Luv Ya Mom Luv Ya Dad

Quick visit with The Great BZWZ yesterday as she changed planes at SFO on her way to the Ala Moana Hotel in Waikiki. There was just enough time for her to get off her plane from DC, pick up the Care Package (carnitas super burrito, chips and half a package of Girl Scout cookies), luv ya Mom, luv ya Dad, and hurry back into the security line to catch the next plane. Here you go, people: The Essence of Parenting.

And the thing is, you love it.

Crystal is still guarding the daffies. It's a pity that these will all be gone within a few weeks, depending on the rain. And they won't come back again in this climate. So Plot will just plant another huge bag of them in the fall and winter.

Plot discovered that he and Duck had tickets to "Scorched" at ACT on Sunday night, and so did Mush, Silent Bill and Ginger. So they arranged to meet at Lefty O'Doul's for dinner. How can you not love that place?

Lefty's is a time machine, taking you back to the 1940s when O'Doul was San Francisco's most famous Irish baseball player (Joe DiMaggio takes first prize in the North Beach Italian Division). Great photos (all those double breasted suits and fedoras!), an atmosphere that, though it was nicer before they put in all those big screen TVs, still makes you think you're at least twenty years behind the times and you're happy for it, plus you can order hot sandwiches that don't set you back a fortune. True, they could use some real rye bread, but hey, they're Irish. What a great place to meet friends, hang out and wait for the show up the street, with that cool chandelier.

But take another look at that photo.

On the right is Mayor Jimmie Walker, on the left is Babe Ruth and next to Mayor Walker is Lefty O'Doul.

But next to Babe Ruth is Ben Chapman, a Yankee who played in the early 1930s and then managed the Phillies the year Jackie Robinson broke in. He was a famous bigot who taunted Jewish players in the '30s and tried to get his team to boycott playing against teams who had black players later. This nasty dude wouldn't be allowed to play today, but in those days it was just business as usual. Remember that.