Might as well Jump...

Here are some pics from a run across the bridge, the Golden Gate that is. Me, Matt and Ang ran from the marina to Sausalito, then caught the ferry back across. I don't know how far it is but it took about an hour and a half to run and I think Matt and Ang ended up with some poison ivy. Not me though! The Golden Gate Bridge view is nice but the cars screw it up, there should be a pedestrian bridge higher up...

Life in the City

Here's a day in the life of an SFian, morning coffee in a flower-filled courtyard, afternoon at the beach, evening movie at Dolores Park where dogs are welcome. Not too shabby.

If you're going to San Francisco...

Hello Friends!
I have returned to SF and all is well. I brought the red dog home with me and lots of stories from Alaska and now we are a family again. Tune in for more wild tales from the big city.

Off to the Great White North

I'm headed North to Alaska, leaving Ang and Mazz to fend for themselves in the Great White West. The duo is pictured here in our living room in front of a painting I recently completed. It's a stunningly lifelike view of Pacific Beach at Sunset.

We Built this City...

I have spent the last 5 months of my life here, eating tamales, listening to Caballero music, and trying not to fall to my death. Good times. Now for a month-long break and we'll see if they need me when I return. Of course they will... (why the hell is everything suddenly underlined?)

Sunday, Bloody Sunday

Note the window is open, in March...

Chasing the Dragon

Chinese New Year Parade 2007 - or The Parade that Tried to Crush Me Beneath a Wall of Moving Flesh. Not so cool as I had hoped unless you like floats with names like "Wells Fargo" "AT&T" "Bank of America." I begin to think the Chinese are nothing but a marketing ploy. Wait a second, have I uncovered a sinister plot? Just a minute, someones knocking rather loudly at the doo

Guess who's back, back again...

That's right folks, Willie Nelson and Family will be playing in SF April 15-20 and Ang and I will be spending Tax Day with the red-headed stranger at the Fillmore. Tickets are still available if anyone plans on being in the area then, otherwise, we'll just tell you about it.

So you wanna be a gangsta...

Here's a look at the last month's worth of drive-by shootings. Sort of wishing my short barrel 12-gauge wasn't up in the Brooks Range right now, but honestly, these aren't random killings. Just a few folks takin' care of biddness.

I didn't see nuttin' man.

Update: I just talked to the PoPo and they said exactly what I wanted to hear: these are not random killings- one of the victims was wanted for murder, one was a known drug dealer- so in actuality, the crime in this neighborhood takes care of itself- no PoPo needed!

Mazzy's Long Lost Cuz

Today we met Mazzy's cousin from Mississippi. Turns out there was a Chow in the woodpile so to speak. They caught up on family and smelled each other's butts- your typical family reunion, and then we went on our merry way.

Sunsets & Murals

The weather has been gorgeous lately, 75F during the day and cooling off at night. Perfect for enjoying sunsets at the ocean or some of the murals in the Mission District, ice coffee in hand as I step over the homeless. Ahhh, life in the city....

Cabo San Lucas

We are back from our peninsula paradise vacation to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. It was a short week of tequila shooters, margaritas, Dos Equis and sandy beaches. Not too shabby if you like that kind of stuff. Ang and I also did the time share circuit which is quite an experience. You get scooped up at the airport, handed armfuls of free stuff, and all you have to do is sit still for an hour and a half as some hack tries to sell you Mexican real estate. I thought it was fun and we got jet skiis, whale watching, 3 day rental car, lobster dinner, scuba diving and a bunch of other activities for free. And I'm all about the freebies.

But we're back now in Fog City where it's pouring down rain and people expect you to work for a living... that has got to change...

Lets Play Hockey!

On Thursday night Ang and I watched the San Jose Sharks take a bite out of the Detroit Redwings. (sorry Mark) We were secretly rooting for the Redwings but they were flat on their feet. I think they were intimidated by the fact that the other team skated out onto the ice through a giant sharks head with glowing red eyes. It was pretty freaking cool. The HP Pavilion is a great venue for hockey although it's creepy to think a company that builds printers is responsible for a gazillion tons of steel over my head.

South Lake Tahoe

I journeyed to South Lake Tahoe this past weekend to see what all the hubbub was about. Apparently "Tahoe" is Cherokee for "place with little snow and lots of sharp rocks and gambling." Because that is what I saw. Beautiful scenery but no snow. Heavenly Resort was about 70% open with very few black diamonds and Kirkwood was 100% open with black diamonds that rocked my bases like Amadeus. I got a little teary looking down on Lake Tahoe from the top of Heavenly as it resembled Turnagain Arm. Sigh...

Pier Pressure

Merry Chrismahansaquansicka Friends! Angela and I spent Christmas afternoon strolling the Wharf in SF and checking out the Sea Lions. It was cool- I mean literally, about 45F and damp, which is cold if your blood has attained California regulatory measures, which ours has. Anyways, enjoy the pics and imagine lots of belching and farting noises because that's what seals do....

Avast me Hearties

Angela and I set sail on Saturday afternoon aboard a 24' Canard with a couple of salty dawgs we'd met on the pier. A Canard is a wooden sailboat with no motor so we even pulled out of the San Francisco Yacht Club under sail which is a bit unnerving when there is nothing but expensive yachts on either side. We made it into the Bay without hitting anyone and enjoyed glorious winds as we sailed across to Belvedere Island and then tacked back under the Golden Gate Bridge and came in just before sunset for cold beers on the dock. Hopefully we'll go out again soon.

John gets a Job

It's amazing what 1 hour in Home Depot and a souped up resume will get you. Tomorrow I start framing a house somewhere in the middle of the city, Mission District actually, famed for it's burritos and drive-by shootings. Hopefully I can keep my tools from getting stolen, at least until I pay them off. Stay tuned, the next post will be filled with the visceral rants of a Bay Area Framer- Lord help me and keep my thumbs from smashing...

Mazzy gets a Haircut

Courtesy of Kate's Dog Grooming a few blocks down the road, Mazzy is now a much smaller and much less fuzzy dog. Observe the before and after. Of course she doesn't have the cute little chunks of fur missing like when I do it, but they did a pretty good job, and they were able to get all the fur out from between her toes which reportedly took most of the staff.

Pretty City

Well it poured down rain today, the kind where you have to jump off the curb to clear the mighty river that courses through the gutter. It was warm though, 57F I think, so not all that bad. The other day Angela and I went to Tiburon for a visit with some old Alaska friends and on the way home we pulled over to enjoy a classic SF lookout. Gorgeous. The super pointy building in the city is known as the "Dunce Cap" by some. No idea why.

Full Moon Rising

The view out the window tonight is stunning, I'm speechless...