Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Thanks Giving...

It's seriously like Christmas for my stomach.  

Lets see, there will be tons of....
Cheese
Crackers
Breads
Dips of the Mediterranean sort
Keisch (sp)
Pin wheels
Fruit 
Nuts
Ham
Turkey
Stuffing
Spanakopita
Greek salad
Broccoli salad
Smashed Potatoes
Cranberry sauce
Rolls
Casseroles 
8 Pies
1 Huge Cheesecake
oh, my god, oh , my god
OH.  MY.  GOD.

Seriously so excited.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

The Wrestler

Dempsey had picked up these promotional passes to this movie called The Wrestler thinking Hey, free movie passes aren't a thing to be passed up, especially in this economy.  Not but a week earlier a coworker and I were talking about a couple of new movies featuring washed up action stars.  One was JCVD which I posted the trailer to a few days ago.  The other, which we didn't know the title, was a movie about Mickey Rourke.  Little did I know that the promo and that the Rourke movie would be one and the same.  Needless to say I got really excited when the night of the screening came around.  It was this past Sunday.  Needless to say a whole bunch of other folks were just as, if not more excited than I.  The screening was over booked.  We missed our chance.  We did manage to sign up for the next screening and should be receiving tickets to that...soon, I hope.  Anyway, here is the trailer to 

The Wrestler

Currently listening to...

CSS


Monday, November 24, 2008

Jesse Easley=White Boy Magic

I forgot to mention that Jesse Easley, the beautiful, magical, Berkeley white boy that he is, rapped basically from the time we left the page until the time we left him at the house part.  So he was flowing basically from 8-11 or so.  I love him.



This was a truly great weekend

Friday: 
Day part- I got drunk and ate really, really expensive cheese, cured meats and sandwiches with our new clients at Taverna Aventine.  Then I hopped on my bike to  go have drinks with this girl I've been talking to for the past couple of weeks.  I think we went to the only bar in the Marina I will ever be able to stand.  She works in the Marina otherwise we wouldn't have gone anywhere near that hood.  The bar was about as big a a walk in closet.  I think there were six stools because that's really all they had room for.  There were maybe 12-15 folks crammed in all dumping huge mugs of suds back into their throats.   We drank until we were silly and then rode bikes back to her house to listen to music.  

Saturday: 
Started the day around noon.  Made a few texts, cause really, who makes calls these days.  Took a shoot and a shower and met up with Jon, Justin, Jeremy, and Pat.  and rode to Benders for beer and grub.  Benders wasn't open yet so we sat outside and waited for Yojaira to meet up.  We then headed to Whizz Burger, scarfed and then headed back for suds.  Enough suds were drank to make the conversation absolutely retarded.  Like, retarded, retarded.  So we decided to roll on over to Zeitgeist where approx. three or four pitchers were consumed.  By this time the fog was rolling in and I was still in my new cut off shorts from the toasty morning and needless to say I was getting the chills.  We all wiggled our way up to the Lower Haight, each of us heading in opposite directions as we hit Page (Rage) Street.  
After a bit of cleaning up, changing and several text messages I headed out the door to hit up the local bar, The Page.  Mind you it's only around 6pm so the bar was clear of it's usual weekend warrior douche bags which is just how I like it.  Plus, there was a really pretty bartender working and she was buying us shots.  By now it was me, Jesse, Steve, Justin, Pat, and Mansur.  Lindsey also made a brief appearance as did Bo, my always-high-on-something, down stairs neighbor.  Drinking, juke boxing, talking, laughing, yadayadaydadadya.  
Soon Guile and Brian swing buy to pick us up and take us to a "Pants Off" birthday party in the mission.  We get there and no one really has their pants off except a couple of guys and pat so we decide to hop in a cab and head back to the LH for a house party.  We end up flagging down some guy in an Escalade.  He offers kicks out his drunk friend and offers us a ride.  This guy seriously looked like that dude who always plays the role of Mexican guy in movies.  He has a big lady tattoo on his chest and the worst complexion ever.  Anyway, he drives us door to door, or bar to door and in the end we gave him like $20 bones.  The house party ended up being a bust so we just drank as much of their beer as possible and headed back out to hit the streets.  We had lost a little weight i.e. Jesse and Monsur and somehow, with out even noticing Steve disappeared.  Pat, Justin and I walk down Divis. peeking into each bar to see which looks good.  We ended up at Madrone.  I normally loathe Madrone but we were drunk and tolerant. It was just the three of us.  The day/night had been so long that it felt like we were brothers, like we'd been through everything together and nothing could tear us apart.  We were also just so drunk that we were in that joyful, cocky, act like fools because it makes your homies laugh kinda mood.  So there we were, on the dance floor, tall cans of Bud in our hands, dancing like absolute idiots.  Hugging and jumping and yelling "White girls!!!" and laughing our heads off and then dancing even harder.   We, in our minds, were the life of the party.  I was kind of shocked when girls started responding and dancing with us.  Pat eventually worked his way in between two girls and was just about to start shaking it when he hit the floor.  Needless to say we mostly just danced among ourselves.  
At last call I ran across the street to the corner store to get two cases of PBR.  Pat and Justine each had a girl in tow so I guess I decided not to go with them, though in my mind I thought that they ditched me.  I made a few calls and headed down to Second and Market to meet with Keyatta and friends for a loft party.  It sucked.  We then headed down to Potrero for a warehouse party.  I smuggled in a bunch of beer however, soon realized that I was drunk enough already.  I saw three dudes across the room and bee lined it for them simply because they looked like they might ride bikes (everyone else looked all clubbed out).  I offered up beer and we talked about messing and riding and people we know.  I have since forgotten all their names and what they looked like.
I ended up getting home around 5 or so in the morning, ate a bowl of clam chowder and fell asleep on the couch.  

Sunday:
Oh glorious, lazy Sunday.  I spent Sunday watching tv, eating food, and watching the worst movie I have ever seen.  Yeti, a Love Story.  Oh, god.  It's awful.  I'll leave you with the trailer.

Cabby to face charges...this has to stop.

A Toronto cab driver is facing six criminal charges after an alleged road-rage incident cost a cyclist one of his legs.

Sultan Ahmed, 38, was charged yesterday, seven days after a late-night confrontation in downtown Toronto that has riveted the attention of the cycling community. Mr. Ahmed, a veteran cabbie, allegedly ran down a cyclist with his taxi after a roadside argument.

The violent incident took place shortly after 2 a.m. on Nov. 14 at the corner of Dovercourt Road and Argyle Street. Residents heard a high-decibel argument between two men, then the sound of a loud impact. A cyclist was found on the sidewalk in a massive of pool of blood, with one of his legs virtually severed. Next to him was a bicycle, once worth an estimated $5,000, now shattered.

Read more here...

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

In the Contra Costa Times for our beautiful Rebecca

Rebecca Marie Susan Ohlson 

Rebecca Marie Susan Ohlson Nov. 18, 1982 ~ Nov. 19, 2007 Resident of SF and Brooklyn On this day I want to pay tribute to those who have helped us in this journey of a year without Becky. Her dad, for bringing our children to me that day. To Becca, Ryan, Nord, plus all others you chose to be with you to begin your new journey. She loved you dearly. To James, thank you for your strength, your support in ensuring my little girl was being taken care of. To my son Carl, who endured the unspeakable for his sisters, for me. You are our rock. To my baby Madeline for holding my hand for always being there for us. To Megan, Linda, Margo, the crew at Park Chow, everyone who made the memorial so special. To Sheanine, whose loving expressions for her cousin have been so endearing. And to Jay, who completed Becky, whose unyielding passion enabled the memorials and our endurance. To all Becky's countless friends coast to coast, Thank You. We now have benches in Dolores Park, SF and McCarren Park, Brooklyn in memory of our beloved. We see the signs and we know you are with us still. We miss you incredibly. "Until we meet Again"

http://www.legacy.com/contracostatimes/DeathNotices.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=120374026

Thank you Sandy.
Thank you Ohlson family.
and thank you Beck.

New Viral ad for cyclist awareness.

To follow up the Moon Walking Bear, Transport for London follows up with this...

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Happy Birthday Baby

November 18, 1982 - November 19, 2007







Monday, November 17, 2008

This weekend in review.

James Bond/Daniel Craig is still my secret gay crush.

Me: "I'm at the Mint"
John: "Why?"
Me:  "You told me to meet you here."
John:  "What? Ok.  Well, we're at D-Structure.  Come here."
And then the dancing commenced and Steve thought he was just getting a lap dance in the dressing room until he was forced to give a half hour lap dance to a strange girl. 
Drinking tall boys of Tacate on Market and then being denied entry to The Mint because the bouncer saw us drinking down the street.  Lame. 
And then going back to D-Structure and having a blast.  
And then riding my bike home to put on deodorant because I smelled like venison but being heavily flirted with on the way out the door.
And then riding my bike really fast so that I could de stink and ride back really fast so that I could catch said girl still walking up the street and stop and say hello. 
And then not seeing her and being bummed until I saw her as I was locking up and her coming over and saying "Nice bike."  Best pick up ever.  
And then spending the rest of the night with her at the bar chatting and talking nonsense.
And then walking a really, really dunk Cat to my brothers house.

And then having all Saturday to spend with friends at the beach in the amazing 80 degree weather in the middle of November.  I love California and don't care too much for seasons...except spring and summer.  
Then it was time to nap up for my date with the girl from Friday.
And then drinking 2 tall boys of Newcastle on the walk to her house, courage, you know?  And then getting to her house and realizing I had already met one of her roommates like months ago and having that ease the potential weirdness.  It was more like we were just hanging out and drinking beer.  Then we were off to the Cigar Bar which was rad because it was, well, a cigar bar and there was an amazing Cuban band but it turned lame when the bathrooms turned into coke dens and then as the night wore on they turned into blood splattered coke dens.
But it was way tolerable because this girl is really cute and fun to talk to and amazing and engaging and witty and interesting.
And then off to Truman's house warming party where I probably talked too much because I was kind of on cloud 9 or whatever.
And then cuddling and kissing all night and then walking home in the morning and then sleeping all afternoon.

Cousins dinner was really rad, really filling and really warm.  I'm glad we're going to try to make it a regular thing.  I love my family.

And then telling you how I wrote this really fast at work and how I'm really excited to leave the office so I'm not going to spell check or re read or anything.  Take it.


Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Good Eats

I'm getting a little routine down now.

Breakfast:  Fruit Smoothie: 1 banana, 1/2 cup blue berried, 2 tbl spoons vanilla yogurt, 1 cup oj
Snack:  Cashews or string cheese or crackers or fruit
Lunch:  Greek Salad: 2 tomato's, 1/4 onion, 1 mini cucumber, balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing, feta chese and oregano
Dinner:  That one's up in the air.

__--__

“Tonight as promised, a Special Comment on the passage, last week, of Proposition Eight in California, which rescinded the right of same-sex couples to marry, and tilted the balance on this issue, from coast to coast.

Some parameters, as preface. This isn’t about yelling, and this isn’t about politics, and this isn’t really just about Prop-8. And I don’t have a personal investment in this: I’m not gay, I had to strain to think of one member of even my very extended family who is, I have no personal stories of close friends or colleagues fighting the prejudice that still pervades their lives.

And yet to me this vote is horrible. Horrible. Because this isn’t about yelling, and this isn’t about politics.

This is about the… human heart, and if that sounds corny, so be it.

If you voted for this Proposition or support those who did or the sentiment they expressed, I have some questions, because, truly, I do not… understand. Why does this matter to you? What is it to you? In a time of impermanence and fly-by-night relationships, these people over here want the same chance at permanence and happiness that is your option. They don’t want to deny you yours. They don’t want to take anything away from you. They want what you want — a chance to be a little less alone in the world.

Only now you are saying to them — no. You can’t have it on these terms. Maybe something similar. If they behave. If they don’t cause too much trouble. You’ll even give them all the same legal rights — even as you’re taking away the legal right, which they already had. A world around them, still anchored in love and marriage, and you are saying, no, you can’t marry. What if somebody passed a law that said you couldn’t marry?

I keep hearing this term “re-defining” marriage.

If this country hadn’t re-defined marriage, black people still couldn’t marry white people. Sixteen states had laws on the books which made that illegal… in 1967. 1967.

The parents of the President-Elect of the United States couldn’t have married in nearly one third of the states of the country their son grew up to lead. But it’s worse than that. If this country had not “re-defined” marriage, some black people still couldn’t marry…black people. It is one of the most overlooked and cruelest parts of our sad story of slavery. Marriages were not legally recognized, if the people were slaves. Since slaves were property, they could not legally be husband and wife, or mother and child. Their marriage vows were different: not “Until Death, Do You Part,” but “Until Death or Distance, Do You Part.” Marriages among slaves were not legally recognized.

You know, just like marriages today in California are not legally recognized, if the people are… gay.

And uncountable in our history are the number of men and women, forced by society into marrying the opposite sex, in sham marriages, or marriages of convenience, or just marriages of not knowing — centuries of men and women who have lived their lives in shame and unhappiness, and who have, through a lie to themselves or others, broken countless other lives, of spouses and children… All because we said a man couldn’t marry another man, or a woman couldn’t marry another woman. The sanctity of marriage. How many marriages like that have there been and how on earth do they increase the “sanctity” of marriage rather than render the term, meaningless?

What is this, to you? Nobody is asking you to embrace their expression of love. But don’t you, as human beings, have to embrace… that love? The world is barren enough.

It is stacked against love, and against hope, and against those very few and precious emotions that enable us to go forward. Your marriage only stands a 50-50 chance of lasting, no matter how much you feel and how hard you work.

And here are people overjoyed at the prospect of just that chance, and that work, just for the hope of having that feeling. With so much hate in the world, with so much meaningless division, and people pitted against people for no good reason, this is what your religion tells you to do? With your experience of life and this world and all its sadnesses, this is what your conscience tells you to do?

With your knowledge that life, with endless vigor, seems to tilt the playing field on which we all live, in favor of unhappiness and hate… this is what your heart tells you to do? You want to sanctify marriage? You want to honor your God and the universal love you believe he represents? Then Spread happiness — this tiny, symbolic, semantical grain of happiness — share it with all those who seek it. Quote me anything from your religious leader or book of choice telling you to stand against this. And then tell me how you can believe both that statement and another statement, another one which reads only “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”



You are asked now, by your country, and perhaps by your creator, to stand on one side or another. You are asked now to stand, not on a question of politics, not on a question of religion, not on a question of gay or straight. You are asked now to stand, on a question of…love. All you need do is stand, and let the tiny ember of love meet its own fate. You don’t have to help it, you don’t have it applaud it, you don’t have to fight for it. Just don’t put it out. Just don’t extinguish it. Because while it may at first look like that love is between two people you don’t know and you don’t understand and maybe you don’t even want to know…It is, in fact, the ember of your love, for your fellow **person…

Just because this is the only world we have. And the other guy counts, too.

This is the second time in ten days I find myself concluding by turning to, of all things, the closing plea for mercy by Clarence Darrow in a murder trial.

But what he said, fits what is really at the heart of this:

“I was reading last night of the aspiration of the old Persian poet, Omar-Khayyam,” he told the judge.

“It appealed to me as the highest that I can vision. I wish it was in my heart, and I wish it was in the hearts of all:

“So I be written in the Book of Love;

“I do not care about that Book above.

“Erase my name, or write it as you will,

“So I be written in the Book of Love.”



Good night, and good luck.

Olbermann

Friday, November 7, 2008

One of those nights

Last night was one of those San Francisco nights.  I got off work and did a quick ride over to 901 Columbus for a little art show of a friend of a friend.  It was all photos of great white sharks from a trip to South africa.  Pretty good show.  The real feature was the $1.50 beers though.  Anyway, when I first arrived I noticed this dude, kinda shabby looking.  Like traveler shabby, borderline no home shabby.  I noticed him not because of his shabbyness but because he looked exactly like he could be the younger brother of Tyler and Clavey Wendt.  On a side note, the Wendt family are the ones who started OARS, the company I rafted with for 6 years.  
Well eventually we some how, I say some how but really mean that I got toasty and finally had to introduce myself.  So his name is Hugh Morrow.  Hugh is from Iowa.  He's, or was, a stock broker.  He moved to China for business.  The interesting thing though is that he quit.  He said eff it and he joined a Chinese sailing crew.  He is sailing around the world over the duration of 16 months on a hand made Chinese Junk ship.  He is the first white guy to do this on the first traditional Chinese Junk ship to cross the Pacific in lord knows how long.  Anyway, so it's Dempsey, this guy, Brett, Julia, and the photographer and some of his friends all just hanging out talking trash and drinking cheap beer.   Eventually it's just Hugh, Dempsey and I.  The show is closing, we are getting the boot.  Suddenly the photographer walks buy with two cases of wine and is like, 'james, dempsey, you guys coming over or what?'  So we rally.  It's now Dempsey, Hugh, Me The photographer, a few girls, and some other guy.  We drink and talk and drink and talk and laugh and almost go skinny dipping and....well, you get the point.  
I woke up at 7:30 this morning.  Not planned, just too hung over to sleep.  I hop on my bike and head to aquatic park.  Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that this is Hugh's last night in the city.  He is sailing down to SD and then to Australia and then to who knows where.  So I head on down and with a little luck find their ship about ten minutes before it pulls out.  I said goodbye and got some contact info and then watched them chug out towards the gate.  Dempsey met up with me just as they were sailing away.  We took photos and talked about what an amazing night we had just had.   Here are some pics of his boat.  Not shot by me.




JCVD

This looks pretty rad.  Who knows, since it's not in English you  wont be able to tell how bad the acting is.  I, personally, can't wait.  Well, I can actually, but I do look forward to watching this, probably with a group of people, and laughing....and drinking.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Bring it.

From  City Attorney Dennis Herrera regarding Prop 8...

"The issue before the court today is of far greater consequence than marriage equality alone ... Equal protection of the laws is not merely the cornerstone of the California Constitution, it is what separates constitutional democracy from mob rule tyranny. If allowed to stand, Prop 8 so devastates the principle of equal protection that it endangers the fundamental rights of any potential electoral minority -- even for protected classes based on race, religion, national origin and gender. The proponents of Prop 8 waged a ruthless campaign of falsehood and fear, funded by millions of dollars from out-of-state interest groups. Make no mistake that their success in California has dramatically raised the stakes. What began as a struggle for marriage equality is today a fight for equality itself. I am confident that our high court will again demonstrate its principled independence in recognizing this danger, and in reasserting our constitution's promise of equality under the law."

Read more here
http://sfist.com/2008/11/05/dennis_herrera_sues_to_invalidate_p.php#more

Edit:
Candlelight Vigil for Prop 8
Tonight at SF city hall. 6:30. See you there.

Yes We Can!

Now I know what it feels like to be really proud of my country. Last night was simply amazing. It felt like New Years eve/day on steroids. The streets were packed. Booze was flowing. People were hugging and jumping and dancing and yelling. Guards were let down as strangers embraced and chanted together. Americans had spoken, some waiting for hours to do so, and for the first time in my life I feel like we were heard.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

---

Breakfast: Fruit Smoothie.  1/2 cup blue berries, 1 banana, 2 tbl spoons vanilla yogurt, 2/3 cup OJ.

Snack:  1 string cheese, 1 banana.

1st Lunch:  Kashi frozen meal.  Pesto Pasta.mmmm.

2nd Lunch/Dinner:  Greek Salad.  1 tomato, 1/2 cucumber, 1/4 onion, lots of feta and a light olive oil & balsamic vinegar dressing.

It's time...

Vote

Monday, November 3, 2008

Because I'm bored

I've eaten some things today.  Some I am proud of, others, not so much.

Breakfast: 1 Banana (PROUD)
Snack: A 4" brownie (NOT SO MUCH)
Lunch: Greek Salad (1 Tomato, 1 Avocado, 1/2 Cucumber, 1/4 Onion, and about 1 1/2 table spoons of oil/vinegar dressing) (PROUD)
Snack: 1 bite sized Kit-Kat (NOT SO MUCH)