos I have of him in his younger years.

1970 Carl Rasaka

1944 Carl Rasaka

1954, Carl and Colleen with Baby Julie

1992, Carl & Colleen Rasaka

Back of the 22 Fillmore bus

A few stops later a guy gets on and sits next to me and starts taptapping on an iPhone with a shattered and cracked glass screen. He’s wearing a buttondown shirt and carrying a laptop bag.

Behind me 3 people are talking about where and what Ottawa is. They’re wearing tshirts and baggy shorts. Then they notice the guy next to me taptapping on cracked shattered iPhone screen. They ask him how it happened.

“I put it in my shirt pocket and leaned over. I’ve dropped it a lot before and it’s never cracked. Now I have to call Apple. At least it still works.”

I jump into the conversation with the story about the skydiver who jumped out of a plane with his iPhone in his pocket and it fell out of his pocket (while he was falling from the sky) and landed on the roof of a building and broke, but the GPS still worked and he was able to find his phone.

Now there are a few more people joining in the conversation, contributing stories of cracked iPhone screens and where/how to get them fixed and why not to bother asking Apple to fix it and how the screen gets suction-cupped off and replaced.

“Oh, man, I know where you can get that fixed, don’t call or send it to Apple. Go to Cupertino,” says one of the baggy shorts tshirt guys.

People around me laugh and chuckle. “No, seriously,” says baggy shorts tshirt guy, “Cupertino is a shop downtown on Battery St and they can fix any iPhone fast and cheap. Just Yelp it. They have good reviews on Yelp. Yelp knows everything.”

As people start to get off at various stops, they all wish each other a good day and good luck with the cracked screen, and thanks. Kindness and good wishes are everywhere.

When I got off the bus I wondered why the baggy shorts tshirt guys didn’t just use their smartphones to look up the answer to where/what Ottawa is.

MUNI has the best stories and entertainment along with smells and obscenities.

Droid and iPhone4 complement each other

I’ve ended up using two smartphones because of my work. My company does usability testing for iPhone, iPad and Android apps (as well as web sites and web apps).  For my work, when I’m watching people use a mobile app and interviewing them and videorecording what they’re doing on the smartphone or tablet, it’s much easier to videorecord the screen of an Android device compared with the screen of an iDevice (probably because the screen of iDevices are so bright).

If I have to choose just one smartphone to put in my pocket, I usually choose based on where I’m going and what I’m doing:

• If I’m travelling and need lots of apps for mapping and finding things, as well as airline apps for checking in and finding a gate, I use the iPhone.
• If it’s my daily life of parenting and working and commuting on MUNI/Caltrain and communicating with people, I use the Droid.
• If I’m going to take a lot of photos or videos, I use the iPhone.
• If I’m going to do a lot of writing (even if just a lot of texting), I use the Droid.
• If I want to play Plants v Zombies, I can only play that on the iPhone (it won’t run on my Droid1 but I’m hoping it will on my new Droid3 tomorrow!)

The original Motorola Droid:

• It does better multitasking than the iPhone and I can keep more things running at the same time.
• It works well as a phone since Verizon has more coverage than AT&T in San Francisco (less of an issue now with iPhone and Verizon)
• The physical keyboard makes it much easier for me to type a lot (I miss the keyboard on the Treo – it was one of the easiest to use keyboards I’ve ever used on a smartphone. I could type on the Treo keyboard without looking at it)
• The response time seems, to me, much faster for everything compared with iPhone4
• It’s more transparent and I can always see what an app is accessing and find and kill any running processes
• One of the biggest learning curves I had, in 2009, when I first got the Droid, was figuring out how to make my battery last all day. The power widget became my best friend.
• The widgets are awesome. I love the power widget for easily toggling, right on the “desktop,” the settings for wi-fi and bluetooth and GPSand sync and brightness without going all the way into the settings
• The screen is not as pretty and bright as the iPhone – it’s duller on the Droid, but that means it’s easier to use clandestinely in the dark and easier to video record how someone is using it
• It’s not as easy to backup as the iPhone, but it’s easier to get data on and off the Droid since you just mount it as an external drive on any computer. That’s more flexible and manageable than the iPhone’s requirement to handshake with iTunes.
• It’s super difficult to sync contacts/calendar/mail unless you’re syncing with google so I just gave up on some of my distrust of google and sync it all there
• The animated wallpapers amuse me (and drain the battery)
• MUNI Alerts is by far my favorite and most used app (I ride public transportation a lot in San Francisco). It loads much more quickly than Routesy on the iPhone and time is of the essence when getting to a bus or streetcar.
• I love love love the Kindle app because I can read the same book between Droid, iPhone, iPad and keep track of bookmarks in the cloud
• I also like using the Evernote and Dropbox and WordPress and Google Docs and Netflix apps between Droid, iPhone, iPad
• It’s much easier to take a photo with the physical button on the side of the Droid (compared with trying to tap something on the screen on the iPhone) — particularly if you’re holding the phone with an outstretched arm
• The apps are easier to get. Many of the iPhone apps require a wi-fi connection to download and then sometimes want to sync with a computer.
• When I was waiting at city hall in the summer of 2010, waiting for a prop8 decision to come from fed court, waiting with friends who hoped to get married (then couldn’t), I looked for a piano app for iPhone or Droid so I could play the wedding march for them and other couples.  I couldn’t get an app for iPhone — none of them could be downloaded over a 3g connection, they all wanted wi-fi.  I did find an app for Android and successfully tapped out the wedding march.
• I can easily tether my Droid and have been able to for quite a while. It wasn’t and still isn’t as easy to tether an iPhone.
• It used to be that popular/major apps (or maybe just the ones that intrigue me) almost always came out for iPhone before they did for Android. Now, in 2011, some apps come out for Android first.

The iPhone4:

• I love the screen and the games.  It’s a bright gorgeous screen.
• I dislike that I can’t dim the screen enough. The lowest brightness setting isn’t low enough at night in the dark.
• I like the front facing camera and I use it a lot, sometimes just to see if there’s any lunch left between my two front teeth.
• It’s much easier to sync/backup than Droid since it’s a closed system but I dislike that you have to sync everything in order to backup, particularly for iBooks books.
• I dislike that iBooks books can only be read on two of my devices.
• There’s more stuff for my kid to play with on the iPhone than on the Droid. There are probably 70 or 80 games on my iPhone for my kid compared with 7 or 8 on my Droid.
• I hate the touchscreen for typing but I’ve gotten better at it. Last winter I used Echo Design’s gloves and tested them on iPhone and Droid for typing in cold weather without taking off gloves. It was easier to use the iPhone with gloves than the Droid (can’t type on physical hardware keyboard with gloves)
• I manage all of my music via iTunes and it’s easier to get music onto the iPhone than onto the Droid
• I pay a lot to AT&T for service that is rarely available at my home or the other places I work/wander around San Francisco. I usually just keep it in airport mode with wi-fi on. Oddly enough I noticed that the San Francisco Chronicle building has a strong AT&T signal and practically no Verizon signal.
• I have a general impression that some apps on iPhone are more elegant than any apps on Droid. I find Droid apps tend to be more buggy than iPhone apps, in general.
• I use an app called Sit or Squat a lot to find a bathroom when I’m out and about.  I don’t know of a similar app for Android.
• Foursquare, when I use it, seems to find places nearby more quickly on the iPhone than on my Droid. That might just be a problem with the GPS service turning off/on/off/on on my Droid.
• Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything” apps are my new favorites and they don’t exist for Android.

This morning I walked from Presidio Heights, down to Pacific Heights, through Japantown and the Western Addition, down to the Lower Haight and further down hill to the Mission. It’s my grandma’s birthday today. I took a long walk to give myself time to remember her and appreciate the things I learned from her and the non-material gifts she gave to me. She was born in 1912 and died in 2009.

At the halfway point, I stopped at La Boulange at Pine/Fillmore for treats to eat on my walk. I felt like I was mostly alone on my urban hike. When this young man (who I’ll call Kurt since he reminded me of Kurt on Glee) started talking to me, it felt invasive.

When people try to talk to me on an airplane trip, I do my best to put on my earbuds and excuse myself. But not when I’m walking or on a bus. I’ll talk with just about anyone on the street or on a bus unless I’m in the midst of, like today, a particular thinking or meditating or reminiscing project in my mind.

I walked a bit slower than “Kurt” because I didn’t really want to chat, I wanted to walk and sniff out thoughts and memories from my mind, but then there was a crosswalk with traffic and I caught up and we both waited and smiled at each other.

As we both continued to walk, he walked faster than me, then he turned around and said, “be careful, that metal on the sidewalk is slippery.”

Another crosswalk with traffic where we both stood and waited for the light to change.

“It’s so cold here in San Francisco,” he said, and we picked up a conversation.

I told him about the hot weather in San Francisco in September and October and how my wife got sunburnt in early October in 2008 when we were married out by Ocean Beach. It had rained the day before, and in the rush to get our dresses on and hair done and ready to go, we forgot to put sunscreen on her back. She doesn’t usually wear a backless dress.

He said he’d been living here a week, to go to an art school, and was disappointed in the school and thinking of moving to New York, where at least he could get married if he wanted to someday, and there might be more or better opportunities to be a bohemian. He wanted to go to London and asked if I’d ever been to London. Yes, I said. “How old are you?” He asked. “40,” I said. “No way,” he said, “I’m 20.”

We exchanged names, I told him he’d do a lot in his life in the next 20 years before he turned 40, and we said goodbye as he turned a corner and I continued on Fillmore St.

I felt invigorated by the interstitial conversation during my walk, the many possibilities and hopefulness of being 20, and the friendliness of a stranger.

My grandma’s gifts were that she believed in me, gave me confidence, support, love, compassion, without any criticism or shame or blame or guilt. She was a devout Christian. She was a scientist (chemist) and a high school math teacher. She always was glad to see me and she always showed up. She was a maker and made a lot of things – knitting, crocheting, sewing, baking, cooking, gardening. I miss being able to tell her about my daughter, who wants to be a scientist, and who loves to knit and sew and cook and garden. It’s almost as though my daughter takes after her great-grandmother (even though they share no genes).

My grandma in 1943, long before I knew her. I love this photo of her and her big bright smile.

One of my first memories of her is of a trip I took to California in the 1970′s (on an airplane! My first airplane ride!) to visit her and my grandpa. They had a swimming pool and a lemon tree and a croquet set in their backyard. I thought California was magical because we could make lemonade every night from fresh lemons picked off of a tree (lemons, as far as I knew, didn’t grow in Oregon where I grew up, and most lemon juice came in a plastic container shaped like a lemon).

The Magical Backyard Swimming Pool in California, 1970's (plus a ping pong table!)

Happy 99th birthday, Grandma! I know you’re in a beautiful place and I keep you always in my heart and memories.

Lucy’s been afraid of swimming pools and oceans for most of her life. As of a few months ago she’s found enthusiasm for swimming and bravery to face her fear. We went to a hotel on the beach this weekend and she’s practicing! There’s a guy nearby throwing his kids in the pool, and they laugh unencumbered laughs while begging, “again, daddy, again, please, daddy, please!”

Always carry a scarf or a hat or a layer.  A day can go from 60degrees and sunny to 40degree foggy evening within 20 minutes.

• Sutro heights, ruined baths, water organ – you have to time your visit just right with the tides to hear the water organ
• California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park – great planetarium shows, indoor rainforest, good food, white alligators, buy your ticket in advance, be prepared to stand in line for the rainforest
• The carousel and Children’s Playground in Golden Gate Park are good for a few hours on a non-rainy day
• Golden Gate Park also has several lakes, some bison, and lots of gardens and hiking trails.  I’m fond of the Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden, out by the ocean, where Moya and I were married in 2008 (when it was legal in California)
• Trevor Hailey’s Castro tour
• The Westin St Francis Hotel in Union Square has glass elevators that are super fun to ride but I think they’re still only available to guests with room cards (it’s been that way for a while – security thing)
• Go to Yerba Buena Gardens, downtown between Mission Howard 3rd 4th, find the ramp behind the waterfall and walk up it — you end up in the middle of the city but you can’t hear the city.  Samovar Tea Lounge is up there at the “top” of the waterfall and it has super yummy food and outdoor seating.  The other restaurant up there (B) is also good.
• There are a lot of “secret” public spaces downtown. SPUR has a map you can download. SFGate has a mashup map.
• At the Palace of the Legion of Honor you can walk around the statue garden outside and then hike to the edge of the world at Land’s End – a short hike on the edge of a cliff above the ocean.
• There’s Alcatraz, but …
• Take the ferry to Angel Island in the morning, hike around the island to see buildings that used to be internment camps, hike to the top of the island to see views of the city, bay, bridges.
• If you don’t ride public transportation very often, it can be fun to just ride the F streetcar or underground MUNI or BART.  Cable cars are fun, too, and you should buy a ticket and get on them somewhere other than Powell/Market where there’s always a long line.
• I like our sea lions – they were gone for a couple years and now they’re back.  You can usually see them at the Ferry Plaza (Embarcadero at Market) and Fisherman’s Wharf.
• Driving up to Twin Peaks to see the view is popular.  Stop and park before you get to the parking lot and buildings at the top.  Look for the stairs heading up a rocky hill.  If you walk up those stairs you’ll get a much better 360degree view than the parking lot.  At the top of the rocky hill you can see the ocean, bridges, bay, city.  It’s almost the top of the city and most people miss it.
• If it’s foggy up at Twin Peaks, drive down the hill and look for Tank Hill and/or Corona Heights and the Randall Museum.
• Eat something at Papalote (24th/Valencia) just for their salsa.  If you’re vegan, their soyrizo burrito (add avocado) is great.
• Or eat at any taqueria in the Mission.
• While you’re in the Mission, go to Humphry Slocombe and Bi-Rite Creamery for ice cream (they’re not close to each other, long walk or short drive between)
• Go to 826 Valencia (that’s the name of the place and the address) where there’s a pirate store.  If you have a young kid, like me, your kid can barter a song or a dance or a story or a riddle for a treasure in the sand.
• Next door is Paxton Gate which is a store that is a natural science museum with taxidermy, fossils, bones, plants, bugs pinned to boards.
• Precita Eyes mural tour in the Mission
• Defenestration building on corner of 6th/Howard, south of market, still for sale after all these years
• Drive out to Sea Cliff and try to find Robin Williams’ house (ha!)
• There’s the fun indoor science museum Exploratorium, but if it’s not raining, the Outdoor Exploratorium at Fort Mason is less busy and there’s a bandstand there made out of car hoods and computer motherboards
• At Fort Mason is a fantastic vegetarian restaurant, Greens
• For other fine veg dining in San Francisco, there’s Millenium – in the summer of 2004, my wife and I had a long delicious dinner at Millenium and narrowed down a list of 90+ possible names for our daughter to 11 combinations of names.
• Driving north or south on Highway 1 is always beautiful, along the coast
• Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, hold onto your small children (one has slipped through the cracks), wear layers, don’t be surprised by the brisk freezing wind and fog
• Further north is Point Reyes, land of delicious oysters and views, and Muir Woods
• The San Francisco Main Library in Civic Center has a great children’s library, always some drama in the bathrooms (and advice for where else to shower besides there), and nice spots on the upper floors
• There’s some good architecture in Civic Center, tasty Korean and Vietnamese food not too far away, if you venture into the Tenderloin, and the plaza in Civic Center is always sporting a garden or statues or protest or rally or celebration
• Crissy Field is a reclaimed wetland with a beach and warming hut and lots of space to walk and run and hike

Food! There’s so much good food in San Francisco.  Too much to write about.  It’s written about everywhere all the time.  7×7′s list of 100 Things To Eat Before You Die is a good start.