On the beach at Pacifica

It’s chilly this afternoon, but all last weekend it was like summer. Well, maybe not like summer in Texas, but summery nonetheless. It inspired us to take a quick run to the beach in Pacifica with friends on Sunday, where it was just gorgeous. After that and a lunch at the Ramp, we took a long walk though the city, through Potrero Hill and Dogpatch and even a bit of Bayshore, just to be out in the beautiful weather.

There’s been a lot of walking going on. For the last two weekends we’ve incorporated long walks through Noe Valley and the Castro into our Saturday evenings. Last week it stayed warm even into the evening, we barely needed our jackets, and we walked through the neighborhoods and saw two bands at two different venues, which was pretty uncharacteristic for us, but really fun. Last night it was cooler for our walk, but it was still very pleasant, and we wound up at Anchor Oyster Bar for a yummy seafood feast with E&B. Another great night out.

I plan to leave after this and take another walk, just to stretch my legs and get my heart rate up. If I could only get activity points for blogging …

Wash, fold, vote

A lot of firsts for me today. This was the first time I’ve actually voted on Super Tuesday, since Texas doesn’t hold their primaries until March. Between that and not living in Texas anymore, it really felt like my vote counted. And, after years of voting in elementary schools and churches, it was certainly the first time I’ve ever voted at a washateria. Finally, I think it might be the first time I actually liked two candidates on the ballot.

More photos of my voting experience here. Note the San Francisco-style “I Voted” sticker.

View from the cabin, after the fog dispersed on Sunday

It’s Saturday, and I’m writing this entry from Hope Cottage at Green Gulch Farm, part of the San Francisco Zen Center. It’s down Highway 1, within walking distance of Muir Beach, theoretically, only today we’re not doing much walking. This won’t be posted until we get back to town, though, since, although we’ve had an intermittant wireless connection here, it’s not consistent enough to post to the blog.

We got in last night just in time for the dinner served in the Green Gulch dining room; it was pasta puttanesca with homemade bread and homegrown broccoli, and for dessert there was a big bowl of chocolate pudding that was still warm. It was awesome. This is a serious Zen retreat and a lot of the meals are taken in silence, but people were talking at dinner on Friday night; dessert is not an everyday thing either, so we apparently arrived at a hedonistic time.

Here are some things we knew about Hope Cottage before we got here: There are electric lights that are fed by solar panels, and we could run out of power during the evening, so we should try to be conservative with our light usage. We knew that water is hauled up here and stored in a cistern, and heated with a propane tank, so conserving water would be necessary too. We knew that the place is heated with a wood stove, so we might get chilly, since the forecast said it would be in the mid 40s at night when we were here. We knew that it was a 20-25 minute walk up to the cabin, and that we’d need to haul everything up in backpacks. We expected it to be a little rainy today, so hiking might be a little gross.

What we didn’t know was that the 20-25 minute time for the hike was measured by people who weren’t packing in loads of stuff, and carrying your packs up the steep hills, especially after a rain, generally takes more like 40 minutes. It was pitch-black dark too, of course, so that made things interesting; you have to keep one hand free for your flashlight. Maybe that’s why all the Zen students kept wishing us good luck when they heard where we were staying.

We also didn’t know that instead of the “few showers” predicted for today, we’d get what feels, to us, at least, like a serious storm. This morning we woke up to a gorgeous view of the valley and the ocean, but the view was pretty quickly overtaken by a fog so heavy we can’t see past the edge of the ledge we’re on. Forecasts said it would be about 50 degrees this afternoon, but this is apparently a pretty cold weather event, since we’re still seeing our breath inside at 4 p.m. We do have a temperature gauge; it’s about 53 degrees right by the fireplace, and more like 46 by the bed. The fire is nice, but you have to stay close, because the wind is blowing strong and the cabin is drafty. And I haven’t kept the fire raging because I’m a little afraid we’ll run out of dry firewood (not likely, there were too big piles in the house when we got here, but we’ve had to have the fire going since we woke up at 8:30 this morning.)

And, we didn’t know that the pilot light for the water heater could blow out during a windy storm like this one, leaving us with no hot water. Last night we had hot water, but none today. We do have a three-burner propane stove where we’ve been able to heat up water to do dishes and wash our hands.

There’s electric lighting, but, as it turns out, no electrical outlets, so my rechargeable items aren’t recharging. I don’t expect to be able to use my laptop for long, and I’m a little sad I brought it, since it’s a heavy item to carry up and down the hill to the car. I had a fantasy I’d write all day, but probably a few hours is all I’ll get. Also, I didn’t think to charge up my camera battery before I got here, and the low battery light started blinking immediately, so it looks like there won’t be a tremendous number of pictures of this trip (Here’s all I took).

All that said, this is really lovely experience in a lot of ways. This is obviously a very special place. Last night, walking up here, we heard coyotes howling in the wood around us. Today we saw hawks hunting over the gulch. It’s cold, but we’re cuddling up. We brought up good snacks, and there’s also homemade bread and granola here, and eggs and butter, tea and coffee and milk. This morning I made eggs sunny side up, then warmed up slices of homemade bread in the skillet with the leftover butter. For lunch we made guacamole and had hummus and veggies, and wine, of course. We’re talking and reading and I’m writing this, and I’ve practiced my ukulele. The wild storm is raging outside, and we’re not in it. That’s nice.

Of course, my biggest worry is that this storm won’t end, and tomorrow morning will roll around, and we’ll be forced to hike down the hill in the driving rain and wind carrying 40 pounds of stuff. I’m trying to keep in touch with my optimistic side. I guess that’s our Zen lesson for this trip. At least, on the way back, we’ll be going down rather than up.

UPDATE on Sunday: We’re now safely back at home. This morning was sunny and clear, but only after a night of howling wind and pouring rain. We chose to move to the futon close to the fire to sleep rather than the cabin’s famous platform bed by the windows; there was just too much chi up there. Good thing, too, because the clothes I’d left near the bed were wet this morning; water had apparently snuck in through the edges of the windows. I woke up several times in the night with the winds sounding like a hurricane outside. It was nerve-wracking, and I didn’t sleep so well.

But this morning we saw a rainbow, and were able to pack up and head down the hill with the sun on us. We didn’t make it all the way down before the rains started again, though, and by the time we checked out we were ready to get out of there. We did a half-hearted tour of the farm before heading out to find civilization and hot coffee in Stinson Beach.

Last night we read the guest book in the cabin, and while most folks were waxing rhapsodic about the place (one guest described, in rather graphic detail, the sex he and his partner had after their hike in), we were relieved to see that not everyone was thrilled with long hike up, the state of the food left for guests, and the general uncomfortableness of the situation. At least we didn’t encounter the rodents one woman complained about.

Tonight, back in the city, we’re turning on the heat. And I’m about to take a shower — with hot water. Namasté.

We’ve had a couple of fairly low-key weekends in a row, which has been great; I’ve been needing a rest. The only problem right now is the rain. It’s not raining this very second, and probably won’t rain for the rest of the day, but it’s been raining pretty steadily for the last week, it’s supposed to start raining again tomorrow, and it’s beginning to get to me. On Saturday it was unexpectedly dry, and we were car-sitting for the weekend, so we went out to the museum and then to see a movie in the Marina, but when the rain started coming down on the way home, I felt unreasonably depressed about it. I’ve upgraded my rain jacket and even got myself some rain pants, but I’ve got to work on the shoe situation. Damp socks dampen my spirits. Also I don’t like scootering in the rain, so I’m a bit hobbled by the constant wetness.

We saw two Oscar-nominated movies this weekend, Into the Wild and There Will be Blood. I’d like the next movie I see to be less about men, please. I’m not entirely sure I understand Hal Holbrook’s nomination — was he nominated for an Oscar because he climbed up a rocky hill? It was a little scary, especially when he was teetering there at the end, but it didn’t just seem like an Oscar-winning role.

Pigeon Point hostel

So, as of January 11, we have lived in San Francisco for one year. Notice that I’ve changed the blog title.

This weekend we went out and stayed at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse hostel, which has a terrific hot tub overlooking the ocean. You can hear the surf and the stars and moon were bright enough to see the waves crest, and, of course, the beam of the lighthouse would pass over. Pretty amazing.

On Saturday we went to Santa Cruz and watched a bunch of sea lions on the wharf. There were certainly more than 100 hanging out that afternoon, and they reminded me of Haylee and Tex. See for yourself:

Shortly after my last blog post, power went out at our house. This is quite a storm, worst in five years or something like that. PG&E is warning that some customers won’t get power back this weekend. Sounds like a great weekend to have visitors!

We have returned from The Bronx and are back in San Francisco. Re-entry from the holidays hasn’t been particularly easy; I have fond memories of being in school and getting a month plus off.

When we came back to the city the weather was beautiful, and we have visitors coming this weekend, so it seemed like it was going to be great. Alas, they’re in for a damp excursion, as the West Coast is seriously stormy. At the moment I’m looking out my dining room window at the heavy rain and severe winds the Weather Channel has been promising us for the last couple of days. I’m actually seeing rain being blown back up into the sky, and now and then a chunk of something will fly off our neighbor’s roof.

All of this is supposed to die down by tomorrow, when the tourists arrive, and just go back to the showers I’m getting used to. But for today we have real weather. If I didn’t have meeting to attend today, I’d use this as an excuse to miss work. Taking the bus today, this is no good for scootering.

awakened by the paparazzi

The holidays are in full effect. This weekend we went to see a performance of “A Christmas Carol” in a theater near Union Square, and it was really a good time and a good show. Our one complaint was that there was only one person working the bar at intermission, so we couldn’t have a glass of wine. We remedied that by going out to dinner at 1550 Hyde (finally!), which had a delicious and well-priced prix fixe, and where K. had a flight of sauvignon blanc and I tried the recommended wine pairings with my meal. Very tasty. Eating in San Francisco is good.

This entire week has been a whirlwind. We had a big holiday office party Thursday, which was extremely successful — in fact, 10 times the number of people who actually work in my office showed up. At home, we’ve managed to entertain friends on two separate evenings in one week, fairly successfully, I think. And, of course, we’re prepping for our trip to New York tomorrow.

Haylee looks very sweet under the tree in this photo, but, of course, most of the time she tries that trick she knocks down ornaments and fake branches when she gets up. But that’s better than Tex, who’s been eating any low-hanging ornaments made with felt or fabric. Ho ho ho!

One Elf Burger, Please

I’ve just decided to put this picture from our San Jose trip a couple of weekends ago at the top my blog because I don’t think it’s getting enough holiday love. Elf burgers! Ha ha ha! (It’s possible that I find this more funny than anyone else does, and I’m willing to acknowledge that.)

Last night’s trip to Boulevard was great. We had a fantastic time. We had some champagne, we had some wine, we had some fancy appetizers and tasty entrees, we had a yummy cheese course and a couple of over the top desserts that had little white chocolate signs on them that said “Happy Anniversary.” Our wallets got significantly lighter. A woman complimented K.’s dress. A well-dressed gentlemen told me I had a great scarf. We people watched — an older woman who sat in the bar by herself did crossword puzzles in the newspaper and ordered the $44 lamb chops; the May-December couple next to us paid in cash, and spent less than we did.

The only downside to the evening happened before we left the house, when I broke my beloved Screwpull wine opener trying to get a solid synthetic “cork” out of a bottle of wine. Damn those plastic corks! If real cork isn’t the answer, I say go the screw-off route. I may be able to salvage the Screwpull, if the Crazy Glue holds.

So, today I switched the name of the blog to “11 months in San Francisco” on the WordPress site. Those of you who get the e-mail version of this blog are still seeing this as “Two Months in San Francisco.” I’ve tried and tried to fix this – this has something to do with Feedburner, the folks who provide the e-mail option and adds my Flickr pictures automatically to my blog feed. I can’t figure out how to change the title of this e-mail, and I apologize to all seven or eight of you who get it. However, I hope you still are enjoying the e-mails.

But back to the blog title: We’ve been here for eleven months as of yesterday, and we’re quickly approaching a year of residency. That’s making me think that maybe I should try to think of a better title overall for this blog. I’ll probably just switch to “Our Second Year in San Francisco” when the anniversary rolls around, but if anybody has any awesome suggestions, let me know.

I also switched the picture in the header at the top to a more sunny day. One intrepid reader noticed this change (and you know who you are, mom). I’m not 100 percent sure it’s an improvement, but I was feeling like I needed a little more sun in my life in general and had taken that shot the day after Thanksgiving. The old one may reappear soon, though, unless I manage to take another reasonably good skyline shot. You do see some beautiful views from Bernal Hill.

My resolution for 2008 is to write more in general. I recently bought myself a new Macbook and have been taking trips to a local coffee shop in hopes of accomplishing this. I expect this means that the blog will be a little more active, although you can never tell. If I start producing more blog entries than you have time to read, perhaps you’ll take advantage of this: I signed up for a hysterical new blog feature, and now I’m “podcasting” automatically, using a service called Odigo, which translates my posted blog articles into bizarre electronically-voiced mp3s. Check out this version of my entry about our Thanksgiving retreat to Costanoa:

If you want to listen to more, it automatically updates here.

The mobile blogging from the phone is sort of fun, but it has its problems. The phone doesn’t take perfect pictures, of course; they tend to be a little fuzzy. If I blog directly from the phone, I get a blog entry title that’s just the picture title, which is always going to be the date and time the shot was taken. That’s not bad, really, but it’s not as aesthetically pleasing as I’d like, and, you know, I like to make up clever titles for things. I won’t complain too much, though – it’s fun to be able to capture an image and send it out so quickly, to my 10s of avid readers.

Speaking of my 10s of readers … On Thursday, a lightbulb went off over my head and I realized I could port my Amazon.com Customer Service Page over to WordPress to allow people to comment on it, which would make it a much more dynamic page. So, it’s been up for less than a week, and, as of right now, it’s gotten about 6,000 more hits than this page, which has been up since last March.

I guess that’s all for blogging about blogging for now. Tonight is K.’s & my seventh anniversary (from our first date), and we’re going out for a lovely dinner at Boulevard. Happy anniversary to us!