Kyrie . . .

Today I had several errands to run in the City and I decided to incorporate Sunday Mass into the list of things to do in that part of town.  I went to Latin Mass at St. Patrick's Catholic Church on Mission and 4th Street.

If you have never been to Latin Mass I highly recommend doing it at least once.  Most of the Mass is chanted in Latin.

St. Patrick's is San Francisco's Historic Landmark # 4 and was founded in 1851.

The pastor, whom channels the image and personality of Star Trek's George Takai clearly relishes this Mass!  This is my second time attending and both times he has started the Mass by asking how many people are visiting St. Patrick's.  It quickly becomes clear that St. Patrick's is a tourist destination because very few people appear to be actual parishioners.

And now the Pastor's show begins!  

Until now, I always thought incense was only used on Holy Days and for very special funerals. But during Latin mass the incense is brought out every few minutes.

The Pastor also kept asking if the people in attendance over the age of 50 could remember the Latin prayers from pre-1965 when the Mass was only said in that language.

The Latin Mass is a little bit longer than the English Mass but very much worth it.

The Song Of The Day - Kyrie by Mr. Mister

Da Me Mas Gasolina. . .

Just Jon would like to thank Loyal Reader Wendy for alerting us to this helpful hint.

Have you ever pulled into the gas station and then could not remember what side of the car your gas tank is on?

If yes, then Wendy's tip is for you!

Next time you are in your car, look on your dashboard for the gas pump symbol.  On one side of the pump is the nozzle and on the other is an arrow head.   The arrow head points in the direction of the side of the car your tank is on.

When I first heard this hint I was a bit skeptical.  I was pleasantly surprised to find it to be true.

So thank you Wendy for sharing this tip with us!

The Song Of The Day -  Gasolina by Daddy Yankee

The Writing's On The Wall . . .

Giving new meaning to the phrase "The Writing's On The Wall," I share with you these pictures from a public restroom I had the pleasure of visiting on Sunday.

My friend Shagun and I had planned to go to brunch on Sunday.  We had neglected to discuss where we wanted to go to eat.  After my last brunch choice of Greens, which started off poorly I really didn't think Shagun was going to let me have a say in where we ate.

To my surprise she asked for suggestions.  

I had a major craving for Belgium Waffles with strawberries and whip cream.  So I suggested a local chain in the Bay Area called Squat And Gobble Cafe And Crepery.  I have eaten at Squat And Gobble several times and have always enjoyed my meal.  I have even taken my parents there.

Usually I go to the location in the Marina, but since I know Shagun has a disdain for making the 30 minute bus ride to the Marina I suggested we meet in the middle and go to the Squat And Gobble located in The Haight.

If you are not familiar with The Haight I will describe it as the Three H's:

Hippies

Homeless 

and Hashish

So I had totally forgotten that the restroom in The Haight's Squat And Gobble was "decorated" by the locals.  The rest of the restaurant is clean and neat and resembles all the other locations with the exception of this one room.  

The food was great as always.  

And the best part of going to the Squat And Gobble in The Haight?   Shoe shopping afterwards. The Haight has tons of great shoe stores!

The Song Of The Day - Bug A Boo by Destiny's Child (from the album The Writing's On The Wall)

Willkommen . . .

Several months ago "Blogger" made an update to its functionality that allowed readers to "Follow" blogs that they enjoy.

At that time I added a box on Just Jon for the Loyal Readers to sign in as followers of this blog.

And do you know what happened?

Not one person signed up!  LOL

I knew people were reading the blog because they would come up and talk to me about it, or send me an e-mail, or comment on a particular entry.  I even had people call me on the phone.

So it didn't bother me that no one had officially signed up as a "Follower" because I knew the Loyal Readers were out there...somewhere.

Then this week I logged and was elated to find one of the Loyal Readers had publicly committed to being a Follower of Just Jon!

So this ones for you Rene!

Thanks for being the first official follower of Just Jon!

The Song Of The Day - Willkommen by Jonathan Pryce

Also, starting today there will be a new feature on Just Jon.  The Loyal Readers will have the option of casting their vote on how they feel about each entry.  Of course please feel free to add written comments as well because I love those too (Mom, Dad Brian and Megan =) The Loyal Readers who consistently leave the most comments. )

Croc 'n Rockin . . .

Alright loyal readers, I have heard the message loud and clear! 

 "Why aren't there any new blogs?" 

 "It's been 15 days since your last post!"  

"Is everything OK?"

"Every time I open up your blog its still Madonna!"

Ummm...of course it's still Madonna.  Come on now, those pictures were pretty amazing.  They deserved to be up there for 15 days, right?

All kidding aside, I was pretty tired and needed a break.  A lot has happened in the last 15 days. 

We elected a new president.  

Wildfires are back.   

And...drum roll please...

My "Our Lady Of The Valley" group on Facebook is up to 18 members!  

But I digress.  

What's wrong with the above picture?

Yes, not only do I own Crocs, but I wear them in public.  And if you live in the Marina District of San Francisco that is fashion faux pas numero uno!

The second issue with this picture is that it is mid November and it has been in the high 70s for several days straight and will continue to be that high for the rest of the week.  

So yes that's right, I am wearing shorts and a t-shirt without a jacket!  I swear the weather isn't this nice in the summertime here.  

On Sunday I threw on my Crocs and headed down to the laundry mat which was where I quickly remembered that Crocs are a no no in the Marina.  Every person that walked into that laundry mat did a double take when they saw my Crocs.  I will admit that I have been intimidated by the "Marina Croc Haters" in the past.  So much so that I rarely wear them.  But last night I stood proud as I "Gap" folded my laundry while wearing my Crocs!  They may be ugly but they sure are comfortable.

The Song Of The Day - Crocodile Rock by Elton John

I'm Gonna Wake Up . . .

I could not go to bed tonight without sharing these amazing photos I took during night two of Madonna's Sticky & Sweet Tour at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, CA.

"Ladies with them attitude, fellas that were in the mood..."

"Come on Vogue..."

(Check out a little video I took at the above link.)

"You must love me. . ."

Madonna and Justin Timberlake dancing together.

Look, I can shoot stars out of my fingers if Madonna is singing in the background.

The Song Of The Day - Die Another Day by Madonna

On And On On The Beat Goes . . .

After months of waiting it finally arrived!   Night one of Madonna's Sticky & Sweet Tour at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, CA.

Madge did not disappoint.  At fifty years old she looks better than a lot of people in their twenties.  Her show is very aerobic to say the least.  For one number she jumped rope through the whole song.  And this wasn't normal jump rope, she did Double Dutch!  

I broke out my vintage Re-Invention Tour "Madonna Is My Homegirl" T-shirt to show my support!  But this year Madge was looking for a different kind of support.  She was selling Barack Obama T-Shirts that said "Express Yourself."  She is never one to shy away from politics and religion.

In comparison to The Confessions Tour, this one seemed a little less controversial.  There was no crown of thorns or hanging on the cross.  

One of the highlights was when she did an acoustic version of "You Must Love Me" from the Evita soundtrack.  

I also always love the interludes when she is not even on stage.  Two highlights from this year were the Remix of "Give It 2 Me" which was really a 3 minute advertisement for changing the world and voting for Obama and a Medley of "Rain" and The Eurythmics "Here Comes The Rain Again".  Stunning!

Madge closed the show with "Give It 2 Me" which included a pretty cool laser light show homage to the video games of the 80's.

I am looking forward to tonight when I go back for night two...only this time on the floor!

The Song Of The Day - Beat Goes On (featuring Kanye West) by Madonna

American Woman . . .

Major players in this years election made a campaign stop at Shamoli's Halloween Party on Friday night.  In a show of bi-partisan unity Hillary Rodham Clinton, Sarah Palin, and Joe the Plumber were all together in one place.

After the politicians spoke, MC Hammer came out and performed "2 Legit To Quit."

Everyone enjoyed the evening.  Then Joe the Plumber demonstrated his unique talent for sticking a plunger on his head.  This lead to an impromptu game of ring toss!  

I will spare myself the embarrassment of posting the picture of the big welt the plunger left on my head.

The Song Of The Day - American Woman by Lenny Kravitz