what you leave behind

I went to an estate sale for the very first time. There is something eerie about going through a dead man's belongings. The sale was at an older upscale suburb and the man who once lived there was a WWII Airman who from I what I gather was a bit of hoarder, but who isn't a hoarder from that generation? He lived in a beautiful well kept home which had been invaded by dozens of strangers (including myself) on a Saturday morning. We were all on a mission to find treasure and his house was full of treasures indeed-- some with actual monetary value and some only valuable to him. His home was a museum that contained his entire life and it was all up for sale. He had kept everything-- old newspapers, cigar boxes, dozens of broken cameras from various eras and even spices purchased in the 1970s. I looked through his travel photo albums and found some incredible black and white photos of Algeria and Italy during wartime. I found myself wanting to find out more about him and became less interested in finding furniture bargains. He had hundreds of old family photos that were up for sale and other sentimental objects like the spatula he used to cut his wedding cake. Why didn’t any of his family members want to keep these? Did he have children? Was he a well-loved man? Did he die happy? I began asking these questions as I continued my quest to get to know Mr. Howard J. Boscus. I found paintings of the Golden Gate Bridge and the trolley cars of San Francisco with “Boscus” etched at the bottom of the canvas. He liked to paint.

I could spend hours rummaging through the remnants of Mr. Boscus’ life but unfortunately they were hours I could not spare. I walked away with a bagful of snapshots and two old cameras among other things.

This estate sale has got me thinking about what I would leave behind for people to rifle through.
(At this point it would be clothes and about 20 steno notebooks filled with notes from college. Now that I think about it, the amount of steno notebooks I have kind of makes me look like a cereal killer like Kevin Spacey from the movie Seven.)

A small box of old paperclips that is still actually full of old paperclips.

Old cameras I don't think work but I am currently brainstorming on how to display them.

These are one of my favorite photo finds, a photo of what he called the "shac" a makeshift tent-bed during wartime and along the wall are pin-ups. Old school Penthouse and Playboy type photos.

The fabulous antique oven he never changed.

The spices and spike rack he never threw away.

 

Here he is. Mr. Howard J. Boscus. Doesn't he and those ladies look incredibly sharp? I love this style. 

Below is his obituary I found on the web.

Boscus, Howard J.

Howard Boscus passed away in Sacramento on May 1, 2010. 
Born in San Francisco, he spent most of his early years in the 
San Francisco Bay area where he graduated from Lowell High 
School, University of California - Berkeley, and the Stanford 
School of Credit and Financial Management.

He was a retired Vice President of Wells Fargo Bank, serving 
for many years in Sacramento as Senior Loan Officer of the 
Valley Division, extending from Alturas to Bakersfield. Prior to 
that time he worked in Santa Rosa, Stockton, Modesto, 
Patterson and San Francisco.

He was a Veteran of World War II, serving with the Fifteenth Air 
Force in North Africa and Italy.

He was a past president of the Sacramento Exchange Club, 
Credit Managers Association of Northern California, and other 
credit and financial groups. He was a former member of the 
Sutter Club (and a charter member of the Comstock Club). For 
many years he was Treasurer of the Mercy Hospital Foundation 
of Sacramento. At the time of his death he was a member of 
Del Paso Country Club, Monterey Peninsula Country Club and 
the Exchange Club.

He was preceded in death by his parents Helen and John 
Boscus, his sister Maylou B. Conroy, and his nieces Margaret 
and Barbara Conroy. His vivacious wife of 25 years Mildred 
Steckman Boscus died in 1985. His cherished friend of over 40 
years Pauline Sahagian died tragically in 2004. Howard will be 
missed by her family and his many dear friends.

At his request, private services were held under the direction 
of W.F. Gormley and Sons. Memorials may be sent to the 
Children's Receiving Home of Sacramento, 3555 Auburn Blvd., 
Sacramento, CA 95821. 

Published in The Sacramento Bee on May 22, 2010 

Queso dip you will want to bathe in

The Ingredients:
Tomato, onion, peppers*, dried porcini mushrooms, splash of some sort of Mexican beer and any good melting cheese (in this case I used queso fresco and monterey jack).

Dice up the onions and tomato. Reconstitute the dried mushrooms by covering them in boiling water for ten minutes. Sauttee the ingredients until onions soften then add about 2-3 tablespoons of beer. Let dry then add the shredded cheese.

-Quick Tip: You don't have to pit the tomatoes but note that if you don't, the cheese will be a little more watery.

Enjoy the queso dip with some wheat tortillas and the rest of the beer you bought just to make this dish. In my case I had to by a six pack.

*I forgot to buy jalapenos or any other peppers so I ghetto'd it up and just poured Cholula on top.

are you married yet?

Tonight (well last night) I went to one of those family gatherings where all of the encounters go like this (note that I havent seen these people in years):

Party attendant: Sarah, how are you? Are you married yet?
Me: I'm great, and no I'm not married.
(What I wish I could say: I'm great. Are you asking me if I'm married just to make sure you weren't left out and not invited?)

Party attendand: Oh, when are you going to get married?
Me: Umm, I don't know. (Sometimes I mixed it up and answered, not anytime soon).
(What I wish I could say: When gays can marry (because that really would've made their heads explode and possibly get me tossed out of the party)).

Party attendant: Do you have a boyfriend?
Me: No
Party attendant: aww.
(What I wish I could say: oh, you're married with kids? When was the last time you had an awesome carefree night out with friends? Oh, four years ago? Mine was last week. Suck it.)


Aside from these encounters, i should say it was nice to see people i havent seen in years. Also, i scarfed down these whole teeny tiny fishes with the head included battered and deep fried to crispy goodness. I even took a to-go box of them. You all don't know what you're missing.

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i'm sitting in the back of my dad's car headphones on and annoyed and angry. I feel like a teenager on a dreadfull family roadtrip. Ten minutes into an hour car ride and my dad and i have already gotten into an argument. There are days when it is extremely difficult for my dad and i to be in close proximity. I am overly sensitive to things he says to me and he is the same with me. We both have a very difficult time backing out of an argument. Our likeness is what makes us great friends and at times like right now, worst enemies. I am on my way to a party where there will be no substance to help take the edge off.

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falling off the wagon at the wayfare tavern

Over the weekend me and two of my girlfriends drove to San Francisco to try out Tyler Florence's new restaurant called the Wayfare Tavern. As I have blogged before, I am in love with Ty-Flo. Unfortunately, he was not at the restaurant that night, but the food was delicious. I am pretty sure I consumed 3 days worth of calories. I fell off the wagon, but I enjoyed every bite.

Note: The photos are blurred because a.) they were taken with a mobile phone b.) I rushed every photo because someone behind me was talking about us taking photos of our food. Stupid old lady..

The first course

Deviled Eggs and Pancietta with melon cubes

(The deviled eggs were the best I've ever had because they were light, whipped and flavored with curry)

The main

Top Left Dish:

Steak Frites. The steak was perfectly cooked and had melted truffle butter on it. Anything with truffle butter or oil is 10 times more delicious.

Top Right Dish:

Sirloin Burger with Marin Brie, pickled red onion and an optional fried sunny side up egg on top. I did not get a chance to taste Amy's dish but it looked good.

Bottom Middle Dish

Salmon (topped with caviar) and served with potato salad and some sort of sea green. This was also 

delicious and tasted like the ocean.

Middle Dish:

Mac and Cheese side dish made with Jack cheese and garlic bread crumbs. The only way I can describe this mac and cheese is rich, buttery and gooey.

The Dessert

Of course we had to try two:

Chocolate Cream Pie which had a thin layer of dark chocolate cake right before the flaky crust and a Peach Pie topped with goat's milk ice cream. Surprisingly the goat's milk ice cream tasted like regular ice cream. I have had goats milk ice cream before and it tasted gamey like a goat. Both were very good but the warm peach pie was perfect. The crust was flaky, sweet and topped with sugared rosemary.

The weather was gorgeous (and not too cold) in the city. Inside of the restaurant is cozy and had a very homey feeling which is perfect for the American traditional food that is served.

Unfortunately, it is time for me to get back on the wagon. This is my version of tour-de-france (for lazy peeps... instead I tour HBO. I am currently watching the entire series of The Sopranos... I know, I'm like 10 years too late.)

Should I be sad that the only way I will exercise is with a t.v. in front of my face? Nah.. it's the American way.

summer

How has your summer been so far? Unfortunately, I have to be a little more responsible with my money and stop spending paper like I gots paper to burn. That means less vacations and concerts. Here are some things you can do this summer that has made my summer fantastic so far... without breaking the bank.

Spend time in the water or on the water...

On a boat

Or in a swimming pool

I neither have a pool or a boat but I have friends who have both. So, find yourself some awesome friends with a pool (and if this friend DVR's t.v. shows for you, that is a big bonus) and a friend with a kick ass old boat who is willing to take you out even if you contribute nothing to launching/docking or fixing broken things on the boat. Also, I prefer the old boats because the fancy big new water skiing boats are always full of douche bags. You don't want to be a douche.

Spend time riding a bike...

Find friends who will go on bike pub crawls and night rides

Find friends and a group of people who will dress up in cute or silly outfits and go on community bike rides like this Seersucker Ride...

... that included a picnic in the park

Spend time watching...

A crap load of films at your local indie flick theater or watch hours of t.v. on demand.

I recommend watching movies and shows with friends so you can talk about why that artsy movie made you want to punch the director in the face (ahem.. Tree of Life), talk about your guilty pleasure (err.. Pretty Little Liars) or complain about how much you hate the show but you can't stop watching (umm.. Weeds).

Spend a lot of time in good conversation...

Especially over a beer.

Hit up your favorite local bar with a friend and engage in conversations (that may even turn philosophical) about nothing or sit at the bar and chat up the bar tender and all the other bar dwellers. This is a great way to end a long day at work.

As you have noticed, summer is best spent with good company.

Cheers and enjoy your summer.

people i want to punch in the face

The growing list of people I want to punch in the face so badly just grew by one. 

Nancy Grace... you have been tagged. 

I don't really watch her show because I can't stand her long enough to watch more than 5 minutes. She is pretty high up on my list, almost as high as Octomom.