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Rooms for rent in 4 bedroom/3bath new House (alameda) $890

1 Room for Rent in a 4 bedroom/3bath new House in Bayport Alameda Room available: 1 bedroom, walk-in closet, share bath tube but you will have your own private sink. (jack and jill style bathroom) Travertine floors in Bath, Room is on 2nd floor of house $890 plus deposit. The rest of the house: A Huge Kitchen with Granite counters and Bosch stainless steel appliances, Large Family Room with fireplace, Formal Dinning Room, Beautiful Center Court Yard and Patio Back Yard, 2,800 square feet of Living Space. Walk to Parks, School and Shopping! Easy access to San Francisco, via Bart, Ferry, bus and car . Amenities includes: - New granite slab counters in kitchen with full back splash and large center island - Eating bar at Center Island - Bosch Stainless Steel Appliances, double convection oven, dish washier, microwave oven, Kitchen-Aid refrigerator - Large Laundry room with Washier and Dryer - Maple cabinets - New Limestone floor in Master bathroom, New Travertine floors in 2nd Bath, Tile floors in kitchen and 3rd bath - New Custom paint and crown molding throughout - Wired alarm security system - Large Professional Landscaped Yard - Open Center Courtyard with French doors on 3 sides - Minutes away from Park, new School, shopping & San Francisco An excellent opportunity to Live in a beautiful single family home in Bayport, Alameda. A new master plan community. Completely ready to move in. Open and spacious floor plan with lots of natural light. Located right across from a 11- acre central park. Close to dining, shopping, public transportation such as the Alameda/ Oakland Ferry and Bart. Ideal for entertaining, 20 minutes commute to San Francisco. Professional landscaped backyard with large patio, beautiful plants and fruit trees. No pets and no smoking Ready to move in, available Now or December 1 For photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/57573997@N00/sets/72157606307301806/ $890 / month plus deposit If interested call Jack at 415-948-6998 for appt to see the house.

Ask Hadley: Why do shop mirrors make me look thinner?

Why do I look thinner in the mirrors of some shops' fitting rooms than others? Sometimes I feel like I am at the fairground, not in a shop on Oxford Street. Daphne Eliot, by emailAnd that is just where you're going wrong, Daph. Oxford Street is a fairground now. Come one, come all, and see the unique freaks who can still afford to shop in this country! See the Russian billionaire's "close friend" head down New Bond Street in search of Gucci! Marvel at the bonused-up banker's daughter as she heads straight to the designer handbags section of Selfridges! Gasp at the footballer's wife shopping as if on amphetamines at Topshop! Your fairground reference is apt in another way, too. Obviously, everyone's first socio-cultural fairground touchstone is the movie Big, the seminal film that marked the last of Tom Hanks' era of greatness (Splash, Bachelor Party) before slipping into smug tedium (Saving Private Ryan, The Da Vinci Code). It was at a fairground, of course, that little Josh Baskin was transformed from child to overgrown child by the unforgettable Zoltar the Magnificent. Well, many shop mirrors work in a similar way, altering one's physical form beyond all recognition. Certainly one's mother can't believe it (your mother tells you that actually your legs are much stumpier than you seem to think and really, dear, have you not thought about heels? Mrs Baskin - the glorious Mercedes Ruehl - threw Big Josh out), and one's friends go along with it, but mainly out of kindness. ("No, honestly, you can totally work the high waist"; Josh doesn't seem to have any other friends.) Of course, there are benefits: you feel good about yourself, you get to have sex with your rival's grumpy girlfriend and do the piano dance - oh, sorry, your question and Big's plot are beginning to elide in my mind. But the perils outweigh the plusses: you, Daphne, might end up buying something that in the cold, non-funny-mirror light of day, makes you resemble a banana; Josh discovered that he, um, I actually can't remember why he went back to being a kid (he probably missed Mercedes, which is understandable).And, to be fair, you can't blame the shops for resorting to some wibbly-wobbly mirrors. Hell, they're so desperate for some custom now they'd tell you that the clothes cure cancer if they thought they could get away with it. Actually, that's a brilliant idea (if I do say so myself) for a House of Fraser window display. A Daily Mail headline writer could design it, perhaps, using that ever popular Daily Mail question mark: Can These Clothes Cure Cancer? I can see it already, illustrated by a photo of someone quite attractive who may or may not have had the illness at some point in their lives. Quick, Paul Dacre, take out a copyright or they'll all be at it!Why do models all look like freaks - aren't they supposed to be beautiful? Marcus, by emailInspired by the above thoughts regarding the Daily Mail, I have decided that this column today should take that paper and all of its journalistic methods as its source of inspiration. And so, in true Daily Mail stylee, I have consulted with "unnamed but very intimate - their anonymity should in no way cast doubt on their reliability" sources who have assured me that "the reason models have to be so weird looking is so they look thin in photos because film puts on a lot of weight". What, like 50kg? Because, judging from the way models look these days, that's what our sources seem to think. And so we return to a topic that has been trotted out on this page before - How the Fashion Industry Takes a Theory Beyond Any Semblance of Sense Or Reason. One can see this idea at work when it comes to prices, clothes sizes and many, many clothes in general. But sticking with half-starved models, do male designers just hate women and want to punish them? Unlikely - who would pay their wages then? My other favourite theory came from an impressively unashamed homophobic journalist who once assured me it was because all designers are gay and therefore want the models to look like little boys. Because "gay", apparently, is just a fancy word for "paedophile", you know. The truth is, no one knows how or why this whole thing started. So let's at least look at the bright side: if nothing else, they serve as decided rebuttal to all those annoying people who say fashion is just about dressing to please men. Would an industry predicated on sexual attraction treat breasts as an irritating and unnecessary intrusion on design genius? Do heterosexual men prefer hip bones to hips? I think you see what I'm saying. So, um, like, yay!Fashionguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

5/BR-3/BA 3,600 Sq ft. of living space, HOUSE FOR RENT (Willow Glen) $5200 5bd

Great location and truly a unique home on a cul-de-sac. 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. Large entry provides access to the spacious living room. Vaulted ceilings and a fireplace add to the allure. Twin ceiling fans provide air movement on with just the right breeze. Lots of windows and decks provide views of the pool and trees. The dining area has hardwood floors, plantation shutters, and built-in oak china cabinets with a slab of granite counter top. The dining area overlooks the back yard with views of many trees. The kitchen is large with two large granite counter tops and matching back-splash. A large walk-in pantry for for storage space. A large walk-in laundry room. The home contains three fireplaces one in the upstairs master bedroom and one in the living room. The master bedroom bath provides acres of tile, whirlpool tub, large stall shower, recessed lighting, dual sinks and also has a large walk in closet. Downstairs is the family room. This room offers lots of space and a fireplace. The family flows into a large game room. The part of the home is level with the backyard. There are three bedrooms on this bottom level. The back yard provides much space as well as a pool and a hot tub. Enjoy BBQ and enjoy the quiet below street grade serenity. Two car garage with built-in cabinets offer extra deep car storage along with central air conditioning. If Interest please call 408 891-3139

Hip-Hop for Bad Presents and Cranberry Juice.

To compel holiday shoppers to try Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash, Creature organized the Re-Gift Rap Battles, which will hit shopping malls in most major cities coast to coast.

Rooms for rent in 4 bedroom/3bath new House (alameda) $900

1 Room for Rent in a 4 bedroom/3bath new House in Bayport Alameda Room available: 1 bedroom, walk-in closet, share bath tube but you will have your own private sink. (jack and jill style bathroom) Travertine floors in Bath, Room is on 2nd floor of house $900 plus deposit. The rest of the house: A Huge Kitchen with Granite counters and Bosch stainless steel appliances, Large Family Room with fireplace, Formal Dinning Room, Beautiful Center Court Yard and Patio Back Yard, 2,800 square feet of Living Space. Walk to Parks, School and Shopping! Easy access to San Francisco, via Bart, Ferry, bus and car . Amenities includes: - New granite slab counters in kitchen with full back splash and large center island - Eating bar at Center Island - Bosch Stainless Steel Appliances, double convection oven, dish washier, microwave oven, Kitchen-Aid refrigerator - Large Laundry room with Washier and Dryer - Maple cabinets - New Limestone floor in Master bathroom, New Travertine floors in 2nd Bath, Tile floors in kitchen and 3rd bath - New Custom paint and crown molding throughout - Wired alarm security system - Large Professional Landscaped Yard - Open Center Courtyard with French doors on 3 sides - Minutes away from Park, new School, shopping & San Francisco An excellent opportunity to Live in a beautiful single family home in Bayport, Alameda. A new master plan community. Completely ready to move in. Open and spacious floor plan with lots of natural light. Located right across from a 11- acre central park. Close to dining, shopping, public transportation such as the Alameda/ Oakland Ferry and Bart. Ideal for entertaining, 20 minutes commute to San Francisco. Professional landscaped backyard with large patio, beautiful plants and fruit trees. No pets and no smoking Ready to move in, available Now or November 1 For photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/57573997@N00/2691329519/in/set-72157606307301806/ $900 / month plus deposit If interested call Jack at 415-948-6998 for appt to see the house.

Hilary Duff & Mike are Brangelina

Hilary Duff made a huge splash this Hallowe?en!! I don?t have permission (yet) to repost the photo of her costume here (I can?t find out who took it), so instead I?m displaying a photo of Hilary from Hallowe?en in 2005. For Hallowe?en 2008, Hilary Duff and boyfriend Mike Comrie together dressed up as Brangelina!! That?s [...]

Spectacular Views of SF, Bay Bridge, GG Bridge, Marin (oakland piedmont / montclair) $4500 4bd

Panoramic Views of the city of San Francisco, the Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Angel Island, and Marin County. On a clear day you can see the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. $4500.00 a week This architect designed 4500 square foot home with three+ levels has four large bedrooms and 3.5 baths. Located minutes from the shopping districts of Montclair and Rockridge, as well as UC Berkeley and the Claremont Hotel, it is about twenty minutes to San Francisco and about an hour to Stanford University and Palo Alto. Sleeps ten. No need to eat out unless you want to sample the award-winning restaurants in San Francisco, College Avenue/Rockridge, and surrounding areas. This is a perfect house for entertaining. Also great for a busy executive or executive meetings; free long distance calling and wireless internet. It features Brazilian cherry floors throughout, three fireplaces (two wood burning), and a cherry paneled library. You enter through two, eight foot high, cherry, front doors into the marble tile entry under a thirty foot tower. The kitchen features cherry floors, granite countertops, marble back splash, a four burner Thermidor stove plus griddle and grill and two ovens for preparing gourmet meals. There are two sinks and two dishwashers, and a very large granite island which provides plenty of work space for multiple cooks. Tall windows in the dining room and living room allow everyone to enjoy the panoramic view. Even the cook has a clear view of the bay while preparing the meals. Step down three steps into the living room and enjoy a fire in the marble fireplace. Perfect on a rainy day. The master bedroom and bath feature unparalleled views. Relax in the Jacuzzi bathtub big enough for two while sipping champagne and admiring the view of San Francisco at night. This beautiful home has French doors leading from the master bedroom and library on the top level; from the dining/living room/kitchen on the entry level; and from the guest bedroom and large family room on the ground level. The French doors open onto tiled decks on the upper levels and lead to a manicured garden from the guest bedroom and family room. All have unobstructed views of San Francisco, the Bay and GG bridges, downtown SF and Marin. For the kids, the downstairs sports a large family room with cherry floors, refrigerator, microwave, sink and dishwasher for midnight snacks. The ground floor with a large bedroom and marble fireplace, bathroom, and family room with the kitchen bar could be used as a separate suite or "mother-in-law" unit. French doors lead from both the family room and bedroom to the lawn, garden, and spectacular views. Take day trips to Napa Valley for wine tasting, enjoy the view from one of the many restaurants in Sausalito or Tiburon, walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, or drive down to Stanford or Silicon Valley. Don't miss Golden Gate Park, the Asian Art Museum, the Palace of the Legion of Honor, or the Steinhart Aquarium. Take BART from Rockridge to the Financial District in San Francisco, ride the trolley car up California Street and have a drink at the Fairmont Hotel. There's also jogging and bike riding through Tilden Park in Oakland and Berkeley. You'll never run out of things to do in the Bay Area. Each of the four bedrooms has a queen size bed Sofa bed in the family room Washer/dryer/Two car garage This is a non smoking home Please call 412-576-6363 or 412-877-7377 or 510-922-9813

For rent by owner: Single Family Shapell Home 3BR 2.5BA (danville / san ramon) $2600 3bd

Beautiful single family Shapell home for rent in San Ramon, interior square footage is just a shade under 1,700 sq/ft. Home was built in 2003, has 3 Bedrooms and 2.5 baths, 2-car garage. Completely upgraded interior (above and beyond what the builder offered) including travertine floors on entire first floor, master bath and bath #2, upgraded carpet, custom paint through out, custom cabinets, all stainless steel appliances with professional convection oven cooktop included. Granite counter tops with full back splash, upgraded dual side stainless steel sink with water filtration system; this is arguably THE nicest home in the ENTIRE neighborhood. Has beautifully landscaped and colorful backyard, Anderson French doors downstairs and upstairs balcony, fireplace, epoxy garage floor with extra cabinetry for storage. Wired internet connection in every room. Kitchen Aid refrigerator, Maytag washer and dryer included. House sits on a premium lot that backs into the hill so it is very private. Community pool access included. House is within walking distance to the new Safeway plaza, and it is zoned for the highly desirable Iron Horse School. No smokers and pets please, and lease is required. Please email for more information if interested.

Fit for a king: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on cabbage

The humble cabbage has been rather eclipsed in recent years by more glamorous - or at least fashionable - leafy relatives in the brassica brotherhood: kale (curly, Russian, Tuscan), sprout tops and "greens" - which are usually just unhearted, immature cabbages.It's funny, isn't it, how fickle we chefs are with words and trends? Somehow, "cabbage" - of which there are dozens of outstanding varieties - has been deemed a passion killer. It's tainted by its past - soggy, slithery, green pulp dished up in works canteens, hospitals and school dining rooms everywhere. Its faintly sulphurous odour hangs like a gloomy pall over parts of our lives we'd rather forget.And who wouldn't want to expunge such grim memories? But by calling on the cabbage's close relatives that are not tainted by such associations, we're actually making a promise not only about the vegetable, but about how we're going to cook it. When a chef puts "wilted greens" on a menu, he's saying, "Like cabbage, only not boiled to oblivion." In fact, more often than not, it is cabbage. We need to get over past shames and rehabilitate the cabbage without euphemism. I'd like to appeal to chefs everywhere: let's call a cabbage a cabbage, and carve its name with pride on our menus. To help the cause, home cooks must exercise quality control at the point of purchase: go for ones that feel heavy and have crisp stems. Just as fresh fish shouldn't smell "fishy", fresh cabbage shouldn't smell like the ghosts of school dinners past. When it comes to cooking them, less (cooking) is generally more (flavour). Depending on how finely you chop the leaves, three minutes in boiling, salted water is usually enough. It's also important to drain it well, to avoid the dreaded "sog" factor.Dressed simply in a little butter with lots of black pepper, cabbage is delicious. Or try sautéing some ginger, chilli and garlic for a minute or so, then tossing in some lightly cooked cabbage for a minute before sloshing on a splash of soy sauce. For a great side dish to accompany sausages or roast meat, soften chopped garlic and caraway seeds in butter (or goose fat), add shredded raw cabbage, a splash of water and a sprinkling of salt, and sauté for five minutes until the leaves are wilted. Cabbages, with their crunch and slightly peppery flavour, are great for autumn salads, too. Forget commercial coleslaw, gloopy with cheap salad cream, and go for something simpler and more vibrant. Mix finely shredded cabbage with grated carrot and maybe some finely chopped apple, before dressing in a strong, mustardy vinaigrette. We owe it not only to ourselves, but also to the cabbage to banish all memories of odorous school dinners for ever. Here are a few more recipes that should help.Stuffed cabbageRoughly based on a Russian recipe for golubtsy, this is perfect winter comfort food. Serves four to six.12 leaves from 1 big Savoy cabbageFor the sauce1 onion, finely chopped1 garlic clove, finely chopped1 tbsp olive oil600g ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped, or 400g tinned chopped tomatoesFine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper1 pinch sugar (optional)For the filling1tbsp olive oil1 medium onion, chopped1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped500g pork, coarsely minced150g mushrooms, roughly chopped200g pearled spelt, rice or barley (cooked weight)1 egg, lightly beaten3-4 tbsp chopped parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh dillFine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper4 tbsp sour cream, plus more to serveTo make the sauce, over a low heat, sweat the onion and garlic in the oil until soft but not coloured, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until soft and pulpy. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar, if using.Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/ gas mark 4. If the stems of the cabbage leaves are thick, pare them down a bit with a vegetable peeler. Blanch in boiling, lightly salted water for three minutes, refresh and pat dry.Now make the filling. Over a low heat, sweat the onion and garlic in the oil until soft but not coloured, about 10 minutes. Add the pork, cook until just browned, then tip into a bowl. Cook the mushrooms in the same pan (you may need to add more oil) until they release their juices. Add the mushrooms to the bowl, along with the spelt, egg and herbs, season very generously and mix. Place a big spoonful of meat mixture in the centre of each cabbage leaf, fold over the sides and roll up from the stalk end, until you have 12 neat packages, like spring rolls. Place seam-side down in an ovenproof dish. Pour the sauce over, dot sour cream on top and bake for 35-40 minutes, until bubbling and hot. Serve with more sour cream.Deconstructed bubble and squeakThis slightly more elegant version of the "leftover special" lets you enjoy the cabbage at its vibrant best. Serves four.1 tbsp olive oil4 rashers streaky bacon, cut into 2cm pieces2 medium onions, thinly sliced½ tsp fresh thyme leaves1 small Savoy cabbage, cut into thin ribbonsWarm the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the bacon and cook until just done. Add the onion and thyme, and sauté over a medium-low heat until the onions are soft and just beginning to caramelise. Meanwhile, lightly steam the cabbage over boiling water until just cooked - it should still have plenty of bite - then toss it in the onions and bacon, season generously and serve at once with creamy mash.Spicy cabbage and sausage soupHalfway between a soup and a stew - in fact, you could serve it with mash or stirred into pasta. Serves six.1 tbsp olive oil4 fresh chorizo (or other spicy sausage), about 400g1 large onion, finely chopped1 leek, white only, finely chopped1 large carrot, peeled and diced1 small celery stick, diced3 tbsp tomato purée400g tinned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed1 bay leaf750ml chicken stock1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional)180g Savoy or other cabbage, tough stalks removed, shredded1 handful parsley leaves, choppedFine sea salt and freshly ground black pepperWarm the oil in a big saucepan over a medium-high heat. Brown the sausages for eight minutes, until they render their fat, then remove and cut each into three. Reduce the heat to low and sauté the onion and leek in the chorizo fat until very soft but not browned. Add the carrot and celery, cook until softened (five minutes), then stir in the tomato purée, beans, bay leaf, sausages, stock and cayenne, and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes. Add the cabbage, simmer for 10 minutes, stir in the parsley, season and serve with crusty bread. guardian.co.uk/hughfearnleywhittingstall? If you would like to find out about our new gardening courses for 2009 with resident expert Mark Diacono, go to rivercottage.netVegetarian recipesVegetable recipesFood & drinkguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds