in praise of sardines

Behind the paper: framing and plumbing

After an unexpected 3-day weekend (my block lost power for 24 hours during Friday's storm), my construction crew arrived Monday morning to discover that all their tools had been stolen in the middle of the night. The thieves broke into the site's lock box, then used the wheelbarrow and dolly to move everything into their truck. My construction crew now takes everything of value off the premises before heading home. Apparently gangs of thieves regularly hit construction sites in San Francisco. They swipe valuable items like tools and copper pipes, then pack their loot in containers and ship it overseas, sometimes as quickly as hours after the theft.

After this inauspicious start to the week, my crew quickly regrouped and worked in earnest. I am so impressed by their resilience and work ethic. They are true professionals. Old walls came down, new ones went up, and plumbing began.

In other good news, I'm thrilled to tell you about a happy discovery that we made a few weeks back. When we removed the sheet rock and insulation from the walls, we learned that the siding of the 100-year-old building's exterior walls was built from beautiful old-growth redwood. This week the crew carefully removed the panels to preserve it. Eventually, we will plane and sand the panels on site and use them for decorative elements in the interior of the restaurant. Reclaiming and reusing the building's wood is one way that we are working to keep the design as green and environmentally friendly as possible.

By the time you read this, I'll be on a plane flying south in search of sun and warmth. I have a date with a hammock on a beach in a country famous for its toucans, manatees, jaguars, spider monkeys, corral reefs, and Mayan pyramids. Any guesses? Unfortunately, this means I'll miss today's announcement of the Menu for Hope winners. I promise that I'll get in touch with the winners of my (and Shuna's and Alder's) prize just as soon as I get back into town. I don't know about you, but I can't wait to discover who I will be cooking for!

Behind the paper: the first "pour"

When the clock struck midnight on January 1, 2008, I had expected to feel a tidal wave of relief that 2007 was finally behind me. On paper, 2007 seemed to bring nothing but trouble to my life. When the champagne corks popped, shouldn't I have been dancing with glee that it was finally over? Shouldn't I have been crying "good riddance"? I was confused when those feelings never surfaced.

It's taken a few days to process (and catch up on my sleep), but I now realize why that relief never hit me the way I had expected. Believe it or not, I loved 2007. I feel enormous gratitude for all that took place last year — for the lessons I've learned, for the ways I've been forced to grow, for the friends I've made. I will remember '07 as a year that was as rewarding as it was challenging, a year of unparalleled richness and fullness. Every month was more wonderful than the one that preceded it (which explains the lack of blog posts in December, which was positively blissful).

In 2007 I also gained extra appreciation for this little blog. How much more difficult would the year's events have been if I didn't have a small but loyal readership to offer support and encouragement when I needed it most? How much less delicious would my life now be without all the new friendships I've formed since starting IPOS? How much less fun would renaming my restaurant have been if I didn't have all of you to play with me in our virtual sandbox? Finally, could we have ended 2007 on a more positive note than Pim's Menu for Hope, which raised $91,188 for the UN World Food Programme's efforts in Africa?

Everything that took place in 2007 laid the foundation for 2008. It's appropriate, then, to start the new year off with photos of my construction crew pouring the concrete that will form the foundation of my restaurant, Contigo.

Thank you all for helping to make 2007 a great year! Guess what. I suspect 2008 is going to be even more thrilling. I am excited to continue to celebrate contigo, both on In Praise of Sardines and at my restaurant, which is on track to open in the middle of the year.