I just paid $110 cash plus $320 over 2 years for a new Google Pixel 9 Pro with 256 GB. I’ll soon trade-in my working-well-enough phone for $120.
For the service, I’m now paying $55/month (fees included) for “Google Fi Unlimited Standard”
Details:
I had bought a Google Pixel 7 Pro from Swappa a few months ago. It took me 3 months to realize that something was wrong with the radio in the phone; I had TERRIBLE coverage with a variety of providers. OMG, over the course of a few months I tried about 5 providers and they ALL had terrible terrible service. I figured that it wasn’t the provider but my phone.
Google Fi Unlimited Standard comes with 50 GB data, 1/2 of which can be used for hotspot. I need the hotspot for my work.
The base model phone comes with 128 GB, I paid $100 extra for the upgrade because I figure I’ll have this phone for a while. It comes with 7 years of free OS updates after all! Though batteries tend to last only about 5 years, so there’s that.
Hugh Groman passed away in August, 2024. He had a wonderful life, a far more fabulous life than mine. He was surrounded by people that loved him and he loved the many people in his life. And he was a very successful business owner. Yet he was taken by a merciless disease. That is unfair to both him and the world that loved him!
He was a closer friend to my wife, Megan, but I knew him. Years ago, he literally demanded to cater our wedding and in doing so, he infused our wedding day and night with his incredible spirit and energy! I loved him!
His Celebration of Life was on January 23rd, 2025, at Ciel Creative Space in Berkeley. Family and friends gathered together in honor of him. And … dare I say… the event of the season! It really was!
It was, as I hope he would have wanted it: a grand party with music, an open bar, hors d’oeuvres, party schwag, disco lights, art on display, and people dressed to the nines in Gatsby-esque revelry at the good fortune we all had to be in the same place with everyone else. Missing only was the leading man who we each hoped in our hearts would leap onto the stage and call it all good fun.
More than a twenty-five people got on stage and either spoke forcefully about how awesome he was, how he had changed their lives, or they literally sang or danced in his honor. And that is not counting the throngs who got on stage to sing and dance in the audience participation numbers!
Please watch this beautiful evening that was streamed like the party it was, with laugher and tears:
Remembering Hugh Groman, master of hospitality who catered events for Barack Obama and Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Groman, who died last month at 53, founded popular Berkeley catering and party platter delivery businesses and ran a downtown burger joint called Phil’s Sliders from 2011 to 2017.
by Alix Wall
Sept. 18, 2024, 12:08 p.m.
Hugh Groman with his dogs in his Berkeley home. Credit: Cage & Aquarium
Of course, Nina Groman Ruebner’s favorite childhood memories about her younger brother, Hugh Groman, involve food.
As a kid, when his head wasn’t buried in a book, he used to make “cheese soufflés” by melting grated cheese in a ramekin in the toaster oven. They would eat them in a fort, “and they were delicious,” she said.
Another formative memory: When Groman was about 8, he wanted to make his own potato chips. He sliced raw potatoes and put them in a pot of oil on the stove. When they didn’t sizzle in what he considered a timely manner, he went out for a swim. The next thing he knew, smoke was pouring out of the kitchen; his parents had to do a remodel because of it.
Groman, who went on to found Hugh Groman Catering — a popular catering business in Berkeley which catered events for the likes of Barack Obama, Gloria Steinem and Ruth Bader Ginsburg — along with Greenleaf Platters and Phil’s Sliders, died suddenly on Aug. 29 in Berkeley. He was 53.
A resident of Berkeley for over two decades, Hugh Manuel Groman was born in Oakland on March 1, 1971. He was raised in Lafayette, where he was the youngest of four children. His father, Phil, owned a Jewish deli called New York West in Walnut Creek for some years, and Groman waited tables at various restaurants throughout high school.
Though his older siblings all attended Cal, Groman “was so much smarter than the rest of us,” his sister, Nina said; he attended Yale University, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
He moved to New York after graduating. Having been a part of the Yale a cappella group Red Hot and Blue, he loved performing and auditioned for musical theater roles while working in restaurants to pay the bills. Eventually, he quit auditioning, but never lost his love of performance, eventually channeling it into his events.
When he heard about an opening at the brand new Gramercy Tavern, owned by hospitality guru Danny Meyer, he was interviewed by its head chef, Tom Colicchio. Even though Groman had little kitchen experience and hadn’t attended culinary school, they took a chance on him.
He excelled there, and took what he learned about hospitality forward into his further ventures, considering Meyer a mentor throughout his career.
“Hugh was an exuberant member of our opening kitchen team 30 years ago at Gramercy Tavern,” Meyer said in an email. “His culinary and hospitality chops were evident from the start, as were his entrepreneurial aspirations. He stood out as someone who wanted to build a business based on his genuine care for people.”
After he left Gramercy Tavern, Groman opened a cafe, Boerum Hill Food Company in Brooklyn, closing it after a few years.
Although same-sex marriage wasn’t legal then, he spent much of his time in New York in a relationship with Rob Berman, who he later called his ex-husband. They remained friends after they split.
In 2001, he moved back to the Bay Area, settling in Berkeley. He founded Hugh Groman Catering in 2001, and certified it as a green business. He founded Greenleaf Platters in 2007 to address the ecological scourge of plastic trays with domed lids, which are then tossed in the landfill. (Greenleaf drops off food on ceramic platters, and picks them up the next day.)
From 2011 to 2017, he also owned and operated Phil’s Sliders, a burger joint named after his father in downtown Berkeley, but closed it and turned the burger concept into part of his catering business.
Food waste was also a big issue for Groman. In 2023, he told Berkeleyside, “I happen to be Jewish and I have a deep, deep resistance to waste. I never, ever want to throw away food.”
Hugh Groman with his dogs in his Berkeley home. Credit: Cage & Aquarium
He also created a company culture where coworkers truly respected each other, believing a tenet he learned from Meyer: that his staff can’t take care of others unless they are well-taken care of themselves. Many of his employees have spent much of their culinary careers there.
His sister, Nina, has been his sales manager since 2006, after she gave birth to her second child.
His executive chef, David Going, and his wife, Teresa Going, head party chef, have both worked there for over 20 years. Their kids came to the kitchen after pre-school.
“He created a place where people wanted to stay,” David Going said, where most felt “‘why would I look for another job?’ This is the kitchen where a lot of people want to finish their culinary careers.”
Going read in a book about emotional intelligence that the most successful people in their jobs may not always have the best skillset, but are the ones who people want to work with.
“Hugh really brought that home for me,” he said. “I had to fire my share of people because they couldn’t play nice with others.”
Groman used his creativity to keep the company going during Covid, and found ways to keep on much of his staff, by offering groceries, catered family meals and gift baskets.
Groman loved the catering industry because it was endlessly creative; every event was a blank canvas for him to put his imprint on, and he relished designing the whole guest experience, not just the menus.
Since encountering his food at a friend’s dinner party in 2008, Jenny Risk had him do her family’s holiday parties every year, as well as other events.
“He brought his incredible magic to whatever he did,” Risk said. Go-go dancing elves and Frozen’s Elsa and Olaf in drag were just two examples of what Groman suggested for her holiday parties; one year it was an “Under the Sea” theme in her front yard with whale sounds piped in.
“Every year our guests would wonder how he’d outdo himself, and it was always slightly on the edge, where we were asking are we being offensive and him, of course, doing it in a way that makes everyone laugh,” she said. “Everyone always wanted more of what he could do.”
That irreverent sense of humor came through in nearly all his relationships; he was always making his friends laugh, and being just slightly inappropriate.
In the early aughts, he performed in an all-male cover band, Mandonna; in 2015, he did a series of cooking videos on Berkeleyside NOSH, and for many years, he did short cooking segments on KTVU, the local Fox News affiliate.
“His segments were always filled with good humor and laughter,” said Frank Mallicoat, the KTVU morning anchor. “He had a devilish personality and a little twinkle in his eye and was always such great fun to work with. One of my favorite segments was New Year’s Eve. He was attempting to open a bottle of champagne when the cork exploded and hit me in the face. Nobody was injured, but the video got tens of thousands of views because it was so darn funny.”
Groman was a member of the Business Growth Network for around 15 years, a Business Networking International chapter, supplying the group’s weekly lunchtime meetings with his catered food. Though he was successful enough as to not always need the referrals that such a group brings, he always told others that they need to stay active in the group and not only come when business is booming, Mavis Delacroix, a fellow member of the chapter, and friend said.
When prospective members visited the group to learn more about it, most often Groman was the one who called them afterwards, to check in or answer any questions.
“Hugh was always the one who made them feel welcome,” Delacroix said. “His business was hospitality and his life was hospitality. He was a master of making people feel welcome and putting people at ease. He also was very interested in seeing everyone in the chapter succeed.”
Groman also served as president of the Northern California Chapter of the International Live Events Association.
He was generous with his time and expertise, picking out used furniture for Delacroix when she downsized after a divorce – he was planning on starting yet another business, Groman Group Interiors – or mentoring other up-and-coming chefs as they entered or changed roles in the industry.
To work with Groman, or know him professionally, was to be his friend. (I was lucky enough to consider him a friend, too).
“He was a mentor and friend and showed me so much kindness, support and love on my journey from executive chef at Back to Earth Catering to starting my business 16 years ago,” said Stephanie Hibbert, who uses the name Chef Stephanie, and now works as a personal chef in the Sacramento area. “He was a great example of how to be a kind leader and how to inspire your employees to be the best versions of themselves.”
In 2001, he met Noah Guynn at the Berkeley YMCA (“a gay cliché,” Guynn said.) From their first date a week later, they were together, having a commitment ceremony in 2007, and a legal wedding in 2008.
“He had more integrity and depth than anyone I had known, and he was more generous with his feelings,” said Guynn. “Though he was incredibly outgoing and loved to be constantly engaged with other people, I was always No. 1, and that was very special.”
While Guynn may have been No. 1 in human terms, Groman deeply loved his dogs. Guynn had three schnauzers when they met, and in their time as a couple, they adopted four other dogs together.
Groman was a regular attendee of Burning Man, favoring costumes that involved furry shrugs and mini top hats.
In addition to his husband, Noah, and sister, Nina, he is survived by his father, Phil, two brothers, Jay and Eron, and seven nephews and four nieces.
Donations in his memory can be made to the Alameda County Food Bank.
As for the 123-employee-strong Hugh Groman Group, the company’s leadership has decided to continue on without their beloved founder; they remain committed to coming up with outlandishly campy holiday party themes in his memory.
“One of the nights right after he died, we had a large wedding,” Ruebner said. “The staff circled up before it started and hugged, and they executed it perfectly. The client never knew, and that’s such a testament to the amazing team he put together.”
Do you want to buy a Jetblue flight from me? I’ll give you a good exchange rate!
I’ve got $650 travel credit on Jetblue that expires in 4 months. I have to book the flight myself so it’s hard to sell to a stranger on ebay or whatever.
Realizing that Abigail was out of school and camp, Lee’s new job hadn’t started yet, Megan had recovered from her work-year, and Kilauea has been erupting lately, we went on an impromptu trip to Hawaii!
We ended up staying 8 days, seeing sights, swimming, having some resort-life, and… seeing a volcano erupt!
Here’s a few journal entries
Day One:
We woke up at 6:00 a.m. And took a 9:00 a.m. flight from San Francisco direct to Kona. Then we grabbed our rental car which was a free upgrade to a nice SUV and drove a nearby local farmers market. There. We explored many fruits and vegetables and bought a bunch of stuff. Then we drove north. Then we were hungry so we ate at a local Mexican restaurant and had chicken fajitas and a virgin frozen lava flow drink that had mango puree and strawberry puree and coconut ice cream all blended together and it was fantastic!
Back on the road. We looked for a grocery store. After passing some big name grocery stores like Walmart, we started looking for more local ones. We found two that were really just liquor stores with chips and a few small groceries which wasn’t good. So then we found a nice local grocery store and went shopping! We even bought spam and already cooked rice so we could make something delicious at home. We pulled off at the Magic Sands Beach so that we could put our toes in the sand and feel the beautiful ocean. We also saw a sea turtle swimming and the people were very nice and lots of kids were snorkeling and jumping in the waves. It was fun! Then we found the Black Sands Beach and had to pull off there too cuz it’s the Black Sands Beach. We saw two sea turtles up on the sand and they were having a turtle race. A very very slow race up the beach.
We had a long drive still ahead of us to get to our yurt in Volcano, Hawaii. So we didn’t really stop at the southernmost point of the United States. Although we noted the turn off for it. We also noted that there was a bakery which was the southernmost bakery in the whole United States but it was closed 3 minutes before we got there so we didn’t go.
Once we found the turn off for our Airbnb yurt, we started down a pitted unpaved road in the rain and darkness. We finally found our yurt and were happily surprised at how awesome it was. As we puttered around and made some scrambled eggs and sliced up a pineapple for snacks, we noted the very, very, very loud coqui frogs. Soon we were sleeping inside the yurt listening to the frogs and the incessant rain.
On Sunday, June 15th it was Father’s Day. We started the day with a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs, cubed potatoes and sausages . Then we went to the Volcanoes National Park to see the volcano Kilauea that is currently active. We attended a talk by a park ranger and it was super interesting. We learned all about Pele’s Hair and ways that they anticipate or predict the next eruption such as the rise in the land and also how many earthquakes, like thousands or hundreds that happen right before and showed us some graphs. We also looked at some cool lava specimen rock specimens. That’s all. Lots of steam. Then we drove down the road a ways to see the steam vents and it was really neat and hot like a sauna. We also went to see the lava tube which was amazing. But what was more amazing was the plant life on the path leading up to and after the lava tube area. We saw all kinds of mosses and mushrooms and ferns and fiddleheads and flowers and all sorts of really cool things in the lush rainforest area. Then we walked a bit of the Devastation Trail and came across an astounding overlook of Kilauea Iki crater with its basin formed of lava that floated up and then back down again. Then we headed to the southernmost bakery in the United States per Abigail’s request. Along the way we stopped at a coffee plantation which was pretty disappointing, but we met some nice people there and we chatted for a very long time with them about their travels around the world and that was fun. Then we went to go see the southernmost point on the island and of the United States-sort-of-almost cuz the other parts are really restricted. But it’s the southernmost point that we’re allowed to go to and it was really cool and we were standing there and we were looking over the edge of the cliff and it was amazing and scary. And then two local boys showed up, kicked off their shoes and jumped in without hesitation as if they done it a hundred times before then. They went down there and swam around and had a lovely time. It was kind of cool. There’s lots of locals there too. Then we went to the bakery.
Then we went to the southernmost restaurant in the whole United States and it was quaint and surprisingly delicious. For Lee’s Father’s Day dinner we treated him to a pizza with lobster on it and shrimp and shrimp and pesto and cheese and it was delicious and Abigail had an amazing smashburger with local beef which was also amazing. Although none of us had a taste cuz she ate the whole thing so fast. Then we got a slice of macadamia pie and Abigail got a peanut butter s’more cookie and we drove home in the rain back to our yurt.
Before we went back to our yurt, we drove in the dark to the Volcano National Park again, went to the overlook and watched it steam a little bit in the dark. It was kind of hard to see but we also saw amazing billions of stars in the sky. Then we went home and fell asleep very quickly because we are all exhausted.
But before filing asleep, we went outside our yurt in the rain and extricated our friendly frog neighbor.
On Monday I got to play 2 good boardgames, Aquire and Red Rising.
Aquire is all about merging companies. It took me a while to figure out how to win, reminding me of the pain of my recent IRA mis-contributions. But hey, a good game none-the-less.
Red Rising has cards with characters, in a mix of a trick taking game with multiple stacks of cards to take. The art is nice too. I liked it and would play again!
Watch as Marula Eugster Rigolo delivers a jaw-dropping sanddorn balance act that leaves everyone in awe on Italia’s Got Talent. With incredible precision, she balances multiple objects in a mesmerizing display of skill and artistry, stunning both the judges and audience. This performance is truly one of a kind, showcasing her unmatched talent and taking the stage by storm!
Do you get my blog by email? Leave me a comment or I’ll consider shutting down this service.
There’s a big “Subscribe: Get blog updates by email” button on the Lee.org website. Right now, I’ve got 2,507 email subscribers but I suspect that 0.0% are actually real people.
The button is weirdly misshapen right now and I’m having trouble fixing it. I might just remove it.
Some 12 years ago you received a gift that had been beloved in our family for some 26 years. I went with my dad to pick up the Packard from a person who was selling it in 1986. It was originally black, but it received a magnificent and factory-standard Packard cream paint job. I waited with him over several months to find and re-chrome the letters on the front and side. I watched the car come together to perfection over a few years. Once the car was perfect, he loved to take it out and just drive wherever. I remember being in the passenger seat with him, seeing him laugh, enjoying the gentle thrill of bringing it to rest at each Stop sign with those original-style drum brakes! He loved driving it whenever he could. He brought it to the Hildene Car Show in Manchester, Vermont once… maybe twice which was enjoyable. But what he really loved was driving it around town.
My dad loved the car for the personal history and aspirations that it represented. When he was young, he admired that model but couldn’t afford it. Thirty years later, he could! There are other reasons he loved it. Some of those reasons he told me and I’ve forgotten, and some, I’m sure, were impossible to articulate in the first place.
After more than 25 years of caring for the Packard, he was, of course, melancholy at selling it. But it was time. He had fewer opportunities to take it out because he and my mom were splitting their time between living in New Jersey and Florida. And even when he was in New Jersey, where the car was garaged, it only came out on special occasions. And there was the nuisance that he was about to lose the garage due to some upcoming HOA rules changes.
He loved that car!
The background image on his computer for some ten years was of my sister, his granddaughter, and I washing the car in our driveway on a summer day. I’d ask him every now and then if he wanted to update the photo and he’d laugh, pause a moment and say, “Nah! Leave it there. I like it!”
I don’t know you at all but my dad told me that the ’51 Packard had been your dream car for a long time. I’m glad, and my dad was glad that you appreciated the car.
I’m writing to tell you that my dad passed away last April. I don’t know what that might even mean to you but I thought you should know.
I want to thank you for your appreciation. We all know that the car is just a thing, but what it represents in each of our hearts runs deep and true.
In the search for Chantal Charbonneau the 3rd owner of what used to be my dad’s 1951 Packard, my friend Shara pointed out this great article about her and her relationship with the car.
For the past 23 years, Chantal Charbonneau has been editor of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, an institution that celebrates its 50th anniversary this year in the heart of Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles. She has produced hundreds of publications and videos, some of which have earned the Musée distinguished awards.
With a master’s degree in art history from the University of Montreal, Chantal has always had a keen interest in items from the past including a fondness for “rolling sculptures of yesteryear.” She refers to these as beautés mobiles as she has a long-standing personal connection with antique vehicles.
She was barely three months old in 1962 when her father went out shopping for food and came home with an unexpected item: a massive black 1940 Packard Super Eight, to her mom’s astonishment. The man loved classic cars and would own more than a dozen Packard cars in subsequent years, several of which he restored himself.
Chantal Charbonneau’s 1951 Packard 250 convertible acquired as a present to herself for her 51st birthday.
Chantal grew up taking Sunday drives in her dad’s old Packard classics. With her parents and siblings, she attended many car shows in Canada and the U.S. At age 17, she learned to drive on their 1951 Packard Patrician 400, an elegant sedan painted Argentine Gray. She vowed to have her own Packard someday.
Last year, she and companion Michel were attending the famous Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance when an e-alert from Trovit popped up on her computer. The sight of a hot 1951 Packard 250 Convertible advertised for sale in New Jersey got her excited. It was painted period-correct Corona Cream, her favourite colour for that model.
“Where I live on the South Shore of Montreal is seven hours from where the vehicle was in New Jersey. But to make things more complicated, we were much farther away, in California at the time,” she recalls.
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After learning from the seller on the phone that his Packard showing just 37,000 original miles on the odometer had been thoroughly restored in 1988 as a barn find near Buffalo, New York, Chantal and Michel rushed to the local post office in Carmel to mail a deposit, hoping to lock in the deal.
Chantal Charbonneau drives her 1951 Packard 250 convertible.
Although the Packard Motor Car Company grew to produce one of the most luxurious marques in the U.S., the company’s fortunes declined following World War II. By 1950, Packard sales had become moribund because of a stale 1940s design. But a complete redrawing for the sleek new 1951 models, known as Series 24, made them more stylish and contemporary, resulting in a phenomenal, albeit temporary, sales rebound.
Production of only 42,000 cars in 1950 was trumped by more than 100,000 units flooding out of Packard dealerships in 1951. Once a vehicle for celebrities and the wealthy during the ’20s and ’30s, the marque was made famous by its advertising slogan: Ask the man who owns one.
Chantal’s Packard 250 convertible is one of fewer than 2,400 such rag tops built in 1951, representing just 4% of the company’s production that year. It is equipped with a 155-horsepower flathead straight-eight engine, Ultramatic transmission and power everything: steering, brakes, aerial, seat, windows and top. The ivory and deep red interior is sporty and inviting.
Chantal Charbonneau with the 1951 Packard 250 convertible purchased to celebrate her 51st birthday.
Packard experts and friends John and BarbaraAnna Kefalonitis, who live in New Jersey, generously offered to trailer Chantal’s “new” car to Plattsburgh, N.Y., just south of the Quebec border, following its purchase in August 2013. Ironically, this was soon after Chantal’s 51st birthday and exactly 51 years after her father had bought his first Packard.
As the third owner of this rare model, Chantal got behind the wheel, drove it through Canada Customs at night and then home to the Montreal suburb of Saint-Lambert. “I felt as comfortable doing this as I would sitting on a plush sofa in my living room,” she says.
Typically, when she arrives home from work on a Friday night when weather permits, she takes the Packard out for a spin to the local shopping centre. She loves driving her car as opposed to letting it sit idle like a big fancy trinket.
Her passion has led to a lot of reading, research and publishing on the subject, as well as becoming one of only a handful of female judges at several Concours d’Elegance shows of prized classics in Canada and the U.S.
Chantal Charbonneau with their 1930 Packard Phaeton Touring in 1980.
Some time ago, she stumbled upon her family’s 1951 Packard Patrician 400 that she had learned to drive on 35 years ago. It is stored in a barn north of Montreal. Although it is in poor condition, she hopes to bring it back to life someday.
On her bucket list of must-do events for next year is the Euro Packard Meeting in Studen, Switzerland, where she has been invited by the Chairman of the organizing committee.
Her role model is car collector friend, business woman and philanthropist Margaret Dunning of Plymouth, Michigan. At 104 years of age, the “Belle of the Concours”, as she is known, still drives her 1930 Packard Straight Eight 740 convertible. The two recently spent time together at the 2014 Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance near Owen Sound, Ont., trading notes about their Packard cars.
There is no doubt that Miss Charbonneau plans to dedicate the rest of her driving days singing the praises of her iconic Packard: “A trip in a ’50s car such as this provides a voyage in time with every ride, not to mention a special link with my own family history,” she says. “You get a lot of interesting comments, but people always seem stunned to see a woman at the wheel of a vintage automobile, which amuses me no end.”
If this sounds like a lot of fun, ask the woman who owns one!
Alyn Edwards is a classic car enthusiast and partner in Peak Communicators, a Vancouver-based public relations company. aedwards@peakco.com
…When STEP opened in mid-May, Tixel’s resale fees included a 9% “Live Entertainment” tax required by the state of Nevada. For tickets originally purchased for $750 with fees, that amounted to nearly $70. However, the original ticket sale also charged the 9%, meaning a buyer was being taxed twice.
After inquiries from The Standard, the Burning Man organization confirmed that Tixel had “accidentally charged” the tax and “is in the process of refunding” it to buyers….
