I haven’t posted for a few days because my small little business had a lot going on. And then I got a speeding ticket today. It’s my first, even though I’ve been driving for about 16 years now. I’ve always been let off with a warning in the past. So, that’s one thing that’s not so great about being here — speeding tickets. But I’ll tell myself that speeding causes terrible accidents, too. And the cop just wanted to save my life.. and make some money for the city, too.

Today’s reason to stay in the U.S.: the many kinds of food you get to eat in the U.S. — all the fabulous ethnic cuisines we take for granted. We just went to Greece recently, and much as I loved, really loved the place and the people, I could just see Greek food, some French food, and a sprinkling of sushi. Here, though we might not be able to sit endlessly in cafes sipping frappes (sadly), we do get to eat more cuisines than most people in most places do. In the Bay Area, I think I’ve pretty much seen food from every continent, and so many countries and regions within countries. The one food I’d like to see — since I’ve tasted and loved it — is Sri Lankan. Have you tried it? It’s a fantastic cross between Thai and Indian. If you know of a place that serves Sri Lankan food in the Bay Area, let me know!

I’ve seen signs for all the following cuisines:

Afghan
American
Basque
BBQ
Californian
Caribbean (though this isn’t a country, but I’ve seen restaurants saying they serve Caribbean food)
Chinese
Creole
Cuban
Dim sum (Where are these from?)
Eritrean
Ethiopian
French
German
Greek
Hawaiian
Japanese
Indian
Indonesian
Italian
Irish
Korean
Malaysian
Mexican
Middle-eastern
Mongolian
Moroccan
Nepali
Pakistani
Peruvian
Steak house
Soul food
Spanish
Thai
Tibetan
Turkish
Vietnamese

That’s today’s reason. But wait — I could always see them online. Couldn’t I? I could, but it feels nice to randomly run into Seinfeld, Friends and Frasier on televsion, without seeking them out. That does count for something.

.. tea. Yes, tea. The Bay Area, where I live, is home to so many lovely cafes and tea lounges/bars. 

I’m sitting at one called Julie’s in Alameda right now. And when I look at the number of teas offered here, I wonder if they have as many in the countries where tea is actually produced. Genmaicha, Darjeeling, Orange Bliss, Pu-erh, she has so much from all over the world. And Julie is not alone. Checked out Samovar lately? If not, you must visit. And not just for the great range of teas and their presentation. The Noe/Castro location is staffed by amazingly beautiful people and the one in Yerba Buena gardens is in a peaceful, beautiful setting.

That said, these days, even the most basic bagel place carries a range of teas that until a while ago would have been considered exotic.  

Julie’s
1223 Park St
Alameda, CA 94501
(510) 865-2385 
juliestea.com

Samovar Tea Lounge
730 Howard St
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 227-9400
samovarlife.com

I’m changing the name of this blog. From Happy Sexy Me, it’s gone to Why Should I Stay in the U.S.?

I still love the things I used to love (wine, sex, and happiness), but these days, I’m drawn to the thought of moving to a different part of the world. I’m not sure why. So, I’m going to try to convince myself to stay here. After all, I do like it here.

But if I can’t convince myself, I’ll move. So, I’m going to put up one argument a day devoted to getting me to keep living here.

Today: It’s a weak reason, but I’m staying here because moving is too much of a pain. Moving around within an area is bad enough, imagine moving between countries! I don’t think so…

I love my home, and we’d have to sell it. If I moved, I wouldn’t be able to live in it, would I? It is a charming home, which we bought in a lottery during the boom. The sentimentality aside, why would anyone sell a place in this economy? And then the two lovely worn out cars. One car is my sister’s, technically. I’m looking after it for her — while she’s abroad. But there might not be much “car” left by the time she comes back.  

Oh, it’s too much work.

I wish I’d worked with Clay Felker. People in media always spoke of him as though he were larger than life. And I never completely understood why. And then he died. Yesterday. And now I know why. Read his obits. He was cool. He was happy. And yes, he was sexy.

Google News has a seemingly endless list of obits honoring him here.

Do you think you’re good looking? If you’re comfortable with how you look – which is a good way to be – you’re not going to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on cosmetic enhancements or plastic surgery. But before you come down harshly (and I admit I used to) on those that do spend a lot of time and money on looking better.. wait – we do live in a very superficial world (it’s not just the U.S.). If you’re better looking, you apparently have a better shot at a job, an easier time making friends, and the shocker — you get more love from your parents. Sad, but apparently true. No wonder then that Slate tells us  But a Boob Job is an Investment.

Here’s the New York Times article that Slate links to… about research showing that parents are nicer to the nicer-looking kids.

Still doesn’t explain why Cameron Diaz changed the way she looked..

So what makes me happy? A walk down Chestnut street (in San Francisco) with my wonderful, wonderful man will do it. That’s what I did Saturday evening. Yes, there was food involved — a lovely bowl of red curry at Lettus Cafe followed by a chocolate drink from Moonstruck. But more than the chocolate, it was just a lovely walk with my best friend, who is also my lover and spouse, that made me happy. But wait — did all the sangrias at Cesar that I’d had the night before (with him, again) have something to do with the happiness?

You’ve seen the rows and rows of books dedicated to happiness in every bookstore you walk into. I’ve read some of them. And then there are all those articles that appear every few months. Here’s an assortment, picked for nothing more than their subject matter.

WebMD ran this piece a few days ago.
USA Today had something similar back in 2002.
ABC NEWS/20-20 made it a little more complex. (It’s not a TV clip, just plain reading.)
Apparently, TV can make you happy. Curious? Read this article from the New York Times.

And yes, shopping for clothes makes me happy, too. How predictable, I know…