First of all, Italy <hearts> naked people:











Now that I got that out of the way...

It's pretty freakin' gorgeous too. Just about anywhere you look is a picture postcard. Where else can you step out of the Metro station and have your jaw drop at this awe-inspiring site?


The origin of stadium seating

The coast is beautiful too:





Reminds me of another hilly location with a Mediterranean climate on the coast. You'll just have to guess where I mean. Some people might complain about the hills, but I think they're worth it.

Ciao.

I was looking for something to spice up my kitchen backsplash and ran across these ceramic tiles:









Maybe I could sprinkle in a few.

For your birthday present I'm shelling out $55 for the pleasure of seeing you. Jesus Keerhist! For that amount you'd think he'd put a few flowers [inlink]paul,38972[/inlink] in his hair, but somehow I doubt it, haha.



p.s. -- when I get my camera back I'll post some Italy pix. Ciao peeps.

of a San Francisco medicine cabinet. (No, not my medicine cabinet. If it was, I would reshoot this photo with better lighting so you could see the Romulan Ultras and Sour Punk labels for sure.)



ANYway...

I took a few other pictures too.





p.s. - wish you were here. (you know who you are.)

Just 'cause the week will go fast, I'm listing out a few options by date/time. For instance, if you want to do a dance thing, Saturday is probably your best bet. Or next Thurs-Fri on your own.

Fri
SFO 11pm (what airline are you on?)
Maybe a quick Driving Tour and/or walk down to Marlena's for a night cap

Sat
Pacific Heights Mansions Walking tour (11am)
Telegraph Hill hike (1pm)

OAK 8:25pm JetBlue (that's awesome! I thought you weren't getting in until 11pm for some reason. I take back my earlier comment, haha.)

Pop Rocks at DNA? ($7, 9-4am, the color is green, band at midnight, 375 11th St @Harrison)
Bonus - Look for us on their webcam.

Art Patch Benefit at 12 Galaxies ($15)
Spike's Vampire Bar (burning man camp) Blood Drive at Porn Palace ($15/$20, 9-3am)
Club 6ix ($7/10, 60 6th St @Market/Mission)

Sun
Victorian SF Walking Tour

Mon / Tues (since you'll be right downtown for the conference
SoMa
Union Square

Wed
OAK 11:15am (get you there around 10:15am)

Thurs
I will be at the Rickshaw Stop Thursday night but you can do whatever you want.

Fri
I have to leave at 6am to catch my flight to Rome. Wish I could stay longer, but I can't keep the Pope waiting, haha.

Whenever
My Neighborhood (Hayes Valley), Civic Center, Alamo Square Park, Deco Ghetto, Japantown
Embarcadero
Tea Tasting at Aroma near Clement
Marina, Chrissy field, Golden Gate Bridge, Marin Headlands, Sausalito House boats
Golden Gate Park, The Haight, Ocean Beach
Castro, The Mission
Chinatown, North Beach
Pacific Heights, Fillmore, Union Street
Nob Hill, Cable Car museum
Russian Hill
Amoeba Records
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Winchester Mystery House
Gay Bars

After Hours
Most places close at 2am, but there's always The Endup and a few other After Hours clubs. (Don't worry, you'll still be acclimated to East coast time anyway, haha.)

Well (e:peeps), 'tis the turning of the seasons. I know it's sad to put the green and gluten-free goodies of St. Matty's Day behind us - and far be it for me to end that holiday season early. But it's time to start looking ahead. I'm speaking, of course, about the upcoming "California Here I Come" Days!

Now I know California isn't for everyone. But if you managed to drink green beer last weekend, would it kill you to dig out that tie-dye t-shirt from high school and raise a glass of California Cabernet in the spirit of the holidays?

Anyway, whether you're among the dedicated CHIC '07 Revelers or just observing from home, here are some links to get you in the mood. (Or help you plan your own CHIC holiday...)

Culture
Art
Events
Music
Performance
Art & Entertainment Guide (All)
Half-price theatre tickets
Half-price theatre tickets available in advance

Museums
Asian Art Museum
Cable Car Museum
California Academy of Sciences, 875 Howard St
California Palace of the Legion of Honor, Lincoln Park
Cartoon Art Museum, 655 Mission St
Chabot Space & Science Center
Conservatory of Flowers
de Young Museum
Exploratorium, Palace of Fine Arts
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 3rd St @Mission
Vibrator Museum, Good Vibrations
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Mission St @ 3rd

Outdoors
Golden Gate National Parks
Maps of the Parks
GG Park & Presidio Arial Hybrid Map
Chrissy Field Bird Guide
Wave Organ
GG Park Map
SF Botanical Gardens
Marin Headlands
Bay Nature
City Stair Climbing
16th Ave Tiled Steps
Bay Trail
Bike & Pedestrian Maps
Night Rides

Local News/Events/Club Calendars
SF Gate
Indybay
SF Weekly
Bay Guardian
SF Magazine
Yelp
SF Station
Local Music Calendar
Myspace Music Calendar
Club listings by Date
7x7SF
Upcoming.org

Live Like a Local
Rainbow Grocery Coop
Neighborhood Guide
Castro Theatre
Red Vic Theatre
Amoeba Records
Mass Transit
NextBus

Shop
Flax
Wesfield SF Centre
Japantown

Eat/Drink/Music
Embarcadero / Ferry Building
Bargain Bites
Velvet Cantina
Aroma Tea Shop
NY-Style Nightclubs
After Hours
late night clubs
DNA Lounge
Laptop Electronica
Mezzanine
Mini Bootie

Seafood
Kappa
Weird Fish
Tsunami
Alamo Square Seafood Grill

Intensive Tourist Track
Free Walking Tours
SF 101
SF CityPass

Day Trips:
Monterey Aquarium (2 hours away)
Stinson Beach (45 minutes away)
Wine Country (1 hour away)
Alcatraz (it's really close, but you need to make advance reservations because you can only get there by ferry and it sells out)

Oh yeah, I got invited to this Saturday night. If we wanted to do the intensive Burning man track, this would be the place. Although we'd have to leave early to pick up (e:Hodown), so probably wouldn't be worth it. There's plenty of other stuff to do though!

See you soon!

p.s. - darn it, (e:hodown) why aren't you here tonight? I hope something good comes up while you're here.

The homeless people in this town - at least in my 'hood - are extremely polite. Case in point:

Tonight is garbage eve, so I had to put the garbage/recycling out. A small homeless embankment has sprung up outside my back gate (see (e:Twisted,23283) for the scoop, haha), and as it turns out, I had to skirt around not one but two bodies in the night tonight. Looks like my resident bum scored a girlfriend! Or redeemed enough bottle deposits for a hooker, I'm not sure. Either way, there was a lot of smoke coming from under the blanket. Which is why I couldn't help looking even though usually I'm all about privacy when it's called for. Anway, this cute face peers out and says, sorry ma'm! I have no idea what she was apologizing for, since I was the one making all the racket with the recycle bins. So I say no problem and apologize for the noise.

Anyway, I'm proud to say I didn't bum a cigarette off them. Although I was tempted too.

The guy who is replacing me started yesterday. He's hot! And cute, and smart, and nice. Almost makes me want to stay. But if I was staying, he wouldn't be working there. How ironic is that?

Speaking of ironic, I got an email from my ex this morning saying he's coming here April 11 - April 16. I'll be in Italy April 1 - April 18. If he wanted to see me, maybe he should have checked first. Guess that means he didn't really care about seeing me. Ouch.

And to top the week off, I ran into Steve [inlink]twisted,36599[/inlink] coming into my gym on Monday when I was on my way out. It was nice to chat. Not quite as steamy as the yoga room after Jehfree's class (see below), but still.



Which reminds me, I think I have a couple free passes if anyone wants to join me for Jehfree's class next Monday, haha.

I got rear-ended big time tonight. Ok, you can hardly tell by looking at my car (thank god, since I didn't feel like pulling over on the Bay Bridge during rush hour). Although the impact was hard enough to feel my teeth rattle. A couple Ibuprofen will probably do the trick.

The guy's front end was seriously smashed - most likely from multiple previous run-ins. I'm guessing he suffers from ADD. In any case, that's probably what his insurance company would have claimed. If he is insured, that is.

omg. I can't believe this. I've been keeping my eyes open for a show when (e:Paul) is here. Not because he'd be into the same music I am, but because I would love to have him experience a show in SF. Well, this isn't what I was looking for, but when I read it, I almost freaked my freak. Mitch Easter/Let's Active is going to be here the Day Before I leave for Italy. And they're playing at the Rickshaw Stop, less than 1/4 mile from my house. How crazy is that?

So that's where I'll be Thursday, March 29th. I really can't recommend the show to anyone else. It's kind of a personal thing for me. And within walking distance of my house! How crazy is that?

p.s. -- usersound is "Every Word Means No" by Let's Active.

p.p.s. -- Note to (e:Matthew): matt, I totally neglected to see if you wanted to come along that night. I just assumed since (e:Paul) was down for the count that you were going to stay in too. although at some point after I got to the show it dawned on my overloaded brain that's probably why you roused yourself. sorry. I didn't mean to be rude/antisocial, I was just brain-dead at that point.