The Power of Pie

No, we're not talking math here. I like math and all (honestly), but given the choice between the mathematical constant 3.14... and dessert, you probably can imagine which one I'll choose. Sorry, pi.

What we are talking about is delicious and socially conscious pie. My friend Valerie and I had been talking for a couple of weeks about hanging out. She, like me, has an atypical work schedule; so she's often game for some weekday afternoon socializing. It took a couple of weeks, but we finally found a time to get together, and Valerie suggested going out for pie.

Yes, pie.

Valerie and her boyfriend Kevin are regular patrons of Mission Pie, the urban link to Pie Ranch. Pie Ranch is basically an educational farm that teaches kids about food production and encourages social change. I'm probably oversimplifying their mission, but I hope you get the point. Mission Pie at 25th and Mission Streets sells pies made from ingredients grown at Pie Ranch. The store also employs Mission High School students.

Well, as Valerie promised, the pie is truly excellent. Plus, it was just what she and I both needed on Thursday afternoon. She'd had a hard day teaching drama to apathetic pre-teens. I hadn't gotten a lot of sleep the night before, and I didn't have the desire to, say, grocery shop. So I didn't eat much before going to a singing lesson in Potrero Hill. After my lesson, I walked from the studio to meet Valerie at Mission Pie, and by the time I arrived, I was more than ready for a snack. I settled on a slice of banana cream pie and a hot chocolate. Scrumptious. In all honestly, I had intended to eat more than one slice, but after my pie-liquid chocolate combo, I'd had enough sugar.

Good pie from a good local company. Can you really ask for anything more on a late Thursday afternoon? I didn't think so. And for the record, I stopped at Bristol Farms on my way home from Mission Pie and bought myself some real dinner.

So that was Thursday. After work last night, I met a bunch of people at Do Re Mi, the private karaoke studios in Japantown. You rent your own room for up to 18 people and let the caterwauling begin. Do Re Mi doesn't have the greatest song selection in the world, and they use ultra-synthy, badly produced karaoke music, but whatever. You get to sing all you want without having to endure the warbling of strangers. Good times.

Our karaoke group broke up at about midnight, but Andrey and I, along with a woman whose name I don't remember (that's horrible, I know, but I met her for the first time last night), decided to grab a drink afterward. We ended up, by my suggestion, unfortunately, at the Bigfoot Lodge on Polk Street. I should know better than to venture onto Upper Polk Street on a weekend night, but sometimes in life we do things we shouldn't. I've been to the Bigfoot Lodge before, but obviously on off nights because I wasn't prepared for its crowded, weekend warrior atmosphere. I like to go out, and I like bars, but it has been years since I've been in a bar that was so jam packed I could barely move. Tony Nik's wasn't even that crowded on New Year's Eve. Not to mention that everybody in the joint looked to be about 25. And frankly, they behaved that way, too. I felt like a serious old lady. An old lady in a bar at 12:30 on a Friday night/Saturday morning. That is never who you want to be.

I was home by 1:15, after just one hard fought drink.

Anyway, on to other topics. I mentioned a singing lesson earlier in this post, and after weighing a couple of options, I believe I have chosen a new singing teacher. I've only had one lesson with her, so we'll have to see how it goes.

Also, I got my Morning Benders EP's in the mail on Thursday (see previous post), and I love them! But I suck. I was planning to see the Morning Benders play at Bottom of the Hill on the 28th, but I didn't think I needed advanced tickets, and the show is already sold out. Crap. And as per what has become my usual luck with their shows, they are performing in L.A. two days before I arrive for my next mini vacation, and I can't make their San Francisco gig in February. Well, I still think they're my new favorite local band. I'll just have to love them from the comfort of my stereo and iPod until I can get my sassy little behind to a club to see them play.