Tourist Update - December

Pictures: Click here to view.

It took twelve months and at the last minute

and with the last guest of 2006 visiting ... we took a tour on a motorized cable car. To my surprise, the body is an actual cable car that been mounted on a bus frame. With our Triple A discount, we toured down Lombard, The Palace of Fine Arts, The Golden Gate Bridge, the Presidio, Nob Hill and finally a quick spin through North Beach.

Our next day, we headed North to Muir Woods, snacked in Healdsburg, had dinner in Calistoga and then welcomed the New Year with fireworks from the roof of Frank's building.

New Year Message 2006

New Year's eve is like every other night; there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moment of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights.

~Hamilton Wright Mabie


Time has no divisions to mark its passage, there is never a thunder-storm or blare of trumpets to announce the beginning of a new month or year. Even when a new century begins it is only we mortals who ring bells and fire off pistols.

~Thomas Mann



The proper behavior all through the holiday season is to be drunk. This drunkenness culminates on New Year's Eve, when you get so drunk you kiss the person you're married to.

~ P.J. O'Rourke

I hope your new year is filled with joy and that you have family and friends to share it.

Cheers,
D

Christmas Day 2006

Pictures: Click here to view

Here are a few highlights from our Christmas Eve and Christmas Eve on California Street.

One of the success stories of 2006!

Life Lessons #3 - MUNI is for the Romantics

Who knew that being crammed into public transportation could inspire canoodling, kissing and even a proposal! It's all true and you too can find true love or find others try further the family tree all for the price of a transfer.

Ho Ho Ho - Christmas 2006

Ho Ho Ho - It's Christmas and I hope that you and your loved ones are safe, sound and full of good cheer. Here's what's been happening for the past 12 months. See you in 2007 when Dougan's World goes through the annual transformation.


January:
New Year’s Eve in SF ♦ DeYoung Museum opens ♦ Kitty attacks Cocker Spaniel ♦ Broadway bound Lestat bites into SF audiences ♦ Movie Rec: Munich ♦ The Date of my conception was on or about Saturday, January 28, 1967 ♦ Thanks Mom and Dad

February:
President Bush delays our arrival in Orlando ♥ Celebrate Chinese New Year in SF ♥ Dinner in Paris with Dan & Bev at Epcot ♥ Movie Rec: Walk the Line ♥ I was born on a Thursday under the astrological sign Virgo

March:
Drove the historic 49 mile drive in SF ♠ Flew home with Sandra Day O’Conner on a flight from Scottsdale ♠ Kitty is diagnosed with kidney disease and a hyperactive Thyroid – treatments begin ♠ Oscar celebration at the Castro Theater ♠ Movie Rec: V for Vendetta ♠ The year of my birth was a leap year

April
Head to Florida for training ♫ Take side trip to Daytona to see Miss Kris ♫ Saw Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba ♫ Purchased politically incorrect Salt and Pepper shakers ♫Off to Texas for Easter ♫ Get three job opportunities ♫ Start the interview process ♫ Skyline Drive Tour with Marci ♫ Movie Rec: Thank You For Smoking ♫ I was born in the Chinese Year of the Monkey

May
Boys Bowling night ☼Jens Peter visits from Denmark ☼ Explore the Golden Gate Bridge ☼ Take the California Street walk, make video for You tube and get death threat from somewho doesn’t believe I should be alive … God bless him ☼ Movie Rec: Prairie Home Companion ☼ My Native American Zodiac sign is the Bear (which makes sense due to my Mother Bear protectiveness)

June
Celebrate Dad’s 70th birthday ♂ Mom rides her last wooden rollercoaster at Silverwood amusement park ♂ Visit Oakland for the “Disney – 50 Years Behind the Magic” exhibition ♂ Pride 2006 in SF ♂ Movie Rec: An Inconvenient Truth ♂ I am 460 months old

July
Purchase bicycles Ω Attend Fillmore Jazz Festival Ω Tried to kill Frank riding down the Presideo for his first bike ride Ω Ride across Golden Gate Bridge, pedal falls off Ω Lunch at Sam’s on the deck in the sun Ω Movie Rec: Pirates of the Caribean – Dead Man’s Chest Ω Score Kathy Griffin tickets through our “connections

August
Road trip to LA > Fly to Las Vegas for Frank's birthday > Stay at the Venetian, see La Reve and dine at the SW Steak House > Temperature is a mild 104 degrees > Interviews with Kaiser Permanent and the Gap > Movie rec: Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont > My birthdstone is the sapphire which enable clear thinking > This does not surprise you

September
Kaiser Permanente offers me a position as a Sr. Instructional Design Consultand * Job offer acceptec, resignation submitted, farewell party attended * Fly to New York City for my birthday * Play in the rain * See The Drowsey Chaperone, Avenue Q, a taping of the Daily Show and the Color Purple * Visit my roommate

October
Attend "family" days at the Disneyland Resort $ Detox from old job $ Start new job $ Movie rec: The Departed $ Neighbor's bathroom leaks into the kitchen $ Big hole in the ceiling $ Explore SF's Barbery Coast

November
Go on Mexican cruise with the boys ^ Take ATVs through the jungle in Puerto Vallarta ^ Taxi through Mazatlan ^ Snorkel in Cabo San Lucas ^ Sign up for Alaska Cruise in September '07 ^ Thanksgiving Dinner at John and Rusty's ^ Movie Rec: Stranger than fiction

December

"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm, and
adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we
seek them with our eys open"

- Jawaharal Nehru

Happy Holidays!

The Mexican Riviera - Cruising on the Diamond Princess

Pictures: Click here for Highlights from the trip

The boys gathered and descended on Princess Cruise Line's Diamond Princess for seven days of sun and fun at sea. Our first stop was Puerto Vallarta, then Mazatlan and finally Cabo San Lucas. Good times.

Life Lessons on MUNI #2 - Pay Attention to Details

One of the nice things about commuting is the fact that I get to leave the driving to someone else. This, however, is not the time for me to turn off my brain. I've been diligently calculating the fastest commute time to get to Oakland. Do I get off the bus at Montgomery or take it all the way to the Embarcadero? Montgomery in the morning and Embarcadero in the evening. Walking to the Montgomery St. BART station I've now learned that Pleasanton starts with a "P" and is not the "P" of Pittsburgh/Bay Point that I need to take.

I was trying to get to the office a little early and was in the happy place. I walked to the corner and the bus pulled up and I had a seat. Then I walked to the BART station and again, my train arrived! I was enjoying NPR and then noticed that instead of being at the 12th Street Oakland station, I was at Lake Merrit. Oops. Wrong direction. No problem. I go through the mental check in my mind to pay attention! I get to my building and when the elevator door opened ... I walk off and go to my office door, buzz in and then realize that I've exited on the wrong floor! So much for my own advice to pay attention to details!

Did I listen to myself and learn? Of course not! After a week of vacation, I left my cell phone and ... my security badge. It's happened before and the lady at the front desk just laughed and issued me a temporary badge. Life Lesson #2.1 - Don't stress about the little things that go awry!

Halloween 2006 - It's a boy year!

What are you wearing for Halloween this year? It's a boy year, and we'll be celebrating on our Mexican Riviera cruise. The theme? Princes and Paupers: A Renaissance Ball.

Click here to see my costume... you'll have to earn it!

Heigh Ho ... It's off to Work I go!

Pictures: Click to View

Heigh-ho,
Heigh-ho,
It's off to work I go

Okay, okay ... so it's true that I lean toward the dramatic. However, the new mine, also known as a Senior Instructional Designer position at Kaiser Permanente's National Compliance Office is a good place to work.

My day starts with a an extra 30 minutes of sleep, followed by a bus ride to the Embarcadero. After sharing quality time with strangers, I descend into the underworld to take BART across the bay, actually go under the bay. I crank the iPod and hope my ears don't pop before I turn down the volume at the West Oakland station. I say hey to the singing homeless guy at the top of the escalater and then observe the 24 Hour Fitness fishbowl, where people are working out at 7:30 in the morning. Odd. After the guilt trip ... I get in an elevator and head up to the 26 floor where I share an office with a bay view. Time passes and it is time to start singing Heigh-ho!

Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
It's home from work I go

Goodbye Tom

In India and other parts of the world the celebration of Diwali, also called Deepavali, has just ended. Diwali is a major Hindu festival that symbolises the victory of good over evil. Lamps are lit as a sign of celebration and hope for mankind. The festival of Diwali is about harvesting and celebrations focus on lights and lamps, particularly traditional diyas. And while Deepavali is popularly known as the "festival of lights", the most significant esoteric meaning is "the awareness of the inner light."

Central to Hindu philosophy, is the assertion that there is something beyond the physical body and mind which is pure, infinite, and eternal, called the atman. Just as we celebrate the birth of our physical being, Deepavali is the celebration of this Inner Light, in particular the knowing of which outshines all darkness (removes all obstacles and dispels all ignorance), awakening the individual to ones true nature, not as the body, but as the unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent reality. With the realization of the Atman, comes universal compassion, love, and the awareness of the oneness of all things (higher knowledge). This brings Ananda (Inner Joy or Peace).

There was a man who helped me become aware of my inner light. And this past weekend, I was informed that this particular light from my past had been extinguised. Tom was extreme and passionate. An addictive personality, he struggled with his addiction. When I knew him, he had turned from drugs and alcohol and had been 10 years clean and sober. He attended AA meetings religiously, was open and wanted to know every detail of my life, my thoughts and my dreams. We connected immediately after what I was to learn was standard cruising protocol. Me? I was innocent, I actually thought I knew him and after the second time I turned around, I knew that he would introduce himself. He did, in front of the Faerie Queen chocolate store on Castro Street in San Francisco. It seemed fated ... like we were supposed to meet. And for one summer, before student teaching and substituting, we had a fabulous time.

I thought I saw him five months ago. I was on a bus heading home and saw construction being done on an old laundry mat on Divisadero. The location was across the street from a butcher shop that Tom claimed had the freshest meat in town. The bus was stopped and there was a man I would have sworn was him, talking to one of the construction workers. I had my iPaq and looked up his number, found it and called. Turns out it wasn't him, he was still in Marin county bidding on a contract. We talked for a few minutes and he asked if he could call me back later. He didn't and that was the last I heard from Tom.

Tom was a burst of light and had a contagious laugh. He was shocking and inappropriate at times, which caused my consternation, but he was also my first real love and a friend. He was the person who supported me coming out to my family, the person that helped me escape South Korea, the person who helped me tap my emotional being and the person I fought with extensively. The funny thing about my memories of Tom is not that they are clouded toward the negative, but that they are fairly balanced in their extremes.

I went through pictures last night and realized how much time has passed. It is no longer 1993. I can see Tom holding my aunt Shirley's hand at Glide memorial church, encouraging her to sing "Wade in the Water Children" while dancing. This is just as memoriable as yelling at each other on the streets of Canon Beach or skinny dipping under a waterfall off the road to Hanna. And of course, I'll never forget working construction for him and having a wall of plaster come loose and hit me on the head. His reaction? "You cannot bleed on the job!" The pictures with friends, Tami, Warren, Kris, Kimberly and Shelby are things of the past. I had to step away from the flame of Tom before I ignited and burned. The intensity was too much. And now? Now I hope he can hear me say simply, Thank you. I hope you have peace, joy, and love surrounding you and that you find the atman.

I Just Came To Say Goodbye, Love Goodbye, Love Came To Say Goodbye, Love,
Goodbye.

- Mimi, from the musical Rent

Life Lessons on MUNI #1 - Tolerance

I am a commuter and I'm doing my part to preserve our dear planet for generations to come. To my sister, I say, "You're welcome!" since she and her husband have done a fine job of adding to the populace. I kind of like my nieces and nephews, so it is only right that I do my part.

Public transportation is an interesting thing. For the price of fare (dependent on age), anyone can enter a coach, trolley, tram, or cable car and be moved from one point to another. For me, I walk down the street to the corner of California St. and Fillmore to catch the 1 California express bus to downtown. Once there I jump off of the bus and walk to the stairs leading down to the BART. Then, depending on whether the Richmond or the Pittsburgh/Bay Point train arrives, I go under the San Francisco bay. I have to turn the volume of my iPod up in order to hear the NPR Shuffle podcast I download everyday.

My first couple of days, I left my house at 7:30 am and that seems to be the time when more people arrive at the corner. It's not a bad thing, but at 7:2o, I can get a seat, which makes the lurches and jolts of crossing the city more tolerable. I am amazed at the different people who use the bus. People in thousand dollar suits brush against the homeless Santa guy who smells like he washes in his own urine. And yet, with a few exception, people tolerate each other and refrain from saying anything to disrupt the morning routine. I haven't figured it out, since I've been on MUNI busses at different times and it is not always so courteous. People are polite and accepting ... we have a common goal of getting downtown to our jobs, whatever they may be.

I have a friend who is still a teacher. She rails on our society of MP3 players. Life to one's personal soundtrack is like living in a cocoon. Isolated. Solitary. I'm not sure I agree. With the barrage of people pushing and brushing against me, the sounds of NPR or a song add a surreal touch to this gathering of unlikely souls in a single moment of time. Plus, it's like watching a film where, as an audience member, you can participate vicariously. I've learned more about women who have done wrong by their men in one week, than I care to mention. Should she call back? Why didn't she see that the rocker wasn't stable? Or that the guy was just too old ... I mean, like he was almost 45! And while I may sound judgemental, I think I'm tolerant and according to Wikipedia "Tolerance implies both the ability to punish and the conscious decision not to, but makes no statement to higher principle." Hmm, I don't feel compelled to chastise the women for having conversations of the personal nature in public ... I just turn up the volume a little bit and the conversation about baldy and his erectile dysfunction go away, almost. And that, my friends is my first life lesson from MUNI.

Tourist Update (October) - The Barbary Coast Trail

Pictures: Click to view

The Barbary Coast Trail is a scenic 4 mile walk and, if you follow the guide book, a cable car ride through some of the most interesting and suprisingly flat areas of San Francisco. A series of medallions with directional arrows designate the route of the trail and with the exception of the park in North Beach are in exceptional condition. We started at the beginning of the trail at the original mint and made our way through Union Square, China Town, Jackson Square, North Beach ending the walk through Fisherman's wharf and Ghiradelli Square.

I really enjoyed being out in the sunshine but it is always enlightening to see the city through the eyes of a tourist. With our book in hand the locals asked us if we needed assistance, the panhandlers asked us for cash and we got to feel and smell the lively city we call home. I especially enjoyed having the book fill in some of the seamier details of SF. Maiden Lane used to bump up against the churches lined around Union Square and was known for its bordellos instead of it fashionable shops. We also found the fortune cookie factory and watched as two older women operated these huge machines, folding and inserting fortunes. We bought a bag of cookies for a dollar. Jackson Square was far more interesting than North Beach proper. The older buildings, remnants from the past seemed to have character though they did not have the cute Italian waiters asking if we wanted an early dinner ... trade offs!

The highlight of the discovery of the Jack Early Park. The JEP is more of a stair case to an observation deck, that if a guide book hadn't told me its location would have seemed like a private alleyway. From the bird's nest view, you can see the Golden Gate bridge, Angel Island, Alcatraz and more unobstructed. Fantastic! Overall, it is a great way to spend an afternoon.

Family Days at Disneyland

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It is an odd thing to wear a red shirt and realize that there are many others out there that are part of the same "family." Another reminder why it is important was getting home to find someone had sent a comment on my YouTube account stating, "You shouldn't be alive gayboy!" So perhaps it is a good thing to stand in solidarity once in a while ... safety in numbers, where because the gay presence is so obvious that two girls holding hands can do so without the scorn of parents, who with the typical safety of numbers (theirs) would not hold their tongues. It sort of reminds me of the day when we ran into the ladies who wear purple hats. One or two and it would seem odd, but 30 women moving in one giant pack of purple dresses and red hats together can really impact and impress!

With the free time between jobs (me, not Frank), Frank and I decided to take a quick trip to Southern California to see Mickey Mouse and catch Disneyland's 50th anniversary. We missed the celebration by one week but got to see the new Dreams campaign and it turned out to be Gay Day at the Disneyland Resort. This is not officially sponsored by the park, just a loose group of about 30,000 people arriving on the same day wearing red shirts.

Frank looked into staying at the one of the Disney Hotels and there was no availability and the prices, in my opinion, not reasonable! Using the unemployed card, I requested that we find a more affordable (not cheap) place to stay and guess what? Bargains can still be found near the park! We stayed at one of America's Best hotels for only $49.00 a night and as fate would have our hotel room became the resting place for my brown-dual toned shoes. Our hotel, a mere 15 minute walk from the entrance of the park was acceptable, not a place one wants to spend hours and hours hanging out in but suitable. My poor feet, after two 15 hour days at the park, were in desperate need of a foot massage ... I don't know how my parents survived three kids wanting to stay until the park closed and then drove home!



I haven't been to Disneyland in a few years having had the opportunity to drop in at Disney World in conjunction with a work function. And after spending more time at Disney World, the Disneyland park is very compact by comparison. With that said, there are plusses and minuses. The new Pirates is great and the Nightmare Before Christmas makeover of the Haunted House was incredible and having two days to Park Hop between Disney's California Adventure meant that we could have Mickey Mouse pancakes and margaritas all in the same day! Space Mountain is smoother than before and has more stars. Tom Sawyer's island is on the chopping block to become a pirate island and the jungle cruise has piranhas! Add to the day all of the red shirts, our friend Eric and of course the Halloween theme ... a good time was had by all, except perhaps the Fundies who thought they owned the park.

Disney Trivia

• In the 1950s all the orange trees except for one were cleared so that Disneyland Park and Hotel could be built. That one tree is still there today, in the gardens of the Disneyland Hotel.
• Disneyland had only 18 attractions when it opened on July 17, 1955
• The streetlights on Main Street are over 150 years old. DIsney bought them for $.02 a pound in Baltimore, MD.
• The names on the second story windows on Main Street are all names of men who helped build Disneyland.
• Walk Disney wanted live animals for his Jungle Cruise attraction. Adventureland zoologists convinced him that real animals could be sleeping during the park's operating hours.

A bit of History on Gay Day

Years ago, Disneyland used to have a private party one night of the year for gays and lesbians. When the event was canceled in 1998, we created Gay Day Anaheim. We based the happening on our big sister event in Orlando, which attracts over 100,000 gays and lesbians from around the world each June.Like the Orlando event, Gay Days Anaheim is a "mix in," meaning gay people and straight people mingle together; the park is open to the general public. Also like Orlando's Gay Day, we wear RED shirts to identify one another and show our numbers.The first Gay Days Anaheim in 1998 attracted about 2,500 people. In 2005, we had about 30,000! Pretty amazing. What was once a small one-day gathering has become a full weekend event with parties, gatherings, group photos, scavenger hunts, private meals, and much more! Remember, this event isn't sponsored by Disney (hence why it's "unofficial") so if you call Disneyland asking for information about Gay Day, they will tell you that this is not a Disney event.

- From the Gay Day Anaheim website

Breaking Up is Hard to Do ...

I've struggled a bit trying to understand my physical reaction to leaving Franklin (not Frank). I've stayed in bed longer than is normal. I'm not overly motivated. I'm a bit sullen and I tried to equate the experience to Post Partem depression that was not a good analogy for me. I've kept busy, met friends for lunch, even had time to plan a date night to Oakland's Paramount Theater to see Vienna Tang. I could blame it on the weather, since the sun has refused to come out from behind the clouds for the entire week. And then the words of my friend Wayne Studer rang in my head ... that is what the Internet is for! So I went online and it looks, according to So You've been Dumped.Com (SYBD), that I need to treat this transition like a breakup and get ready to move on! According to SYBD, breaking up is hard to do, but it's something we all seem to go through at one time or another (very wise!). Breaking up seems to affect us similarly whether we are young or old, famous or not, rich or poor and irrespective of where we are in the world. Of course, the web is slightly bent for those who are dealing with being dumped and not those who did the dumping ... we go through loss too!

Here are a 10 suggestions that will hopefully help me decrease my recovery time and maybe minimize the amount of mistakes made along the way.

1. Don't try to be their firend - make a "clean break"
2. Do erase their telephone number from your mobile phone
3. Do delete their old emails and their handle from your online "buddy" lists
4. Don't sit around staring at the mementos
5. Do use a journal or notebook to vent your pain, anger, frustration & so forth
6. Do spoil yourself
7. Change your surroundings
8. Don't rebound
9. Don't listen to the negative self-talk
10. Do take charge of your life - the world is your oyster

Hmm. Number 1 could be difficult since the job and the relationships were so intertwined! SYBD recommends that it is time to go cold turkey and she's probably right! Oddly, due to the internal systems, I do not have a large number of phone numbers programmed and would have to dial the operator to chat with former colleagues. Done. On to number 3, deleting emails and buddy lists is pretty simple ... but do I want to? This is difficult. Moving on to number 4. I've started the process of moving things into boxes and organizing items that will follow me to the new office. Number 5 is a good one for me and I've been monitoring my reactions with a journal ... and I've been spoiling myself by sleeping in longer, meeting friends for lunch and taking a little trip. Done. Change my surroundings is a easy since I will be going a new direction, taking public transportation and working in a new office. Good times! Now if only someone had told my not to rebound in my personal relationships! I think taking the two weeks between jobs is a good thing ... time to recover, decompress and regroup. Oddly, the negative self-talk has diminished now that I'm in transition. It feels odd to have to prove myself again in a new environment, but I will be fine and just have to focus on the positive. And finally, the advice of SYBD is to take charge of my life which I've done!

It's My Birthday and I'm heading to New York City

Pictures:

• Click to View Birthday Pictures.
  
• Click to View New York City Pictures.

Let me begin by saying that I think our President, George W. Bush is stalking me! First in Orlando we had to sit it in traffic because he was going to drive by on an overpass and now in New York City! There's nothing like sitting on the tarmac for 2 hours waiting to leave because of the extra security! Granted the United Nations was about to go into sessions but after our flight out to New YorK on a redeye ... I was not enjoying my quality time in the confines of an American airline.

By the way, redeye's suck! This is probably not a surprise to most people, but if you are budget concious, it is an option that I've unfortunately leveraged many times for my trips to the East coast. Now, I’m not sure when I crossed the point of no return, but I will either need to win the lottery so I can fly first class or I will need to rethink the whole, “let’s have an extra day in NYC!” mentality that comes from arriving at one’s destination in the morning. We had a two stage trip to NYC through Chicago and it wasn't a good thing. We left San Francisco about 11:30pm Wed and didn't really get a chance to sleep. Frank and I scared quite a few people as we made our way down the aisle. You could almost see the little prayer bubbles rising above their heads, “Please God, I’ll do anything, just don’t make me sit between the two of them!” Smaller, older planes and Frank’s knees were touching the seat in front of him even BEFORE the midget tried to fully recline.

This trip was quite timely. I had received a job offer and had submitted my resignation the day before we left to my supervisor, who also shares my birthday. We had discussed how the news was going to be communicated and I let a few of my colleagues know in person that I would be leaving prior to the public announcement that would go out during my absence. That way, I got out of the initial phone calls and such and let the idea settle in before returning for my actual birthday with my fellow Virgos.

The Triplets

On my first day at Franklin Templeton, Elaine, my supervisor introduced me to her twin a lovely Caucasian women, which wouldn’t have been so odd, had my supervisor not been a lovely Asian woman. Hmm. There must be a story there … and they read my confusion by clarifying that they shared the same birthday … September 19! To which I added, well I am your long lost triplet! Over the past five years we’ve always gone out to lunch and got together to bring in the birthday treat for the office. After I got back from NYC, we celebrated with cake and we went to dim sum, where against my better judgment tried chicken feet. Now Elaine claimed that the process was such that the chicken feet were very similar in taste and texture to Buffalo wings. Linda was going to try one after me … but apparently I was unable to hide my shock … and I’ll just say that it is one delicacy that I will leave for others to enjoy. It didn’t help that the leftovers were left in the back seat of my car! Oy vey. But, I’m ahead of myself since I haven’t even been to NYC at this point!

New York City

This was our first trip to NYC this year and both Frank and I were excited. Our friend Steve had offered us the use of his apartment while he was in Italy. Our plans were simple, enjoy a few shows, go out to eat, take the circle line around Manhattan, do whatever we wanted to as the spirit move us and finally we we planned our visit Malle and Grandma Uzman. This was not quite as sedate as our pool vacation to Las Vegas, but it didn't have that "MUST SEE EVERYTHING" some of our trips to NYC have had in the past. It was also really nice to have an apartment close to the subway and not have to deal with other people on vacation.

The Shows

Our first show was a live taping of the Daily Show with John Stewart. It was raining and Frank bartered for an umbrella and he bought a bright red poncho (see the hot picture!) and he was not too proud to wear it. Me? I used the umbrella or endured the rain. Jet lag and rain are not a good combination and after a short nap we arrived at 3:30 and were lucky to get a spot under the awning where we enjoyed the liberals discuss all sorts of liberal topics. Who knew Bush bashing could be so droll. I’m not a good waiter (as in a person who waits). We waited 2 ½ hours before they let us in. The wait was long enough to get really annoyed with the relationships on display. One couple got into a passive aggressive fight when the girl bummed a cigarette. Turns out they had met via J Date, an online dating service for Jews. The couple directly in front of us used the time to explore the recesses of each other's mouths and while I'm not against heterosexuals flaunting their preferences in front of me ... I draw the line at people talking baby talk while doing it in public. Goochie goochie goo.

Another oddity was the fact that there was a lactose tolerance campaign going on at the same time. Support Chocolate, strawberry and banana flavored milk! I got a button and am now gratefully aware of the pain that milk drinkers have had to endure! We were suprised by the demographics of the people in line. Like I said I was eavesdropping on other conversations for 2 1/2 hours and listening to my make-out babies before they let us in. We had to go through the metal detector and then listen to the cell phone nazi yell out people who pulled out their phones for another 45 minutes before Jon Stewart came out. It wasn't run as smoothly as some other tapings.... lots of waiting without any entertainment. Our guest star was Norm MacDonald, who makes Canadians seem a little creepy, though I have to admit his line about the crocodiles discussing the fact that the Croc Hunter was done in by some fairy fish was funny.

Our second show was the The Drowsy Chaperone and as shows go, I laughed, I cried, I nearly wet my pants, though this was probably due to the fact that there was not intermission! And it also helped that we sat a mere six seats away from a legendary celebrity. Ironically, Frank had just made the comment that we had been in NYC for over 24 hours and had not had a celebrity sighting. 30 seconds later, he turns to me and says, "Check out the hair coming down the aisle." Now, I can be a little slow at times and the realist in me pops out before the brain fully engages. Soooo ... I look up and see this woman walking down the aisle with a huge afro and my first thought is, I'm glad she's not sitting in front of me. Frank told me to look again and then I realized that under the hair was the Miss Diana Ross, who I met five years ago following her concert in San Francisco and a banker's conference. Needless to say, I was happy that she sat in our row and the titters were audible. "That woman looks just like Diana Ross!" Really? We rode the escalator out with her and when it started to feel invasive, left her alone, and no, she never acknowledged our brief encounter. Sigh.

So if you haven't heard of the show, I highly recommend it! Here's what Wikipedia had to say:

In the darkness, we hear a theatregoer's lament, a prayer for the current state
of the Musical. The lights come up; we see our narrator, a rather ordinary man,
sitting in a chair in his rather ordinary New York apartment. He admits that he
is blue and in a state of "nonspecific sadness," so he asks us to escape with
him as he plays the LP of his favourite musical: Gable & Stein's The Drowsy
Chaperone, which stars among others, Beatrice Stockwell in the title role a full
fifteen years before she became Dame Beatrice Stockwell. "Mixups, Mayhem and a
Gay Wedding" reads the album cover (the phrase "gay wedding" having different
connotations in 1928). Dropping the needle on his hi-fi, Man In Chair's imagination takes flight as suddenly the recorded overture surges into a live orchestra. Soon, his apartment transforms itself, becoming the stage of the Morosco Theater in New York, and the musical comes to life around him, with characters emerging from his Murphy bed and refrigerator and sets descending from his ceiling.

Our third show, purchased at the temporary home of the TKTS booth, was Avenue Q. Avenue Q is a Broadway musical that has risqué songs about racism, Internet porn, and the difficulties of life, and all but three characters are portrayed by puppets. The show is largely inspired by (and in the style of) PBS's Sesame Street, with several characters that are recognizably parodies of classic Muppet characters. For example, the roommates Rod and Nicky are adult versions of Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie, and Trekkie Monster seems to be based on Cookie Monster. Likewise, many of Avenue Q's musical numbers are in a style associated with classic Sesame Street songs. Because of its adult content and "full puppet nudity" (including graphic simulated sex between puppets), Avenue Q may be inappropriate for children 12 years of age, which with the exception of my sister's children should not share the same space as adults who paid $100+ to see a show. Broadway is not the place to begin teaching manners to squirmey little children unless the show is Disney's Beauty and the Beast or the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall. I know, I know, if I had children I would have a different opinion.

Betsy, one of Frank's good friends joined us for Avenue Q. While we were waiting for her, we walked up to the box office for The Color Purple. I was hoping that the show would be on the TKTS for half price but our only time to see the show was the Sunday matinee. While waiting in line we quickly when the woman in front of us purchased 150 tickets for her church group that we would be in the minority in the theater. We got tickets so this became our fourth show, and even with a mid-town strip to button down shirts, we were under dressed in comparison to the church folks. Oprah has given her blessing on the show and I think her money! Now, the musical doesn't have the same impact as the book or the Spielberg movie, but there are some really memorable songs and the audience response to "Hell No!" was worth the price of admission.

The People

We got the chance to spend a bit of time with different people over the weekend and spent the evening with our host Stever before he left for Italy. Friday morning, we woke up and met my step sister as Frank calls her. Actually, Elira, an exchange student from Albania, lived with my folks for four years and is just like family. We met in the rain and our plans to do a little sight seeing was put on hold. It will be interesting to see how things turn out once she finds an apartment and a permanent job. After lunch in the Upper Westside we took the subway down to Sea Port and then to Little Italy for the San Genarro Festival (www.sangennaro.org/). Rain didn't make this fun, but we were in NYC.

Saturday night after dinner at the Red Cat we met Eva and Charlie at the G Bar. We found a alcove and spent nearly three hours chatting and catching up. Sunday was our day alone and we ate the Empire Diner and headed to the Circle Line where we took a boat ride around the island and got to see up close the 19 bridges and passed over 2 tunnels. Good times. And finally on Monday we headed out to Long Island to visit Malle and Grandma Uzman. The ladies had prepared a birthday lunch including a delicious chocolate cake. Pepper was quite mellow this trip and it was a really enjoyable afternoon.

And then Bush had to disrupt our flight home! What to say? It was a great trip and I can't wait until our next trip in 2007!

The Going ... Going ... Gone Soiree

Pictures: Click to view.

I am a fairly shy person, not wallflower shy, but shy. This may sound like an odd statement from someone who is posting this publically, but when it comes to personal praise or making personal statements I can become very reserved. I would much rather plan a party or an event than receive one. With that said, Randy, Michelle and Elaine did a great job of organizing a memorable going away event for my tenure at Franklin Templeton Investments which officially ended September 27, 2006 (also my sister Julie's birthday).

Exit interviews are always interesting. The questionaire has to be generic enough to cover the basics of an employee from any business unit and theoretically captures information that might be useful for retaining other employees in the future. Oddly, they used a four tiered likkert scale, which if you indicated that something was "satisfactory" indicated an "issue." After five years of being told that a "3" (i.e. satisfactory) was meeting expectations, it was interesting that that rating was a red flag. Hmm. I would suggest a item in the scale for the middle of the road folk like myself who didn't want to be a negative Nancy but wanted to indicate that some of the items were not above and beyond my wildest expectations! However, it is not my form, nor is it my scale, nor will I leverage the outcomes to change anything ... so basically, it is not my issue.

Anyway, my send off was very special. Instead of the normal farewell cake, the organizers opted to meet after work at the 750 ML is a wine bar in San Mateo, where you can get a card and a glass and choose from the wine selection. To enjoy a glass or wine or a tasting, simply insert your card, push a button and voila! Your wine is poured into your glass. Interesting concept to say the least. I left the office and met Randy, Elaine and Michelle, who handed me a pre-loaded card! Yeah. About 20 people showed up to wish me well and I was really lucky that many of my colleagues from our Rancho Cordova office were on site and able to drop by. Elaine brought cheese, grapes and crackers so the event seemed perfect. Frank even took the train down from SF after he got off work ... which I appreciated.

It was a memorable evening and I will truly miss seeing my friends and colleagues. And after that wonderful evening, I went back to adjust some of my "satisfactory" items to "good," which is probably a better reflection of my rewarding experience at FTI.

Time to be Mary

Frank and I are heading off to see the movie "Jesus Camp" this weekend and based on the reviews and commentary, I'm sure I will have a reaction and a deep conversation following the viewing. Interestingly, I had a strong religious upbringing, went to private Christian Schools and continue to attend services when the spirit moves me or when I need an infusion of Gospel music. Having studied and listened to the stories from the Bible my entire life, I often feel themes bubble to surface at different times in my life. One story in the New Testament, the one with Mary and Martha, has always troubled me. Oddly enough, I thought it was much more detailed than the four verses in the book of Luke.

[38] As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a
woman named Martha opened her home to him. [39] She had a sister called Mary,
who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. [40] But Martha was
distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and
asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by
myself? Tell her to help me!"
[41] "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, [42] but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

Luke 10:38-42

Not very long, but I've always wondered why the person who took on the role of a care taker for the guests was chastised and the woman who, in my opinion, shirked her duties was praised for doing what was better. Call Mary a dreamer, a thought leader, someone who has the time to eat bon-bons with Jesus and Martha is the driver. My mind is filled with all of the personality types that have been trademarked to illustrate the human behaviour. I remember when I did the California AIDS Ride 5 back in 2001, the organizer kept talking about the "dreamers" who would make a difference, about the thoughts that would change the world. My reaction was to look around and see the organization, 2000 people moving at a snail's pace through California and magically my tent was at my destination, a shower was waiting for me and three meals had been organized. It was a well-run ship, one that "dreamers" could not accomplish without someone doing the foot work. It's all well and good that the thought leader sat down and pondered, but equally important are the volunteers and the people that execute the thoughts into action. I tend to fall in to the later category and am far more comfortable with a plan of action than spending hours and hours talking about what needs to be done and then delegating it to someone else.

As a man of action and raised to help ensure that my guests are comfortable, I've identified with Martha. I've been told recently that I am almost freakishly good mannered because I took the time to send a few thank you notes to colleagues that I worked with. To me it's odd that more people are not freakishly good mannered, since it doesn't take a lot of time and is simply an execution of a plan. I hope my mother is proud! I can imagine Martha fuming. She understands that there are guests who are probably hungry and with everything that needs to be done, she needs help. But where is her lazy sister Mary? Sitting at the feet of Jesus. Now I understand that it is also important to step back and listen, to get away from the duties of life but it is also quite frustrating to feel taken advantage of by doing the work while others assume the duties will be taken care of. Of course, Martha could have taken a different approach by going to Mary directly and asked for help, finished the necessary items, then both of them could have sat down with Jesus for a chat! Hmm.

I've resigned my position at Franklin Templeton after nearly six years of employment, and after spending a lot of time doing the hands on work, I'm taking a break for two weeks before starting a new job at Kaiser Permanente. I call it my time time to be Mary, but unlike the Biblical Mary, I did transition my duties, made plans, finished projects and now am settling in for a much needed break. It's my time to eat bon-bons with Jesus and think about what the future holds.

There are a few concrete details that I am aware of that really excite me. I don't have to meet deadlines, don't have to attend meetings, and for a short while, I can just sit down and listen. I'm very excited about this time of my life since in a few short weeks, I'll have to join the Martha's and be responsible. And this is, in the words of Martha Stewart, a good thing.

I will miss working with some truly amazing people and while I am a little apprehensive about the ambiguities of starting a new position, it is also very exciting. People have asked why I am changing jobs now, especially since we are at the end of the fiscal year and bonus and merit increases taking place in the near future. Yes, I forfeited my bonus, but I will have a bump in my salary. I will also save approximately 12 days in commuting and have a different role and responsibilities. Again, it is a good thing.

The TSG Team Celebration

Pictures: Click to View.

Usually the end of year process includes 2-3 days of business planning. This year, our team is being integrated into the larger Corporate Training organization, so we did not have to spend the time on this annual rite. However, we also didn't get to have our end-of-year celebration either. As a team we decided to have a dinner at my house and invite a few extras who have joined the team (bonding opportunties) and who have supported the team over the past year. We had cocktails and appetizers before heading down to a movie. Following our film, we headed back to the house for dinner, dessert and a rousing game of bingo. Sadly, I was also aware that a job offer was pending and that this event could be my last with the team. Four days later I got the offer and after many lengthy discussions with Frank, decided that it was an opportunity that was too good to pass and accepted the position. I will miss working with this particular group of people who have been amazing work colleagues but also very close personal friends.

Frank's B'day Video

Is it Frank or is it ... Elvis?

Tourist Update (August) - On Vacation

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Summer is a great time to visit San Francisco, especially if you are in need of a new sweatshirt! My colleagues have gone to Japan, Greece and Turkey and I had stayed home. So, in need of a little break from the city, I decided to take a week off and took a mini-trip to Los Angeles to see friends and got back in time to go with Frank to Las Vegas.

Los Angeles

I don't remember the last time I've driven the beautiful Interstate 5 but I think it was more of a mental block than anything else. There is something to be said when you can spend the night for less than it costs to fill my Ford Focus. I paid an average of $3.47 per gallon. Thank God I also received United Miles. Anyway, I thought I was being clever by cutting over to the 5 via Gilroy but instead of cutting of hours on my commute I got stuck behind a set of semi-trucks who were moving at 5 m.p.h and so what should have taken 30 minutes took nearly 2 hours. Once on the 5 I got to see the remains of the burnt land which smelled quite pleasant compared to the cow manure from the stockyards. By the time I got to the Grapevine it was dark and I had the choice of country, hip-hop or Christian Talk Radio. Am I so liberal that I think that our President calling people Islamic Fascists was wrong? I just don't think it's funny to comment that it's never "Bill" or "Ted" blowing up planes. I have a slight inkling that after Timothy McVey blew up the buildings in Oklahoma if someone said he was a Christian fascist, the same talk show hosts would be up in arms. I could be wrong.

My first stop was at Etan's in LA. MapQuest is great but the people who put up the signs in around the city have a wicked sense of humor. Let's hide this sign behind a tree. Lights? Why bother. I drove past the Hollywood Bowl, Downtown Hollywood and after numerous phone calls for help found my way to Etan's. In the dark, his complex, complete with a guard station looks quite modern, which having been built in the 40's was not. There are one way roads, round abouts and the street signs are Burnside Circle, Burnside Avenenue and Burnside street. Did I mention that the signs were not really useful while in a car. I found a parking spot and the journey began again ... this time on foot. Several phone calls and visits to the wrong towers I found Etan.

The following day we headed to the Grove for lunch, met Eric and after seeing Little Miss Sunshine went out to West Hollywood for dinner. At the Abbey we spotted our first semi-celebrity, James from the reality show Boy Meets Boy. Had we been more nightowls, we could have seen Jessica Simpson perform Amazing Grace at a club and then grab her boobs. Hmm. Did she know she was in a gay club? Whatever.

The next morning, I said goodbye and headed down to Laguna Niguel to visit James and the girls, Maggie and Bella. We headed to Hamburger Mary's for brunch and then hung out for the day. It was then time to head back to San Francisco and I opted to take the 101 back and while it took longer, views of the ocean were much more scenic and with my iPod now connected to my tape player I had my tunes to sing along to!

Las Vegas

There have been rumors that I was not excited about going to Las Vegas, but that is simply untrue. Now I may have pondered the sanity of going to the desert in the month of August or that LV is the white trash capitol of the world but I was secretly looking forward to it. Besides, it was Frank's birthday and he wanted to go and that was the end of the conversation.

Frank did something I do not have the patience of doing ... getting a hotel room off of Priceline.com. Basically, Priceline enables you to propose a price and if the hotel chooses to accept your bid, you're in! Frank did the magic and we got a room at the Venetian. Classy ... in a Vegas sort of way. The airport was not as bad as we anticipated and the room was great. Huge. And the fact that Frank's friend sent him Elvis glasses only made that much more fun.

Hmm. What did we do? We donated to the casinos and they gave back ... a little. We went to the Canyon Ranch spa and ran into Zeb Atlas. We also had great meals and the Wynn Hotel and saw Le Reve, a water show with people flying in and out of the water. Amazing. We also participated in a focus group and got free tickets to Madame Tousseuds wax museum. Good times. Downtown Las Vegas ... scary, though the Slotto machine was quite addictive. It's like a slot machine and the lotto all in one! After another morning in the sun by the pool, we had to say goodbye to Las Vegas and return to the land of fog. Luckily there was a cooling trend and Las Vegas was only 100 degrees instead of the usual 115!

Celebrity Sightings:

A wax museum is one thing but seeing the real thing is well ... a little thrill; granted it is a little sad to be excited by simply being able to associate images to a living breathing person, but it is a thrill. I would like to add that unlike some nameless friends who went all weak in the knees when it came to meeting Diana Ross (we spoke and she touched me!), I was coy and only positioned myself to force the people I recognized to touch me. Yes, I've touched the Titanic this year and have had a brush with celebrities ... Zeb Atlas and Nick Carter.

Our sighting of Zeb Atlas, Fitness Model (see interview), took place at the Venetian Spa. We were touring the facilities and he was coming down the stairs. The fact that we were using the spa facilities and not the work out facilities might explain the difference in stature, especially since we are about the same height. I suppose he does not hit the buffets when he is visiting Las Vegas. Shame.

Our second sighting was of Nick Carter, one of the members of the boy band, The Backstreet Boys. Nick and I go way back, though I doubt he remembers the 6'3" man standing 6th row center at the concert in San Jose a few years back. Although, I must admit that I stood out amongst the screaming teenage girls. The ushers asked if we, the friend who dragged me along and I, were with a record lable. I wish. Fun concert. Too old for the audience. I can also claim to have hosted the daughter of the man who put the band together in my studio and that we procurred a concert poster for the friend when we were in Sweden, even though there was dubious material attached to it. Anyway, I had been eyeing the white diamond slot machine, which reimbursed us $100 for our time at the Venetian and before we headed to the airport we had to cash in our winnings. In route to the Cashier I spotted someone who looked familiar playing craps. It was Nick Carter, looking a little rough compare to his boy band days. I stood beside him and watched as he placed a $400 bet and lost. As he left the table, he brushed against me. If I was a true friend I would mail the shirt to my friend ... but I opted to wash it instead! As they say, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. What they don't say is that it is usually your cash that stays behind!

A Lazy Bear's Perogative

The 15th annual gathering of bears in Guerneville is probably one of joy and trepidation ... like the annual flooding; something that happens and sometimes something good comes out of it (i.e. a boost to the local economy). Frank and I had the opportunity to join in the ursine population North to the lovely town of Guerneville, California. I would describe it as summer camp for adults - there was food, there were bonfires and frolicking at the pool. Basically, a good time was had by all.

We stayed at a friend's cabin and had the opportunity of enjoying a bit of peace and quiet. We took a day off and spent a day at the beach before heading back to the crowds.

A Tourist Update (July)

48 Hours in San Francisco

Pictures: Click here to view.

I like to call it the "Do it before you die" syndrome ... you know, the time when you are on vacation and you never know if and when you'll ever be in that location again, so you create an agenda that should take a six months to do properly and squeeze it into 48 hours (give or take). Some claim that this syndrome is a uniquely American thing and that the "See Seven Countries in Seven Days" only appear to American advertising; aimed at Americans who fear that if they do not have their picture holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the world as we know it will end. They get the picture, though in reality all they did was pile off of a bus, pose for the picture, buy a postcard, purchase the LTOP vibrator (it is for the neck after hours the long hours on the bus straining to see the sights fly by at 65 mph!), and then got back on the bus for the overnight drive to the Swiss Alps where they will unload, blow on a horn, take another picture and fall asleep dreaming of Heidi.

The funny thing is, at least for me, we did not have any plans for the weekend other than to take a bike ride. Hmm. Here's the agenda. See if you can keep up.

Friday Night

• Start with a lovely 3 course Chinese Dinner (i.e. potstickers, entree and a fortune cookie)
• Travel by high speed rail (i.e. underground public transportation)
• Pass City Hall and the exciting upcoming 6th St. Corridor (i.e. be careful of crazy street people, strip clubs and crack whores)
• Attend a concert at San Francisco's historic Warfield Theater and receive a one-of-kind poster (i.e. Kathy Griffin - stand up comedian and co-star of "Suddenly Susan")
• Take an after-show stroll through San Francisco's Theater district and take a coach back to your evening's accommodations. (i.e. a MUNI bus packed with crazies on a Saturday night)

Saturday

• Ride the Historic "F" line down Market Street past the Mint, City Hall, and the cable cars
• Sample your way through the culinary selections at the renovated Ferry Building
• Literally touch the Titanic and an ice burg at the Titanic Exhibition, then reflect upon the experience near the cascading Martin Luther King memorial fountain
• Shop in San Francisco's premier Union Square or head home for a little R&R before a night of theater
• Attend dress rehearsal of A Chorus Line, the exclusive pre-Broadway show

Sunday

• Load up and head to Ocean Beach, home of the Cliff House, the Beach House and the world famous windmills
• Strap on a helmet, straddle your bicycle and wave at the ocean as you ride along the Great highway
• See the SF Zoo, home of the new African Safari, then make your way around Lake Merced
• Take a walking tour to Dotties Blue Cup Diner for breakfast before going to a Giant's Ball Game at AT&T Park
• Watch 12 innings and see San Francisco lose to San Diego in front of 42,000 people
• Grab a quick bite to eat, then attend a movie at one of San Francisco's movie palaces, AMC's 1000 Van Ness

This is a full weekend for anyone. But Frank and I are troopers and can handle the scheduling, though by Monday neither of us will be wanting to go to work. Let's start with Friday night.

Friday Night

I hate to impose on my friends but after viewing Kathy Griffin's Life on the D List season 1 and 2, we were very excited to have the opportunity to see her in person. If you do not recall who she is, check out Kathy's website. Apparently a lot of other people were excited as well, because the concert sold out faster than her mother could say Jesus H (you know who I'm referring to). We heard that due to strong sales a second show was scheduled and we quickly went online to get tickets and again tickets were gone. Sold out. Not available. Frank asked me to ask a friend who knows Kathy whether he might have a connection to tickets. He did and we were front row center of the balcony with other promoter people. Granted we had to pay but we had probably some of the best seats in the house.

Now, I've been to the Warfield Theater probably twice in my life. The first time was to see Tears for Fears back in the 90's. This was at a time when the group was about to break up and everyone in the audience brought sunflowers to wave. I understand why they did it but I was a little pissy by the fact that my view was continuously blocked by some fat chick waving this thing in my face. The second time I went to the Warfeild was to see Dido back in 2000. We were on the floor and other than sore feet really had a good time. I had forgotten that the former stage theater is basically a concert venue and for some reason they sell nachos and other limited food items which seem out of place in a venue that still clings to some of the grandeur of the past.

Anyway, we did not know if we would have tickets (the fear of Will Call), how much they actually cost, or where the seats were located, but we had tickets and that's all that mattered! We didn't have to pay the Ticketmaster surcharge and well I already described the location of the seats. Fabulous. I also got to sit next to a couple who obviously had connections and probably got to go backstage, since a woman came talked about what to do after the concert. They were nice but kept asking questions, which by itself is not an issue ... but they had been making friends with the bar tender and there is something unpleasant about getting a second-hand buzz from the breath of a person seated next to you. Was it a martini? Long Island ice tea? Cosmo? or a combination of the three. I can only say I was thankful that it was not beer.

It is amazing how censored the shows are on television. We've seen Kathy's concerts on Bravo, watched the television show (nominated for an Emmy this year) and quickly discovered, that she has quite the mouth on her; a very funny mouth but one that would make my mother blush, if you know what I mean. Anyway, on her show, the film crew followed her to Iraq. Kathy and a couple of other comedians went to perform for the troops. Prior to going, the army sent Kathy a letter with information on what was appropriate and what was not. Here is a clip (I did not film this) of her reviewing the letter, an uncensored segment that was not seen on the show:

On Saturday morning, Miss Kitty needed to receive her subQ shot and since we were meeting Etan at the Ferry Building for brunch, it would be easier if we stayed at my house. This seems like a simple thing to accomplish but, being San Francisco, it also entails close contact with the crazies who's entertainment dollars are spent on a bottles of cheap wine and a cruise around the city on public transportation.

As mentioned, the Warfield is in an area of the city that is still "upcoming" (i.e. not safe after 11:00). In true herd mentality we exited the theater onto the streets and nice, bathed people transitioned into street prostitutes (or a band of high school girls in skimpy outfits waiting for their tour bus on a street corner with a scary chaperone), homeless people and club goers heading out. We waited for the bus and finally got on one. It was packed. We jumped to the back of the bus and quickly realized that not only were we packed on a bus with people of questionable hygiene, we were also in the under 25 group of Argentine tourists who were not only listening to their ipod in a group but singing to Shakira's Hips don't lie and dancing.

Public entertainment is all well and good, but it should be entertaining. The girls were singing along unaware of the fact that they were not in key and knocking people about while shaking their booties. The bus grumblers became more vocal, starting to shout that "THAT IS ENOUGH!" which of course was not heard by the iPod singer/dancers. At Van Ness, a lovely women whose hair was a natural fire engine red (faded) states as she grabbed the pole that she knows the song and can dance to anything if she has a pole to hang on to. I make the assumption that she just got off work from one of our gentlemen's clubs ... and I can only hope that the club has fantasy lighting because in the harsh light of MUNI, it was NOT pretty. The Argentine's got a picture with the stripper and then jumped off of the bus, causing the grumblers to state that it felt like the longest bus ride ever. I have to agree. We got back to my place and after a good night's sleep were ready to conquer another 24 hours in the lovely city of San Francisco.

Saturday

Saturday morning is a great time of day to head down to the Ferry Building, although the popularity of the location is really growing. It is a great location to people watch and enjoy munching on tasty little brunch items. John and Etan were waiting for us as we jumped off of the "F" Line. We started our meal with sausage-on-a-stick and then I enjoyed 5-spice chicken from Slanted Door. Etan twisted our arms to get in the gelato line before we headed out to wander the farmer's market.

It was then time to head to the Titanic Artifact Exhibition. We made a quick stop by Beard Papa to try one of the cream puffs that are all the rage. Odd. Sweet. I'll be happy to take people to try, though I'm not sure what the thrill is, nor why they would stand in line for more that 30 minutes to have cream ooze on on their faces.

The Titanic Artifact Exhibit is interesting and when you walk in the first hallway, you receive a card with the name of a passenger. I was third class passenger and a Swede. I also drowned. Apparently the Swedes did not make it to the boats ... we were down in the bowels of the boat with Kate and Leonardo. Some of the rooms were interesting, especially the main staircase, the recreation of an ice burg and of course the actual piece of the Titanic which you could stick your finger through a hole and touch. So, I can now state that I have touched the Titanic, touched history, and of course, as a Swede, died.

After a little break, we headed back to my house for a little BBQ and then it was time to follow up the singular steak sensation with the opportunity of seeing the pre-Broadway engagement of A Chorus Line. For whatever reason, I've not seen the movie, a community theater version ... anything. The closest thing I've seen is a snippet of the iconic song and, of course, various drag queens doing their versions of the Dance 10, Looks 3 (i.e. the Tits and Ass song). Of course, the last drag queen I saw lip synch the song looked emaciated and was UGLY and I mean stop a speeding train ugly and ironically, for a song about getting enhancements ... did not not have either the "T" or the "A" to support the lyrics of the song. Anyway, through Frank's volunteer group we were able to join others for the dress rehearsal (i.e. front row mezzanie ... FREE!). The group of people seated behind us apparently LOVED the show ... we're talking 5 minute standing ovations and deep throated "YEAHS" at different points in the show.

Personally, while I enjoyed the show, I was nervous about the things being hawked up behind me that might land in my hair. I have to ponder how the show lasted as long as it did during its original run since the staging consisted pretty much of a line and a set of mirrors that appeared sporadically throughout the performance. Frank felt that they didn't really do anything new to merit the revival of the show but the music is catchy.

After a fairly unadventurous ride home on MUNI it was time to head to bed, so that we would be prepared for an early bike ride along Ocean Beach.

Sunday

Tourists should try to see some part of the city by bike. I would recommend the Chrissey Field ride, the Golden Gate Bridge to Marin County ride or start at the base of the Cliff House and ride along Ocean Beach and around Lake Merced. This is an area of the city that not many people explore. We met our friend Tom and headed out.

Following a quick shower, we walked to Dotties True Blue Cafe. We joined the crazies for 75 minutes and then enjoyed a Southwestern omelette, a fresh Pecan roll and a lot of really black coffee. But don't take our word for it ... see what Lashonda G said on Yelp.com.

Update 7/11/05: I went back with my boyfriend and had an absolutely great breakfast. I had to bump this one up, from four to five stars. The whole wheat pancakes with a hint of cinammon were melt in your mouth yummy. I don't know what happened but the maple syrup actually tasted good this time?? The french toast could have been soaked in egg a bit longer but my boyfriend's omelette was yummy. He ordered ham and cheese but that was the best damn ham I've tasted in an omelette and found my fork constantly in his plate. The fresh squeezed oj was good and the blueberry yogurt muffin was soft , filled with berries, and quite tasty. I've decided to bring family members here, despite the neighborhood. Best place for breakfast in San Francisco.

This place has great breakfast. I love combination plates, so I ordered the sampler which had french toast, pancakes, eggs, potatoes, and bacon. Everything was great, although I'm not a big fan of maple syrup, so that took away from the breakfast a bit (for me). Everything was very hot and right off the grill, since everything is cooked on a hot grill in front of the bar. I went with the basics but there was a lot of specialty menu items that sounded good. I ordered and received my meal rather quickly, and the waiter was super nice. I rated this place a 4 instead of 5 because of the maple syrup thing, the wait on weekend mornings, the lack of parking in the neighborhood, and the sketchy people EVERYWHERE. The neighborhood is not so great, but you forget about that once you're inside and chowing down."

It was now time to get on MUNI and head to the Giants game. San Francisco played the San Diego Padres and after 12 innings lost 6 to 5. After Dottie's we were not tempted by the culinary options, but when the temperature got hot enough a little Bud Light draft sure hit the spot! It hit the spot three times. The stadium is great and the old ladies who were seated behind us (not in their own seats) tried to convince us to go sit in their seats in the sun! Hell no. I live in San Francisco for a reason and it was to flippin hot this weekend. My seat was in the shade and I was not going to leave. We stayed for 9 innings and then had to leave to get keys to the kitty sitter.

We finished our weekend with a quick bite at Quizno's and a movie at AMC 1000. I can't say I'd recommend Monster House but it was amusing and a little scarey at times.

I know. I know. You ask, "How could they do all this in 48 hours?" With a little planning, anyone can. So? What are you going to do next weekend?

Wanna go for a ride?

It is the countdown to bathing suit season (i.e. the cruise at the beginning of November) and Frank and I are trying to find ways to 1) lose weight and 2) get excercise on the weekend. The solution is to finally get the bikes we've been talking about and promise to take at least one ride each weekend.

Our first trip was to go from my place, over Pacific Heights, down through the Presidio to Chrissey Field. From there we would head to Fort Point turnaround and head back to Van Ness and complete the loop at my house. Along the way we passed our Mayor, Gavin Newsom, getting in to a limo and ran into some of Frank's Under One Roof friends where we determined when the next camping trip at the Russian River would take place. Good times, except Frank thinks I tried to kill by sending him down a steep hill on his first trip. It's not true. He survived and is a better rider because of it. However, for our next ride, we're going to drive to the ocean and take the bike trail along the ocean and then go around Lake Merced.

Pictures: Click to view

An Outrageous Race in Oakland

Pictures: Click here to view.

In the course of only 4 hours, Frank and I saw more of Oakland than either of had in the past five years! Frank and I have joined a new group "SF Couples" and our first event was called the "Outrageous Race." Basically, couples were grouped in to teams and let loose on the city of Oakland.

Team Jerry included myself, Frank and of course Jerry! We raced to Oakland's Fairyland, found preserved duck eggs, located the wolf statue in Jack London Square, meandered through a mausoleum, searched a cemetery and discovered Woodland Amphitheater (Ok, not like Columbus discovering America ... or maybe it was like Columbus discovering America!). We thought we were racing along ... but in the end, we were the last team to arrive back at the host house.

It was a good time and we're looking forward to future events.

Fillmore Jazz Festival 2006

I took the bus home and arrived as the streets of the Fillmore were being washed from two days of the annual Jazz Festival. It is a little eerie seeing wet streets empty ... no buses, no cars, nothing but the occasional security guard informing a local that they can't turn left or right. You would think that the security fences would provide a clue, but people still have to ask.

On Saturday, Mark and Avis joined Frank and me for a day of music, food and the hunt for jewelery! The usual crafts people were in attendance as were the margarita vendors (which according to the beer folk were watered down). One of the things that stood out this year was the photography people and the pictures that popped off the canvas. The music was fun and eclectic.

The Sounds of the Fillmore

A Tourist Update (June Part II)

View Pictures:

Click here for pictures of Pink Saturday

Click here for pictures from SF Pride 2006

Frank asked why I would include this as part of the "Tourist Update" and all I can say is that if I was a tourist it would have been a week to remember. Here's why.

Our Participation

San Francisco in the month of June goes through a mini-transformation. Unlike Chinese New Years or some of the other major festivals, Market Street is lined with large rainbow flags that wave a subtle reminder of a prominent group in San Francisco. There are really three things that you, as a tourist, should try to experience if you are in San Francisco during the month of June: Tranny Shack, Pink Saturday and the Pride Parade & Celebration.

Tranny Shack

Tranny Shack is a weekly event held at The Stud, a bar located on the corner of 9th and Harrison St. For the truly adventurous, you could plan on dinner at Asia SF, where the hostesses are all gender illusionist's. The "girls" are so good that we had serious debate convincing Pamala that was technically being served by men. I digress. At Tranny Shack there is no question as to how these girls were brought into this world. Which raises the question ... are they trannies? Performers? or drag queens? I'm not sure how to answer, because the show starts at midnight with a rousing rendition of the Muppet Show introduction (it's time to get things started ...) and didn't end until 1:30 (yes, in the morning).

Now why would I recommend Tranny Shack for Pride when it takes place every Tuesday? Good question. Usually for Pride there is a special guest hostess and this year Lady Bunny stayed in New York and Chi Chi Larue filled in her heels and did a great job. She is known for her directoral efforts and can bring down the house with a rousing rendition of "Addicted to Port" to Robert Palmers "Addicted to Love" and commanded the stage as only a overweight man in a dress can do! And while Heklina seemed a bit subdued Diva Dan brought down the house with bad taste in his interpretation of a Missy Eliott song. FUNNY!!!! We ran into Diva Dan at the Pride celebration and a chance to get a picture (though Johnny failed to capture the fact that she is on 6 inch heels!).

Pink Saturday

Pink Saturday is really a "womyn's" day and is typically an event that really starts once the Dyke March arrives. in the Castro. The ladies start at Dolores Park and it true revolutionary style, refuse to request a permit. They, their motor bikes, accolytes and others arrive in the Castro and the party begins. The streets are blocked off and people wander and dance at any of the many outdoor stages that are built. I have to say that standing in line with a straight girl from Sacramento opened my eyes to the fact that the event is changing. Why would a straight couple travel from Sacramento and attend Pink Saturday? Then her friend stumbles out of the port-a-potty and proceeds to conduct a personal rendition of the rainbow flag of diversity by throwing up on the side of the port-a-potty wall. Frank and I decided that at this point ... it was time to go home.

PRIDE Parade & Celebration

My roommate ranks the noise of the Dykes on Bikes that start the Pride celebration (imagine 450 motorcycles racing past) as second only to the sound of the Blue Angels that visit us once a year as well! We missed the gyrls, having opted to enjoy breakfast at Squat & Gobble outdoor in the sun. Unlike last year, the weather played nice and we were appropriately sunscreened and ready to head down to the celebration.

We were not as concerned about seeing the actual parade but I did want to see Leslie Jordan on the main stage (Karen Walker's nemisis from Will & Grace). We jumped on the underground and encountered an entourage of French garb. Hmm. San Francisco. We decided to see more of the parade by walking against the progression. It helps to be over 6 feet tall! We saw our friend Joe, Lesley Jordan, Elvira (why was she in the parade?) the Barbary Coast Cloggers (see video) and walked past the Golden Gate Theater where Rent is going to open (interestingly, the movie Rent was filmed in part across the street!). People watching is always the most fun and once we got to the fundamentalists who were protesting and telling everyone that they were going to hell, we jumped underground and headed back to the Civic Center for the food (meat in a bowl!), ice cream and of course free entertainment.

The Pride Movie

Pride 101

My cousin was having a discussion with her sister and shot me an email inquiring my thoughts on Judy Garland. I wasn't entirely sure as to the motivation behind the question, so provided the following response:

Hmm. I think Judy Garland is dead. Other than that, I don't spend
much time thinking about her. I have, however, met her daughter Liza
Minelli at a CD signing and she seemed pleasant enough. Historically, the
death of Judy Garland was the last straw for some drag queens in New York
City. When the cops came to shut the bar down, the queens rose up (thus
the Stonewall Riots). This is also the reason that June is designated as
"PRIDE" month, because it was when the people rose and said 'we're not going to
take it anymore ... or something along that line.

I was not entirely satisfied with my response so I tried to conduct an informal poll and was not satisfied with the answers. So I went to Wikipedia. What follows is what I call Pride 101.

Pride - a Wikipedia Definition

In June 1969, a group of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people
rioted following a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City. The late Miss Sylvia Rivera a transgender rights activist and founding member of both the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance is credited by many as the first to actually strike back at the police and in doing so, spark the rebellion. The Stonewall riots are generally considered to be the beginning of the modern gay rights movement, as it was the first time in modern history that a significant body of LGBT people resisted arrest. First year anniversary marches organized by other groups were also held in San Francisco and Los Angeles in 1970.

Brenda Howard known as the "Mother of Pride" an early leader of the Gay Liberation Front and Gay Activists Alliance in the early post-Stonewall era coordinated the first month anniversary rally and then the "Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day March" on June 28, 1970 to commemorate the first year anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion. Howard also originated the idea for a week-long series of events around what is now known as Pride Day; this became the first of the extended annual LGBT Pride celebrations that are now held around the world.
In New York and Atlanta the annual day of celebration to commemorate the Stonewall Riot came to be called Gay Liberation Day; in San Francisco and Los Angeles it was called Gay Freedom Day. Both names spread as more and more cities and towns started holding similar celebrations.

In the 1980s there was a major cultural shift in the Stonewall Riot
commemorations. The previous loosely organised, bottom-up marches and parades
were taken over by more organised and less radical elements of the gay
community. The marches began dropping "Liberation" and "Freedom" from their
names under pressure from more conservative members of the community, replacing them with the philosophy of "Gay Pride". The Greek lambda symbol and the pink triangle which had been revolutionary symbols of the Gay Liberation Movement were tidied up and incorporated into the Gay Pride, or Pride, movement,
providing some symbolic continuity with it's more radical beginnings.

Opposition

Within the gay community, some reject the notion of gay pride, perceiving therein an undue emphasis on sexual orientation and a lack of discretion and modesty to the
detriment of either public morals or the cause of gay rights; they propose to
soften strident activism in order to better integrate into the mainstream.
Others oppose gay pride on account of its identity politics, which run in
opposition to the ideals of an Enlightened liberal democracy. Many gay people
who are not heavily liberal believe that they are being excluded and ignored in
favor of the identification of gay society with political concepts they do not
agree with. Others see it as depreciative of the identity of the individual;
they say one's sexual orientation should not be one's quintessential defining
characteristic. It is not unusual to see small groups of religious
fundamentalists protesting at gay pride events.

Pride as an acronym: People Rejoicing In Diversity Everywhere

The Rainbow Flag

Color has long played an important role in our community's expression of pride. In Victorian England, for example, the color green was associated with homosexuality. The color purple (or, more accurately, lavender) became popularized as a symbol for pride in the late 1960s - a frequent post-Stonewall catchword for the gay community was "Purple Power". And, of course, there's the pink triangle. Although it was first used in Nazi Germany to identify gay males in concentration camps, the pink triangle only received widespread use as a gay pop icon in the early 1980s. But the most colorful of our symbols is the Rainbow Flag, and its rainbow of colors - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple - represents the diversity of our community.

The first Rainbow Flag was designed in 1978 by Gilbert Baker, a San Francisco artist, who created the flag in response to a local activist's call for the need of a community symbol. (This was before the pink triangle was popularly used as a symbol of pride.) Using the five-striped "Flag of the Race" as his inspiration, Baker designed a flag with eight stripes: pink, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

According to Baker, those colors represent:

pink = sexuality
red = life
orange = healing
yellow = sun
green = nature
blue = art
indigo = harmony
violet = spirit.

Baker dyed and sewed the material for the first flag himself - in the true spirit of Betsy Ross.
Baker soon approached San Francisco's Paramount Flag Company about mass producing and selling his "gay flag". Unfortunately, Baker had hand-dyed all the colors, and since the color "hot pink" was not commercially available, mass production of his eight-striped version became impossible. The flag was thus reduced to seven stripes.

A Tourist Update - June (Part I)

View Pictures: Click here to view

June is Pride month is San Francisco. The rainbow flags wave from light poles lining the entire length of Market Street and the tourists are out in force. Not to judge ... but a little pride goes a long way and next Sunday will be full blown festivities, including the parade and the festival grounds.

This weekend we did a unique double feature for us ... two museums in two cities in one day.

The DeYoung Museum

Michelle, a friend of Frank's from work who calls me "D" (which I like), joined us for the trip. Our first stop was to head over and catch the Arts and Crafts exhibit at the DeYoung. Unfortunately, the museum is still new enough to be really popular and the exhibit is going to close soon. The displays were crowded and the baby's crying. I felt the Miller claustrophobia strike and moved at my own pace through the exhibit. Frank and Michelle took a little longer - then after a trip to the Tower we jumped back in the car and headed to Oakland.

The Oakland Museum of California

If you live on planet earth, you probably know that Disnelyand turned 50 last year. As part of the celebartion a special exhibit is on display. Behind the Magic - 50 years of Disneyland is an interesting exhibit and strangely enough had fewer children than the DeYoung. It was a fun exhibit and the audio tour, along with the pictures made for a good day.

After a quick BBQ dinner in Jack London Square we headed back across the bay.

Walla Walla Revisited - Dad's 70th Birthday

Pictures: Click here to view

Near Death on the bus

Ahh, public transportation, always an adventure and always unexpected. I was supposed to meet Frank down at the Embarcadero with my luggage so we could take BART to Oakland airport. I waited patiently at the corner of Webster and Sacramento. The bus arrived and I paid my $1.50 and sat down on a seat with my legs straddling my bag. I was in one of the seats that face the inside of the bus and was also near the back exit. At this point, I'm mentally checked out, trying not to focus on what I may have or have not forgotten. Then the altercation.

A man tried to enter the bus and claimed to have a transfer. He looked as if he might be one of our special citizens and the bus driver started yelling at him. He would have to produce a transfer or get off of the bus. He has tried to pull this stunt in the past. At this point, the gentleman asked if the driver would apologize if he produced the transfer. Just show me the transfer. And he did. This is where the running dialogue strated. The crazy homeless guy started yelling about disrespect. As a public servent, the bus driver should be more respectful, or so said the crazy guy. Of course, it was a runing dialogue with the word "MotherF*****" every other word. The bus continued over cathedral hill and up nob hill.

About the time we were going to start down the hill into China Town, an older Italian guy gets on the bus and sits in the empty seat across from me and in front of the crazy guy. Our friend is still ranting and the Italian guy tells him to shut up. The crazy guy asks him what he's going to do make him stop.

"Are you going to hit me?

"I'll hit you, you dumb MotherF**** if you don't shut up"

At this point the Italian guy stands up, turns around, grabs the bag of the guy and throws the off the bus. Words are exchanged and the Italian swings at the guy. He stumbles off the bus and at this point the bus driver gets out of his seat and heads to the back. Frank calls.

"How far away are you?"

"I can't talk. There's a fight on the bus."

"Really? Are you taking pictures?"

"People are swinging at each ... I'm not going to take any pictures!"

At this point, the homeless guy jumps back on the bus and swings at the Italian guy, whose head then snaps back and hits the window with a thud. His hat falls off and lands on the floor in front of two Asian school boys, dressed in school uniforms.

"What? You've never seen a man stand up for himself? Stop staring you dumb Motherf****ers."

The Italian guy got off two stops later and in his place sat an older gentleman who smelled like 30 day old urine. The people in the back of the bus started to comment on the fact that the Italian guy should not have engaged in a dialogue with the crazy guy who was obviously not all together in the all together. Me? I was thankful to get off the bus unscathed and to get on BART and head back to the sane world of Walla Walla.

Silverwood

Silverwood is a small amusment park in Idaho outside of Spokane, WA. Frank and I flew Southwest airlines to Spokane and spent the night at my cousin Wally's. He and his son showed no mercy and whipped us at Yatzee! The next morning, after a unique version of the Dutch Baby, we met Mom and Dad and Julie and her family. It is a small park that was originally built around a train and old airplanes. The midway area of the park has expanded to include two great wooden rollercoasters and a few fun water rides. Considering the age and the height limits, it was a good day.

The following day, I got to pull Uncle duty and played in the water park before heading to Walla Walla for Dad's birthday party.

Dad's Birthday

Walla Walla is always an odd thing to experience as an adult. In many ways, it is the home of my youth and everything is very familiar. Now when I visit I see people with kids who are the age I was when I lived there. Of course, it doesn't help when your father is turning 70! I can remember when Dad was my age and 70 was a long ways away! Crazy. We had a good time with friends at a Mexican restaurant and then a family picnic on Saturday. Good times., especially when they came in and put the Sombrero on his head.

A Little History Tour of Walla Walla

Growing up in Walla Walla meant long bike rides out on the country roads. Bikes eventually changed to scooters and motorcycles, but some of the destinations remained the same. Fort Walla Walla is one of the destinations that is fun to visit and since it was Louis and Clark days the museum had special live performers, though Frank and I could not figure out how anyone would confuse the short puffy-haired blond women with glasses as Sacajewa.

Another destination that holds many memories is the Whitman Mission National park. Frank and I took the girls out for a walk after a movie and Taylor took an opportunity to lie down where Narcissa Whitman was shot. Then we walked on the Oregon Trail and decided that we were not fit enough to travel by foot 5 - 25 miles a day. Trying to wow the girls, I tried to boast about working with the guy who wrote the book for Version II of the Oregon Trail software. They are past the age where this has any meaning to them. Oh well. It was good to walk the trails again and I was glad that I could show Frank a few more sights.