Went to the beach this morning with Ron and Sammi. She's a celebrity now!

We met some friends there (three human, four canine) and basically had a great time. I wish I had found my digital camera battery charger on my shopping spree to the storage facility. But here are some generic pix of Fort Funston, exactly 9.2 miles from my house.

While we were wandering and regrouping and basically taking the dogs' lead by investigating whatever seemed interesting at the moment, someone said, "hey! that guy was totally checking you out!" It never dawned on me I might be the object of appraisal, but turned out it was me. And I missed the whole thing! Anyway, now I know how you feel, (e:Mrmike,27).

The last time I went to the beach with Ron and Sammi was in February, so I foolishly thought a jacket might be in order. Everyone else was wearing shorts and/or t-shirts then, so I felt a bit overdressed. Thought I would make up for it today with one of my newly liberated long-sleeve t-shirts. Got to the beach and it was windy and chilly (50degrees!) Luckily Ron had an extra jacket with him.

The moral of the story is, always wear layers in the Bay Area. And check the local webcam of the microclimate you're going to.

I took my friend's advice and went shopping in my storage containers. Found quite a bit of stuff just my size. ;-)

I'm finally weeding out things to get rid of (yeah, I know I should have done that before I moved) and it's kind of scary to actually examine all my stuff. I have quite a collection of stockings. I couldn't tell you how long it's been since I wore any of these, but I remember a time when I had a lot of fun accessorizing. Oh yes, I used to be quite the fashinista! Just ask (e:j3sse) if you don't believe me!



But I gave that all up when I started working from home almost five years ago. And it's been oh so easy the past five months living out of a suitcase -- makes it very simple to decide what to wear in the morning. But as long as I have to actually go to work starting Monday, maybe I'll give some of these another go. Although I don't know -- are brightly patterned tights in? Not that that ever stopped me before. I definitely have to add some fishnets though.

You don't even want to see my scarf collection. Now THAT'S out of control.

(...?...)

Today I was asked to vote for (my other friend Paul)'s band. Of course I did so immediately. You can tell from my usersound why.

So, this evening I poured myself a nice glass of wine. And when I returned to my "station" at the computer, I found another full glass already waiting there for me. That's the kind of day I've had.

Hey guys. The show last night was stellar. I've only been to the Design Center once before, back in '04 to see Franz Ferdinand with the Futureheads. That was the show that launched my interest in "new" music, so it will always hold a special space in my heart despite the fact that the Design Center is the most humongous vacant warehouse you'd never want to see a band in. Well, I actually don't have that much of a problem with it -- somehow it fits some shows. But most people hate it, although not enough to keep the show from selling out.

I'm more of a New Pornographers fan than a Belle & Sebastian fan, so I was there right at 8PM. Good thing too, since they hit the stage at the stroke of eight. That's one crazy thing about the SF music scene. Some shows start wicked early and right on time. Most venues post the set schedule at the door so you know exactly what time each band goes on. Very handy if you're trying to fit in more than one show in a night, or to text message your perpetually late friend to tell him how much time he's got.

I'm definitely going to buy the new B&S album now. I wasn't familiar enough with their stuff to know if the set list last night matched the one in this concert review which also includes a link to NPR's archive of a live stream they did of the entire DC show. The set list is pretty close for NP's set, although lucky for me last night they DID play my fave tune "From Blown Speakers." I was initially disappointed Neko Case wasn't on this tour (guess I was lucky to see both Neko Case and Dan Bejar with the rest of the band at Bimbo's last year, plus Dan Bejar's band opening). Anyway, any hypothetical disappointment melted away when they started to play. I'm so glad I went.

Seems most people here are more likely to be B&S fans, so I chose my fav tune (which unfortunately they didn't play) as my usersound. For the plug-in impaired, it's "I Don't Love Anyone." I'm dedicating it to (e:Jason,320) after reading his last post. (Is that for real? Not that you'd make something like that up. Wow.) Anyway, I hope you like it.

I got my eyes checked today. My last eye doctor said he didn't need to see me for 3 years, so I thought 6 years might be pushing it. Guess not. Still excellent. I can't wait to tell my little brother when he gets back from Italy. We seem to have dipped into the same end of the gene pool on most things, so he's looking to me as a harbinger of his future. God help him. ;-)

p.s. - I hope you all aren't sick of hearing me blog about music. Seems like that's all I've got going on lately. When I first met (e:Paul) I tried to talk him into using the estrip technology to create a music-based blog community, but no dice. If you're sick of listening to me here maybe you can convince him.

See?


WHOA! Blast from the past using p:mobl!

I'd better 'xplain. I had a rash of bad luck with microwave ovens (don't ask -- nobody got seriously hurt) and JUST when I thought it was safe to make myself a popcorn snack once again, bammo! I guess the glass container I chose from the extremely limited supply that didn't make it into storage wasn't as microwave-safe as I thought. I was telling Paul about it and of course he wanted to see it so I tried to post this pic. But that was quite a while ago. Guess it got stuck in the queue.

This never would have happened if I had my Orville Redenbacher popper handy. Can't wait to get that thing out of storage so I can pop with impunity. I have this 5 gallon jug of microwavable popcorn in the pantry just crying out to be popped. I couldn't take it any longer.

p.s. - NEVER microwave popcorn in regular paper bag. Those brown paper grocery bags contain metallic fibers that can, under some circumstances, (for example if I'm the one doing the popping,) catch on fire.

p.p.s. - my friends keep telling me I should "go shopping" from my storage containers. I really need to do that. I'm going to need more than my suitcase-worth of clothes to get through this 2 month onsite gig. They have a dress code. It's going to be a pain in the ass to dig out what I need since it's all packed tightly into two ginormous, portable crates. Sigh.

Hey (e:Leetee,147)! Sorry to entice you with promises of Buzzcock's tunes when you had no way to play them! Next time I'll be sure to include a proper attribution so you can play that "Harmony in (Your) Head." ;-)

My favourite (notice British spelling) Buzzcocks tune is "Ever Fallen In Love (with Someone You Shouldn't've)." Maybe it's the double contraction, I don't know. ;-)

The first time I saw the Buzzcocks was in November 1989 at Citi on Landsdowne Street, right behind Fenway Park in Boston. That was a GREAT venue to see them in -- also just the right size. I know I saw them several times after that, mostly at the Paradise on Comm Ave. I used to like the Paradise (that's where I almost took my brother for his first 18+ show) but over time it became more about the scene than the music, with the volume cranked way above earplug-safe levels and broken beer bottles littering the floor, and getting pushed out the door promptly after the encore fighting against the incoming tide of (what my friends used to call) the Eurotrash dance clubbers. I don't mean to offend anybody if that's your scene - you're totally entitled to it. But I paid good money to see the Buzzcocks in the only venue they were playing and I would have appreciated a decent interval to chug that last beer and make my way out before the house lights came up and I was forcibly strong-armed out the door. That's all I'm saying.

But I still went to see them there several times and every time I swore I'd never go back there for anyone else. Well, except for X with my friend Andy.

I am so jealous you met Pete Shelley! I'll bet you have those ticket stubs safely stashed in a safety deposit box. Very wise of you not to let on where they are!

Speaking of the Buzzcocks and Howard Devoto and that era, have you guys seen "24 Hour Party People?" Possibly my favourite (I did it again!) movie of all time.

And THANKS for the invite to stay with you if the Buzzcock's tour schedule calls for a trip to Buffalo. I really appreciate that! I don't know if I ever confessed this, although it was bound to come out sooner or later. I had quite a thing for your house on Bird Ave long before you put a bid on it. So I have a special place in my heart for that particular house (and of course for the peeps who live in it). It would be so cool to see it in person some day.

And even though I have WAY LESS space now than I did in Alameda, if you ever come out to SF, you're welcome to stay here. It's close quarters, but right in the city. Or I can find you a place nearby. But either way, I would love to be your tour guide. I'm a good one too, if I do say so myself.

Ok, it's off to New Pornographers / Belle & Sebastian. This is the first show I've gone to on my own since Mission of Burma way back when. I'm kind of looking forward to that. I think secretly I would have a hard time giving up my independence, much as I would like to share some parts of my life with someone.

Later peeps!

At least once a month I get a million dollar idea. Ok, if they were really million dollar ideas I would be a millionaire by now -- but a good idea. I don't know why I haven't implemented this one before, but I think it's time has come.

I have read countless m4w posts on craigslist, and let me tell you, the men of San Francisco could use a makeover if they want to reach the women of San Francisco. Seriously! And who better to do it than moi?

At the very least I could take a decent picture of them. Holding a camera in front of your face might be cute when you're out having a crazy night on the town. But when you're home alone writing a personal ad in the wee hours of the morning, it just makes you look awkward at best / desperate at worst. And photos with the ex-girlfriend cut out are NOT a good idea.

Even if you don't include a photo with the initial post you're gonna need one to trade if you get a response. And with (e:Twisted)'s warranted GetADate!® methodology, you are (almost) guaranteed a response!

As for the rest of the ad, I don't even know where to start. Which is why these guys need me so much. I honestly don't think some guys realize how they come across in these ads. There can't be THAT many obnoxiously pompous or socially clueless guys out there, right? Don't answer that. Now I'm not going to portray some arrogant a-hole as a supportive, emotionally-available sweetheart. That might be good for business, but not fair to the female population. But if I can find some redeeming quality and at least soften the arrogance with a little self-deprecating humor, some desperate chick out there might take him. If the picture is good enough.

And some of these guys are already very close to being contenders. A little tweak here and there could make a big difference. Naturally I'll have to monitor their response rate and help with any high priority exchanges. Which will give me a chance to see what works and adapt accordingly. Did I mention how brilliant this idea is?

I'll have to start slowly so I can refine the GetADate!® (patent-pending -- you saw it here first!) methodology before rolling it out on a larger scale. Some of these guys are so desperate they'd probably pay $xx just to get a practice run in with me. (I'm talking email exchange people! I'm not signing on as a sex surrogate, although I hear that can be lucrative too.) I think it's better if someone as compassionate as I am shoots these fish in a barrel before a more cutthroat opportunist comes along.

And if one of these guys turns out to be a diamond in the rough, I get first crack at him. How perfect IS this business plan?

Plus, I can finally live my fantasy of whipping some sense of reality into the rest of them. I'm going to card every 40-year-old who claims to be 35 and says he "looks much younger" than that to delude himself into actually feeling justified in only dating 25-32 year-olds. Get over it buddy! Everybody in the Bay Area "looks much younger." It's the freakin' fountain of youth out here. If you can't deal with a girlfriend who is your exact age, that simply means you're in denial about your age. It's only a number. Get used to it.

And I'm sure I'll get to hear plenty of horror stories about what it's like on the "other side" of m4w, which may very well have contributed to why some of these ads are so defensive. I can understand why that might happen, but if you don't want to attract the b!tches of CL, don't write for that audience. You've got to write as if you believe she's out there. Oh, I am going to be so good at this!

Figures I finally get around to it just when I'm about to start that full-time contract in San Leandro. That is going to be a shock to my system. It's been a long time since I had to get dressed to go to work. Don't anybody steal my idea while I'm gone.

I seriously scored the best parking space EVER tonight, right in front of the tour bus.



I REALLY have to get a better cell phone camera. And I wish they would keep those trees trimmed so you could read the marquee! Snow Patrol at GAMH. It was a really good show.

I found a handyguy to fix my bathroom heater/fan. I probably could have fixed it myself, but I'm skittish about anything involving electricity, so I kept putting it off. My temporary twist-tie fix was holding up pretty well - that is to say, keeping it from falling on my head. But showering with no heat was getting old, what with the Victorian idea of central heat being a coal-burning fireplace.

He arrived via motorcycle with all his tools packed in this carry-on size suitcase. That is handy.



He's cute too. And not just his butt.



Good thing I have a ladder. I don't think he could have fit that on his motorcycle.

(e:Paul,4243)'s post about looking for a rocking chair reminded me. I've clocked a few hours at Charlotte Douglas International Airport between flights, and was very, very happy to watch the world go by from one of the rocking chairs scattered along the main concourse. What a brilliant marketing strategy. Nothing like being jam-packed on an airplane to make you really appreciate a good seat. If I could have bought one to sit on during the next leg I would have.

Speaking of brilliant marketing strategies, I was taken in by one recently. I desperately needed a haircut before the Bark & Whine Ball, but with my car out of commission, making the trek to my regular guy in Alameda was out of the question. It seriously had been like 3 months, so I couldn't even coax it into some semblance of style for one night. So I went onto yelp.com looking for: cheap, close by, likely to take me at the last minute, and recommended. Not finding a definitive winner, I popped over to citysearch to see what they had to say. Finally settled on a place around the corner from my gym. $10 off your first cut, and they could take me that afternoon with just enough time to walk back home to have lunch with my friend Leslie who was in town from Connecticut, then off to the Ball. So...

The cut was ok, no horror stories. I was happy when they gave me an appointment with Joey, since most of the reviews were about her. Also overheard another new customer appointment being made for her when I got there, and she had a backlog of new customer questionnaires already on her table when I gave her mine. Now I'm getting suspicious. Who has time for all these new customers unless you suck so bad no one comes back? I figure maybe she's new, and sure enough, she just started there last September. So my suspicions are somewhat allayed until she finishes my cut. There was one thing she did that I absolutely hate. I thought about asking her to change it, but the clock is ticking and I've got to beat Leslie to my house. Besides, I like to give people some creative license, so I figured I'd live with it a few days and see if it grew on me. Long story short, I doctored it up myself about a week later.

But that's neither here nor there. Here's the crux of my story.

She rang me up with the $10 off, THEN came the innocent exchange that solved the mystery. "How did you hear about us?" I tell her SFCitysearch. She says, "oh, we get a lot of new customers through them. In fact, if you write a review about us, print it out and bring it with you the next time for another $10 off." Ah HA!!!

I wish I'd known that beforehand. That would explain why there are 96 reviews for them on SFCitysearch and only 7 on yelp.com, and why they're more likely to be positive. Duh! That should have been my first clue. If you want to get another cheap haircut, you don't want to piss off your stylist with a bad review. And if you don't want to go back anyway, you're not as motivated to write a review. Brilliant.

Live and learn.