Friday, January 18, 2008

The F-Car and the Wharf




So today Irwin was craving fish and chips and I suggested the best place to find that would be the wharf.
We caught the F-car on Market and took it down to Pier 39 where we got off and stopped in Chowders for some New England Clam Chowder true SF style in Sourdough bread bowl and a basket of fish and chips. All good. I really liked how these pictures from the diner came out.
I think some of the best pictures came off the ride there. We were in the back of the old fashioned street car playing around with the camera. You have to love the care free moments when you don't give a damn if others are watching. Of course, this is something one has to temper with courtesy. For instance you don't want to have a giant cupcaking session in the back of the bus. That's just gross. Anyways, unfortunately the ones from the streetcar are slightly dark and I don't have access to editing software in a convenient time and place, so I won't be putting them up.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Mt. Diablo and the Sea of Clouds

I wanted to post some photos from the trip Irwin and I took up Mt. Diablo, but having neither time nor a computer I haven't done so till now.
It was a really wonderful trip. One of the last days of freedom that we had before Spring Sem hit us full in the face on monday. So all the following took place on the 11th.
It's very hard not to get up easily when you're excited about a day. So we woke up and bounded out of bed to drive Irwin's dad to the Raider's building in Alameda to pick something up from his work before dropping him off at the Oakland Coliseum BART station and turning the car around.
At first we weren't sure where we were headed, Berkeley or Mt. Diablo. But we decided on Mt. Diablo as we flew past exits for Rockridge. We'll visit Narnia another day. We had big plans for the tallest spot this half of the bay area. The lone inland peak in the line of the coastal mountain ranges. This mountain has been associated with creation myths and religious ceremonies for all of the Native American tribes as far inland as the Sierra Nevadas for centuries. Perhaps longer. And honestly it's not hard to see why.
We had to go through the thick cloud layer to reach the summit. The clouds were dense and shrouded the world so well you could hardly see ten feet in front of you. A dangerous driving condition on thin steep roads full of hair pin turns and side slanting dips. Irwin laughed at me hanging tightly onto the handle on the passenger side, half amused half exasperated with me as I assured him that I was confident in his driving ability but not so much in the car (despite his attempts to reassure me that the SUV wouldn't roll down the mountain) or the condition of the road (even though no one had blocked it off so we should presumably not have to worry about it)... I held tight and tried to keep my flinching and nervous jumping as discrete as possible and trying to pass it off as the bumpy road jolting me up and down. I don't think he was fooled. It didn't help much that when I reach certain elevations I lose hearing abilities in my left ear... the ear that happens to be closest to him when he's driving and I'm in the passenger seat.
Luckily we were able to vent the tension a bit with many stops on the way up so that we could get out and take pictures and watch a very bold coyote follow us along the road and then run down the hill to a ravine.
When we finally broke through the cloud layer the scene nearly took my breath away quite literally as we came around another super sharp turn and I had to suppress a cry of amazement as I didn't want Irwin to get distracted from the road and my vertigo hit me something awful. It didn't lessen until we got out and I was able to put both feet on the ground and feel it not moving or falling away beneath me.
Above the clouds it was sunny and clear. Practically warm. Perfect summer weather with just a hint of winter breeze.
Looking down you could see the sea of clouds stretching out to the coastal mountain range to the west and as far into the valley as we physically visible. We were surrounded. Here and there tall foothills and minor peaks made it above the clouds as well, emerging like islands to keep us company in the blindingly bright world of 3000-something feet. I kept imagining zeppelins or air ships. Flying boats to be ferrying between the peaks.
Anyways, it was a beautiful day. Actually a beautiful couple of days. Filled with smiles.

Monday, January 7, 2008

It Will Be Two Feet Deep

A short video inspired by Bach's book Illusions.
The Edge of the Pond

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Ushering In the New Year with Sushi and Cake

I spent New Years with my favorite people. I love New Years because you get to choose how you spend it and who with. There are no forced customs really except staying up to watch the clock turn and hear everyone around you suddenly burst out shouting happily.
Irwin and I got some prosciutto and manchego and some really delicious sparkling pear juice to welcome in the new year (Sweet and Salty. The way you're supposed to do it to bring luck and happiness. These things are important.) and we stayed in and spent a low-key night watching season 2 of Bones on dvd (Irwin's Christmas present to me). I'm such a geek. Even my guilty pleasure TV series is about Anthropology and I only watch once it's come out on dvd. ANYway, it was perfect. And mom walked in five minutes after we heard the sound of the whole city shouting and banging and setting off fireworks and firecrackers. It was nice getting to see her in the first five minutes of the New Year. Poor thing was just coming home from work.
The next day we woke up pretty late, and then Sophie joined us and we went to Sushi Bang (one of my absolute favorite sushi places. The woman, Susie, who works there knows me by name because I've been going in there since they opened. Irwin and I were some of their first customers. Anyway, I got to spend a happy time eating delicious food with Irwin and Sophie. New Years is much MUCH better than Thanksgiving or Christmas for me.
Anyways, it continued to be awesome as Irwin and I caught the 2 downtown and walked through Chinatown, where we stopped in several stores to polk around and look at stuff and only actually buy stuff (stone chops and some new carving tools) in one of my favorite stores that is going out of business, and through the eastern end of North Beach to Cafe Greco. Milk and chocolate mousse cake in a lively warm cafe was the perfect end to New Years Day.

Irwin Being "serious", and me being definitely not.

A Flashback to New Years Eve





Oh yeah, forgot to talk about New Years Eve.
I got to spend that with friends too. I woke up on Jacob's floor, with Irwin on the couch nearby. Jacob was still sleeping. I think everyone was tired except me. I'd intended to stay awake and hang out with my friends during our holiday party, but I'd opened at the cafe the day of the party and closed the night before that. So I had ended up falling asleep on the couch relatively early and waking up in time for 2am waffles and bacon. Yeah, my friends are awesome like 2am bacon. Are yours? Anyway, I woke up and hung out with Irwin and Jacob and Grayson, who stopped by, for a little bit, but Jacob had to go to work. So for a while it was Gray, Irwin, and me making balloon animals. Yeah. Balloon animals. in Jacob's living room. Then Grayson had to go and Irwin and I tried to clean up a little before giving up and going down to see Jacob and David at work then skipping off to get Green Tea Cafe. On our way there we saw Johnny drive by in a car, shouting out the window to Irwin. So we ended up meeting up with him and Chris for lunch at Pyramid. I hadn't seen Johnny since he'd moved down to So-Cal. SO it was kinda cool getting to see him.
Afterward Irwin and I headed over to Barnes and Nobel and hung out at the cafe reading and drawing and looking through art books. Then we headed out to the City where I got some prosciutto, manchego, and sparkling pear juice and we chilled out and were cozy.