My Days Are No Longer Numbered

Now that I am in San Francisco full time, officially not going to or coming from any other place for the first time in a couple of months, I am hereby freeing myself from the rigidity of sharing my life in sequential order.. I will now be like all the other Tarantino knock-offs and tell my story out of order. Well, sometimes it'll be in order, sometimes it won't; for that matter, sometimes it'll be honest, sometimes it'll only be paying homage to honesty (again, that's what Tarantino would do). I can tell you this, most of the time I will be trying to tell the truth, but writing brings out the manipulator in me.. if something doesn't quite sound right in print, or I just can't quite find the right words for it because I am not that good of a writer, I'll probably just massage the truth, shaping it just enough, until it fits nicely with whatever story I am trying to convey. So, that's just the way it is.

Anyways... For now, all I want to do is share some random pictures from my first couple weeks in the Bay Area. You may notice that I bought myself a Giants hat, further proof that I am a fraud. For, I have bought baseball hats in every city I have spent any time in over the years, in an effort to blend in with the locals. I may stick out like a sore thumb in Wheeling, WV, but in most other cities I feel like I can throw on a local baseball hat and effectively pass for just another San Franciscan, New Yorker (Mets and Yankees, depending on the neighborhood), or Angelino. Just don't ask me about the team's chances or for directions to the nearest tourist attraction, cause I won't have a clue.

First you see some of the beautiful vistas I have been privileged to behold as simply part of the backdrop of my new daily existence. The Golden Gate Bridge, from three different spots on three different days, with fog and without. The thing really is amazing and mesmerizing in some mytho-poetic way. Below you see a shot of the Ferry Building where I went on my first day here and have gone back to several times since, mostly for the farmer's market. One day I will try something from Boccalone, a pork store inside the building that promises "Tasty Salted Pig Parts"... mmmm, pig parts. Also below, you'll see a shot of one of the cable car turn-arounds down near Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square. At the end of the line the conductors (is that what you'd call them?) have to get out and manually push the car around on a turntable so it faces the other way and can begin re-tracing its route. Then there are some shots of Alcatraz and the sea lions at Pier 39... You know, just 'cause. Those sea lions are loud and not afraid to get in each others' personal space. They are definitely close talkers.

Now here are a few pictures of some of the more normal things in my San Francisco life. The Bagelry is where I have found the best bagels in the neighborhood. Not gonna say they are as good as New York bagels, but they are pretty close, and a big step up from your average Lenders' or Einstein's. Recently, I introduced Jesse to everything bagels and lox... he greatly approved of both. Next is a picture of my first day at the laundromat. In Jersey I always did wash n' fold service (it was less than $1 per pound.. an offer I couldn't refuse), but in SF it is too expensive and it makes more sense to actually do my own laundry. Plus - what with being unemployed and all - what the hell else do I have to do? Anyway, Danie kindly showed me how to work a laundromat washer and dryer and off I went. I have been back since for several more successful loads. Finally, there is the view from Danie and Jesse's roof.. ok, maybe that's not so normal after all. Living here is still pretty dang spectacular.