yuppie scum

if there was any doubt as to my complete descent into yuppiedom let it
now be laid to rest for all time. i've hired a housekeeper to do all
the cleaning tasks i won't.

her name is mayte, and she's been twice so far. it took her two visits
of three hours each to do the kind of comprehensive cleaning that a
couple years of neglect on my part required.

now she comes once a month, and does things like mop the floors and
clean the bathroom sink. i'm somewhat conflicted about it; on one hand
i feel a little guilty about asking someone to clean up my mess, and
on the other hand, i don't clean up my mess unless there is some sort
of extreme provocation, so stuff just gets out of control.

in other news, i rode up mt. tamalpais for the first time on sunday.
it's a gorgeous ride, and the views are truly unbelievable. it was an
unusually clear day, and i could see for tens of miles in all
directions. i could see well past the farallon islands, which i think
is a first for me.

when i got back natalie and i went to dinner at some friends' house.
they are both foodies, and one of them is a wine maker, and their
dinner parties are always fabulous. we ate out in their garden, and
when it got dark we tried to shine a light on the rats that were
running back and forth in the ivy, chasing after the pieces of bread
we threw for them