Mmmmm, Garlic

The Gilroy Garlic Festival.

Every year this has been on my calendar.

I thought Id be able to get there this year.

Nope. Public transportation doesnt go that far unfortunately.

*Le Sigh*

Guess it'll have to be a By Myself Treat at the Stinking Rose Restaurant then.

That's not so bad. :-/

Thoughts. Ive got thoughts.

8:30 am. The Presidio, Golden Gate Bridge.

On a sea cliff over-looking Fort Point, the pre-Civil War fort protecting the entrance to San Francisco Bay.

The red bridge is topped by fog, but only at its highest reaches, the pretty sail of boats in a Saturday morning regatta liesurely sweep by the towers.

California Mole mice scamper thruough the cliff flowers at my feet, the pacific view beyond shrouded in fog as the sailboats head out to sea.

My god, this place is beautiful.
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one of the biggest mis-statements you'll hear:

"San Francisco is only 7 miles by 7 miles. Its a small place."

FUCK that. It ISNT small if youre trying to walk it.

And no one in their right mind would circumnavigate the place by foot if they had to.

Its FIFTY square miles, give or take.

I learned this for I had meandered to the Presidio intending to take the #29 bus for what I thought would be a short ride through the Presidio National Park.

By 2:30 pm, I had seen a LOT of San Francisco, as this bus traverses nearly ALL the San Fancisco neighborhoods on the sea-ward side of SF, all the way to the county linme and Candlestick Park.

I never did get to the main post building of the Presidio like i intended to.

I'll try again tomorrow.

An education, the #29 is.
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Unlike Berkeley, I cant just head to a park bench in San Fran, lean my head back to the sun and doze off for a few minutes.

Although Ive been told I can do that in Golden Gate park.

Uh, yeah - no, thank you.
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So, today:

- Donuts in the Marina District on Chestnut Avenue.

I went back to the All Star donuts there.

The last time I was, I had leapt off a bus at 1am back in 2002 to grab some donuts.

By far, these are the best donuts Ive had in the Bay Area.

I went back to see if that was still the case.

It is.

By the way, most of the donut shops, it seems, is named "Happy Donuts" and "All Star Donuts".

Theyre also almost all owned by Thai or Laotian folk.

Again, I dont know why.
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On most tourist-provided maps, central SF is detailed, while the rest of the map is reduced in scale or cut off.

Riding the #29 had me glimpsing expanses of beige and pink dwellings, the other side of SF.

As if it were one huge suburban tract, mediterranean style.

Not as picturesque as the rest of SF, but still breath-taking in its own way.
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Today's horrorscope sez partially:

Travel, even close by, is uplifting. Don't worry about what you can afford - you'll find a way to pay for the excursion.

JPennant: Well, I just came back from seeing much of San Francisco
JPennant: accidentally, of course.
JPennant: I jumped on a bus I thought would only take me a couple of miles.
JPennant: Turns out that the end of the line on this bus, wasnt even really the end of the line
JPennant: surreal
Glinessa: lol
Glinessa: it's not NYC
Glinessa: you need to remember taht
JPennant: Fer sure
JPennant: I saw the 'mediterranean' side of SF
JPennant: miles and miles of multicolored houses sprawled from the beach up the hills, perched on cliffs, all tightly together.
Glinessa: any pictures?
JPennant: no camera yet
JPennant: I will be taking those pictures when I do

I feel Ive seen so much today, it feels as if its already sunday, so much has passed.
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The rest of today's horrorscope sez:

You're coming to terms with the realization that things that used to make you feel "safe" like a steady job, money in the bank, a committed relationship, etc., are fragile, transitory states in life that can't be counted upon 100%.

The real security is the creative power of the universe, the one that holds the planets in orbit. It can hold your life together too.

Have more faith.

Right on.

The proper procedure on cheating

Pour the decaf *first*. Then the caff.

And for best results, its 3/4's decaf, to 1/4 decaf.

But, I cheat.

In the form of 2/3's decaf and 1/3'rd caff.

I know, i know. Back off.

Its the only way I can survive with my sanity in this caffienated town.

Otherwise I never cheat.

Honest.

Where the heart is

I might be the itinerant wastrel of the family, but I still need to connect to them, even if its only on occasion.

lilbro: BIIITCH
JPennant: BREDDAH!
lilbro: where u been son???!!!
JPennant: poor and itinerant
JPennant: was wondering how you were
lilbro: ummm S.A.T words are not my strong suit
lilbro: man, havin issues been puttin alot of stress on myself
JPennant: howcum?
lilbro: (his business)
lilbro: dats it in a nutshell
lilbro: and u?
JPennant: oh man
JPennant: nothing like that
lilbro: glad to hear it. u working?
JPennant: nah, but Im in frisco now
lilbro: werent u alaways in frisco?
JPennant: nuh-uh
JPennant: Berkeley is 10 miles across the bay
JPennant: like the difference between Queens and Manhattan

lilbro: hey i heard the chciks in frisco are e z
JPennant: ha! there could be some small truth to that, yah :-)
JPennant: they party hard tho
lilbro: drugs u mean? or they jus come home late
JPennant: there's no drugs most of I know havent tried.
JPennant: and Im not lying on nobody
lilbro: they jus like to do the club thing
JPennant: ok, let me put it this way
JPennant: I said to somebody one time "Man, its like EVERYBODY in Cali is a dope fiend, addict or drunk"
JPennant: and he said
JPennant: "no, not everybody here is an addict"
JPennant: "but you have to ASSUME everybody is."
JPennant: Clubbing is not even a factor like it is in New York, boss :-)
lilbro: lmao
lilbro: gotta assume everybody else is huh?
JPennant: fuck yeah. and thats no joke
JPennant: but they cool tho, once you understand that
lilbro: i dig it, they give some good head den
JPennant: You know what, I wouldnt know :-)
JPennant: they aint all ez, but theyre kinda relaxed about it :-)
lilbro: dats whats up. they know what a nigga is after so they cool about it and have the same frame of mind?
JPennant: yup
JPennant: plus a little extra
JPennant: hey yo, I gotta take off in a few minutes
JPennant: make sure mommy is good, and mention that I love her at some point
lilbro: aight no doubt i'll do it before i leave
JPennant: you be good my brotha
JPennant: luv ya
lilbro: gotcha son
lilbro: luv u 2
JPennant: say hey to my niece
JPennant: she'll meet me soon ;-)
lilbro: no doubt ill tell liz 2
JPennant: yeah, do that
JPennant: the little brat :-)
lilbro: kim m**** said hi
JPennant: tell ms kimmie "wasssssssssssssssssssssuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup" :-)
lilbro: lol
JPennant: Im out babybrotha. Peace :-)
lilbro: peace

Yep. Sometimes you gotta reconnect to home.

"...bring the Crisco to Frisco..."

So, I got a haircut yesterday.

I asked the old chinese guy at Tony's Barber Shop on Sixth Street for a high and tight, flat on top.

It looked good, expertly trimmed. (Never mind the "slight accident with a talcum bottle" grey all over. Some say it looks 'distinguished'. *cough*)

And because I have a habit of playing with my hair when it gets long, I have a slight greaser twister curl in the front of my 'high and tight'.

But never in my wildest did I realize the look would NOT be out of place at the corner of Castro and Ashbury, which is where I took my excursion today.

Hoo. Boy. Friendly.

I'll just say the tourists were wondering what category I was trying to fit in.

Me? I just wanted to take pictures.

The Starbux? Dude, ever see a full Starbux with nothing but bearded men in shorts? It's sorta disorienting.

A coffee-shop called 'Orphan Andy'.

'Flowers by Tony.'

'The Castro Yoga Collective'.

Ok, Im bullshitting myself. I need the camera now.

Fog lover

In actual fact, Ive ALWAYS liked fog.

Always wished I could live in a hilly, tree-filled fog place.

I like it on the cool side too.

Be careful of what you wish for.

See, I was thinking of the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, with its alpine forests, shrouded in fog and mild (for the tropics) weather.

Heh. Not San Francisco.

Jamaica doesnt have that chilly maritime fog that hangs off the coast of much of california for a good paret of the year. (They dont tell you this on BayWatch).

That fog is usually omnipresent, either waiting off the coast or rolling over much of the bay.

Still, there are times when that fog-shrouded view is simply breath-taking, as it was yesterday looking down from Potrero Road, down into the valley below Telegraph Hill.

The fog was creeping over Mount Davidson (the tallest point in San Francisco, covering the base of the three-pronged telegraph tower, but the valley below was bathed in a silvery hard light, the sun turning the straight streets in silver rivers dotted by silver cars.

Again, this elicited a whispered 'Wow'.

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By last night I was feeling a lot better.

The bus ride did me good.

And so did meeting a lovely young woman who is moving to South Beach.

I wanted to keep my mouth shut about it, but I kept warning her that South Florida is definitely another world, and everyone downt there is kinda .. twisted.

Well, she see for herself.

I wished her a bon voyage.

Funny, not too many Californians I know even WISH to go to florida.

So, good for her. :-)

Got a tad emotional today.

Heh, no one got hurt except for a payphone receiver.

Took a long bus ride to simmer down.

Good thing to know California hasnt totally robbed me of my crankiness.

Thought I'd lost it to *sarcastic quotey fingers* maturity.

There is something to be said for being hungry and motivated.

Today's horrorscope:

Anyone who thinks you lack passion will think again when he sees how intensely you follow your dreams now.

Deep down, you can sense that if you don't make your move now, you will have to wait a long time before the conditions are this right again, so do what has to be done and do it with all your heart and strength.

I've accomplished quite a bit this past month.

Now, Im starting to feel a bit complacent, or more accurately, Im feeling that sense of urgency slipping away now that Ive done almost all that Ive set out to do to prep myself.

No, I dont want to be complacent. I dont want to be patient. Not now.

I may have to get rid of a few distractions.
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For the first time since..*squint*.. the Christmas holidays, I treated myself to a movie.

Went and saw Spiderman II.

Really liked it. :-)

I kinda wanted to see it, not because Im a spiderman fanboy, but I saw Spiderman I in Florida, a few days before I set off for California.

Not an anniversary per se, but, a marker of sorts, lets say.

Wonder where I'll be for Spiderman III?

On today's episode - random thoughts

Snippet from last nights episode of the Simpsons.

They do a riff from the San Francisco movie "Escape from Alcatraz", jumping into the bay escaping from Alcatraz prison (renamed The Ronald Reagan Re-education Center):

Marge: Lets swim to San Francisco!
Homer: Do you think we're made of money?? We're swimming to OAKLAND.

That brought hearty laffter from the San Franciscan audience.
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Although I definitely know what I want for a semi-pro camera, Im also looking for a decent pocket camera.

I am partial to Fuji, there have been an explosion of excellent cameras in the low end range... as evidenced by the glut of 3 and 4 megapixel cameras in the under 300 range.

So much so, Im a little overwhelmed by the choices.

One way Ive been researching is when tourists hand me their cameras to take pictures of them in front of pretty San Francisco scenery..

The only one that Ive LIKED as soon as it fell into my hand was a Pentax Optio S owned by some japanese tourists.

It impressed me by its lilliputian size, ease of handling, intuitive controls and excellent pix.

Yeah, it sold itself in under a minute.

Second choice was a Canon Powershot A75, although its a tad bulky, its a nice piece of kit for something so inexpensive.

Still, Im surfing the under 200 dollar range.
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While waiting for the G.I.D to cross the bay and meet me for lunch, I decided to kill a few hours on another excursion.

Reading the bus sign, I discovered a Muni bus, the #76, that goes to the Marin Headlands, the OTHER side of the Golden Gate Bridge.

For a buck+25 round trip, you cant beat that excursion fare.

Dude, it was so foggy I couldnt see a damned thing yesterday morn.

Even so, the scenery was impressive, even shrouded in fog.

And when the bus started climbig the heights of the headlands, we broke thru the fog layer into stunnigly blue skies and a view of the silver fog bank that made me go "Wow".

Unfortunately, that bus only runs on Sundays (and some holidays).

Ah well.