Sit a Spell

Your Boulevardier is a fan of The HayWord, which reports online the news that's happening to our immediate south-southwest. And Your Boulevardier is happy to report that he's not the only one poking gentle fun at billboards, misspelled signs, and the like. Reporter Eric Kurhi has, correctly, labeled one sign in Hayward "an affront to spelling."

Radio Buzz

Your Boulevardier is loyal, but he is not exclusively a patron of businesses in Castro Valley. He's also a fan of -- and walks to -- shops in downtown Hayward. On a recent visit to the Book Shop (a fine business that recently changed hands) bookseller Renée insisted on telling Your Boulevardier about an upcoming bit of excitement in that fair city.

It seems that KFOG "personality" -- one remembers when they were called Disc Jockeys, alas -- Big Rick Stuart will visit the Hayward Peet's from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on Saturday, November 7, to hawk the radio station's latest "Live from the Archives" CD. The proceeds from sales of these CDs go to bay area food banks, so the cause is just.

Look for Renée. Something tells Your Boulevardier she'll be close to the front of the line.

Crossing the Border

Your Boulevardier has been baking and dipping Madeleines (off and on -- not constantly) for the last two days in preparation for the grand re-opening of the Book Shop, 1007 B Street in Downtown Hayward.

The celebration is Saturday, September 26 from 1 to 5 p.m. Your Boulevardier wouldn't miss it, though he is double-booked on Saturday so will only be there part of the time.

His Madeleines, Your Boulevardier admits, are not the greatest. They tend to be spongy and sticky, rather than crumbly and slightly crisp. One's not sure if the problem is a surfeit of butter, a surplus of sugar, an imbalance of eggs, or some other issue. Though they can be messy to eat, they are tasty. Try one and see for yourself.