GM's Blog

Recently I made an apple almond cheesecake.  It was a recipe that my aunt had sent in a recent note. “Oma’s (Grandmother’s) favorite”, it had said at the top.  Technically she isn’t the grandmother to my kids.  She is my aunt, my godmother and someone who took these titles seriously enough to be there for me when I really needed someone, and when it might not have been so convenient or comfortable for her to take me into her family.  The cake was (more…)

My uncle is writing his memoirs.  He is in his very young eighties and figures he has ten more years to get this done. He says he is writing them for his kids, and by that he means, not only his kids but also me and my kids and his grand-kids, but mostly (more…)

I am in the business of hospitality. When I got my first hotel job I had been a hairdresser for 7 years. It was something that I was very good at, not only because I could cut hair well but also because I am the type of person to whom people felt comfortable telling their stories. This seemed (more…)

I have been living in California so long that I very often forget that people from other parts of North America easily chuckle and think, “those crazy Californians”.  Crazy, different, fore-thinking, because we are always doing things, for lack of a better word, “Organically”. In fact I think I have, more than once, used the fact that I live in California to explain away my crazy thinking or behavior. Which, of course, made those (more…)

When I was nine I remember going with my family to the airport in Vancouver, B.C., the town in which I grew up. This trip included my Aunt Frieda, my cousin Herb, my parents and myself. We were there to pick up my Oma (grandmother) who was flying in from Germany.  Back then it was a very long flight, which I think included a layover in Iceland or Greenland, because those propeller planes could not fly the entire route without stopping to refuel. (more…)

Do you ever wonder about Victoria’s secret? Maybe it is not such a secret at all, but just this morning I pondered that question. (more…)

On the day the scaffolding was being taken down after four weeks of painting the El Camino facing wall of the Stanford Terrace Inn, I stood watching at the entrance of Starbucks.(Ed: Here’s a video of the mural right here: http://www.vipepower.com/Company/3CNO2X04X3WK)

The Stanford Terrace Inn is located on Stanford Avenue just off (more…)

Barbara Pressman, our General Manager, talks about the recent, tragic events in our community: (more…)

I have always thought that I was ready, ready for anything. Ready, but not necessarily prepared.

I am always ready for the first rain of the season; it is usually a long time in coming, especially in these years of draught.  Since I can remember, I have pulled my kids from whatever they were doing to run and splash when it finally arrived.  Although I grew up in an area where you wouldn’t be able to tell the first rain (because it happens so often) I am no longer prepared for weeks of dampness.

My son just turned thirteen.  He is my second, my youngest.  When I announced I was pregnant, our then 3 year old said, “group hug” standing on the arm of the sofa the three of us hugged.  I was ready to have another baby, but not prepared. I thought I knew what to expect but that proved to be wrong.

There were many times over the years of my children’s development, when I was ready for them to move on.  I had changed enough diapers, searched too often for the lost pacifier, tied one too many shoes, unable to sit through the 101st viewing of the same Disney flick, checked a backpack too many times for the elusive “not” homework, homework.  Now that my daughter is in her senior year of high school I am not prepared for her departure to University - I am not even sure that I am ready for it.

Last week was freshman orientation at Stanford. Even if you weren’t aware, you would have known there was something going on in town. The lights on El Camino are timed, for a relatively stop-less drive from street to street, but with the extra cars it was stop and go. The out-of-towner’s’ dropping their 18 year olds off for a great new adventure; life on campus.

There was a hum at the Stanford Terrace Inn. Packages had started to arrive days before the new students and their parental counterparts.  How do you get to Bed Bath and Beyond, Target, Ikea and numerous other places, was the most popular question.  All that could not be shipped must be purchased prior to move in day.

I was paying more attention this year making some mental notes of things that I will need to do and to avoid. I am getting ready, the excitement, the anticipation, the planning, but what I am experiencing most is the grieving.
I wasn’t ready to have my first child, in fact I really didn’t ever see myself as a mom. So now 17 years later I am even less prepared to let my first-born find her own adventures. Am I ready? I am not sure, but I will try to be prepared.

Shanti to all

Barbara

[Ed: This is a speech Barbara gave last year, and I thought it appropriate as a special Thursday post!]

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Good Morning, my name is Barbara Pressman, the proud General Manager of the only green hotel in Palo Alto that is certified by the county. What a great marketing tool this has been for the Stanford Terrace Inn. Additionally we are recognized in “Greenopia” the urban dwellers guide to green (more…)