Loud Music . . .

This was one of those San Francisco Sunday's where there are so many activities available to participate in that residents have to make tough choices.

There was the Folsom Street Fair for the "Leather" Community.

There was Opera In The Ballpark for the "Cultured."

And there was the Now & Zen Fest presented by Alice 97.3 FM.

I've done the Folsom Street Fair,  I've been to Opera In The Ballpark and when I heard the the Now & Zen Fest was free and featuring one of my favorite singers Michelle Branch the choice was easy.

I am not the biggest fan of music festivals because with age I have found the large crowd that never sits still gives me anxiety.  So I looked up what time Michelle was to take the stage and targeted arriving at Golden Gate Park just in time for her performance. 

The timing could not have been better because not only did I arrive just before she came out on stage but the light drizzle had stopped and the sun was breaking through the clouds.

Michelle's set was less than an hour but she still fit in her biggest hits and a few songs from her forthcoming album.

Here is a poor quality video of Michelle performing her first hit song Everywhere which came out when she was only 18 years old.

 

The Song Of The Day - Loud Music by Michelle Branch

Set It Off . . .

Circle the wagons!

Or in this case the food trucks.

Friday night my friends and I went to Off The Grid at Fort Mason.   Off The Grid is a "mobile food extravaganza" that features the hottest hippest food trucks in the City and live music.

As this was our first time at Off The Grid we thought it was important to walk the entire circle before deciding on which line to stand in.  And when I say line I mean LINE.  Some lines were thirty to forty minute waits with stanchions set up to control the crowd.  

As we maneuvered our way through the sea of people I set my sights on Curry Up Now - the Indian Street Food truck while my friend An decided on 3-Sum Eats whose menu was designed by Chef Ryan Scott of Top Chef fame.

Here is An next to the "An The Go" noodle truck

My Chicken Tikka Masala Burrito made with Organic Chicken Breast, Methi Pulao, Chana Masala and Pickled Onions was killer.  It was a little on the spicy side but I loved every bite.  When my friends Shamoli and Atiya saw my Indian Burrito they opted to get their food from Curry Up Now too.

After my delicious dinner it was time to get back in line.   This time for some cupcakes from CupKates.

I chose a Double Vanilla (Madagascar Vanilla Cake topped with Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting) and a Spicy Mexican Chocolate.

These cupcakes have a more solid dense cake than The Marina favorite frosting filled variety offered at
"Susie Cakes".  The cake; with a dollop of rich frosting was easier to eat because it didn't break apart in your hand.

The Spicy Mexican Chocolate was to die for.   I guess I am lucky they had already run out of S'mores and Salted Caramel.

Off The Grid was a lot of fun.  The communal atmosphere of folding chairs scattered inside a circle of food trucks inspired conversations with strangers.

"What is that you are eating?"

"Which truck did you get that from?"

"How long did you have to wait?"

"Is it good?"

"Is anyone sitting here?"

"This is our first time."

"I can't wait to come back!"

The Song Of The Day - Get It Off by Monica

Downtown . . .

Do you see that?

TARGET is coming to the City!

Stop the press and shut the front door!

Currently San Franciscans have to drive outside of the City to go to Target so this is a BIG deal.

After getting past the initial excitement about the prospects of having a Target in the heart of downtown San Francisco; logic kicks in.

Let's think about this Loyal Readers...

1. If you have ever been to a Target on a Saturday or Sunday in suburbia imagine what a lone Target in downtown San Francisco set to serve 800K people is going to be like at any given moment.   Prediction - Total $#!% show!
2. Parking?  Not good.  Not free.
3. Public Transit - I know when I go to Target I always leave with a LOT more than what I went in to buy.  If that consistent behavior continues at this new Target I am bound to reach the check stand and realize that I now must somehow get all this crap home.  Muni is crowded enough but the potential for mass Target plastic baggies to maneuver past on a crowded bus or train is highly likely.

Conclusion:

A new Target downtown may relieve some of the chaos at the Target's outside of the City.  Therefore I think I will continue to drive to the Target in Colma where the parking is free and I can load up the car without worrying about using pubic transit.

The Song Of The Day - Downtown Lights by Annie Lennox

Disease . . .

As a self proclaimed hypochondriac going to see the movie Contagion was an exercise of the mind.

The opening two minutes alone which just showed all the things that we touch in common with other people was enough to get my anxiety up.

But since the movie was partially filmed in San Francisco and they actually asked people from the City to be extras I really wanted to see the film.

The best part of this story is that my friend had a slight cold and coughed a couple of times during the movie which just added to my paranoia.

Despite the subject matter of this movie it is very good film and because there are so many interwoven story lines; not everything is resolved.  I hope the extra/deleted scenes on the eventual DVD will tie some of those story lines up, unless they plan on doing Contagion 2.

And what was the best line of the whole movie?  As said by Elliot Gould to Jude Law who portrays a "Blogger"-

"Blogging is not writing.  It's just graffiti with punctuation."

I'll take that as a compliment.

The Song Of The Day - Disease by Matchbox Twenty

I Can't See New York . . .

On this the 10 year anniversary of September 11, I am still deeply moved by all the televised memorials of the events of that tragic day.

While time has allowed Americans to move forward, this week when I stopped in front of AT&T Park where a make shift memorial listing all the people who had lost their life on that day I found myself instantly welling up with tears.

I found Ron Gamboa's name,  who I knew from work, along with his partner Dan and their son David on the front banner that had all the people who were on United Airlines Flight 175 which was the second plane to strike the World Trade Center.  

I was taken instantly back to that morning.  I was up getting ready to for work when the radio station I was listening to said that there was a plane crash in New York.  I turned on the TV and watched the events of that morning unfold live on the air.

I watched the plane Ron was on hit the Tower.

I watched the two Towers collapse.

And then I had to drive to work.  

By the time I got to work the Company had made the decision to stay closed that day.

It wasn't until several days later that I learned that Ron and his family had been on Flight 175.

As the Nation mourned it was actually Ron, Dan and David's memorial service that brought a piece of light back into those dark days.   The church was filled with so much love it was definitely a catalyst in helping me to move forward in those first weeks of uncertainty.

I found this lovely tribute to Ron, Dan and David that was written a few years back.

Today, take a moment to remember all those who lost their life on 9/11.

The Song Of The Day - I Can't See New York by Tori Amos (This song is from the album Scarlet's Walk which was a sonic novel about Tori's alter ego Scarlet and her tour of America post 9/11)

I'm A B*&%# . . .

This week the above video of Madonna dissing a fan's gift of hydrangeas went viral.  While seeing Madonna's bitchy side is always funny, this is not my favorite example.

Please see the below clip of an interview where Madge lost her shizz over a hot room.

"Just GIVE me a fan!"  

Seriously?

Do you know how many "fans" would have been willing to stand there and fan her?

The Song Of The Day - Bitch by Meredith Brooks 

Loser Baby . . .

Labor Day Weekend 2011 my parents came to visit San Francisco and I thought it would be fun to take them to a baseball game played by the World Champion Giants.

Here's proof that my Dad (a Dodger fan) attended the event at AT&T Park.   

And I quote, "Until McCourt is gone, I am OK giving $35 to the Giants for parking."

Again, the idea was that my parents would get to see the World Champion Giants play.

Unfortunately, the Giants are not playing like World Champions currently and suffered a miserable loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Despite the loss, in what can only be attributed to divine intervention, it turns out that Sunday's Game was "Star Wars Day" at AT&T Park.

There were lots of people dressed in full Star Wars costume.  Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and Darth Vader just to name a few.  At the beginning of the game the Empire, I mean Umpires were escorted onto the field by Storm Troopers.  When the players faces flashed up on the big screen they were cloaked in Jedi hoods.  

There were quotes, trivia, and even a mini movie that superimposed Giants mascot Lou Seal into the Star Wars Trilogy.  It was a lot of fun.

I think my Dad really started to enjoy the game when the Arizona Diamondbacks manager, Kirk Gibson (a past life Dodger), had to come out onto the field when Diamondbacks player Justin Upton was ejected from the game for arguing a call. 

Yes, the Giants lost, but today was a beautiful day in the City to take in a baseball game.

The Song Of The Day - Loser By Beck

Corn . . .

OK, seriously - this might be the most brilliant piece of artwork ever!

Kudos to whomever painted the ear of corn on the Gapeteria wall.

The thermostat is the butter?   AMAZING!

I applaud your ingenuity and humor.

This made my day!

The Song Of The Day - Cornflake Girl by Tori Amos