You can use it for nearly anything…! Pictures, videos, sending notes…and it has SUSHI!

Why oh why did I wait so long to post again…*sigh*

I’m sure I’m going to receive multiple corrections on this one, but that’s okay. All I can do at this point is post from memory.

Saturday was the day of the Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt. MS + JT + “JT no Femme Fatale” = a treasure hunting team. There’s so much to say, but I’m not going to say it. I should have said it when I had the chance. The most satisfying thing of it all, I think, is the quality of the team with whom I engaged on the adventure. Even though it was time for the hunt to stop, we didn’t go to the place we were supposed to be at the end of the hunt. We already knew that we weren’t going to place in the top 5, or even the top 10, or even…etc. etc.
Instead, we decided that we were going to stick things out and finish the hunt as much as we could. That made the entire day worthwhile to me, and sitting on the bench along the Embarcadero and looking out over the water and also at the last clue of the hunt is a memory that will stick with me forever.

Miss ya, MS.

Thursday. Trader Joe’s cereal with blueberries. Delicious!

Recharge camera. Prepare for Alcatraz. Yep, that’s right, Alcatraz! We started off by taking various forms of transportation to arrive at Pier 1. (No, you cannot buy miscellaneous household goods there.) Then we walked 33 FRICKIN’ PIERS (a few numbers excluded…okay, more than a few, but still) to arrive at Pier 33, which is the departure gateway for the ferries that go to The Rock. I don’t know why it’s called “The Rock”, though, since it’s full of greenery. I think that it was originally much less green than it is now. Read more here.

In front of Pier 33 are picketers, a disgruntled labor union. It seems that a non-union company won the rights to use the pier for ferrying to Alcatraz, and the unions aren’t happy. This is the second boycott line that I’ve seen since I’ve been here.

We ferry over to Alcatraz, which provides excellent views of the city. Pictures. Nice day out. The place was okay

After leaving Alcatraz, we headed over to a wonderful Pakistani restaurant — Shalimar. Their website was tough to access at the time of this writing. Good food. Leaves you un-hungry for the rest of the day if eaten during lunch.

We left the restaurant and went to REI to pick up a walking stick for me. I don’t know if I can do these hills for another day without assistance — hence the stick. It actually turned out to be a pair of sticks.

We left there, came back to home base. I took a nap on the third floor. Woke up…suggestion for dinner. Thai Kitchen. Horrible Thai — 3 out of 10.

Back to home base. Shower. Stretch. Bed. Tomorrow — the treasure hunt!

Breakfast. If I recall correctly, I woke up a to a somewhat gray sky.

I was whisked away past The City of the Dead and through The Industrial City. Somewhere en route, we passed near an apartment complex that had been set on fire earlier. I s’pose they don’t know if it was on purpose yet. I arrived in Millbrae for breakfast at the Millbrae Pancake House.

Delicious. Excellent pancakes and thick bacon. I know that I’m going off my anti-cholesterol diet, but that’s simply going to have to resume after I arrive back in Florida, dangit! When I went on vacation, I left everything behind, including my diet! (even my clothes were late in catching up, as you saw ;))

After that was a short resting time back at home base and then it was a trip to get new shoes. I went into downtown San Francisco (EXCELLENT architecture) and saw The SFSO (San Francisco Street Opera). Absolutely amazing. I donated $5 to them and they performed “Nessun Dorma” for me. I was impressed, and very happy. Litz Plummer gave me her card and requested that I order a CD. I’ll be more than happy to do so. You should as well. This is her LIVING — and I approve. I couldn’t do it myself, but I admire her talent. I admire that of Robert Close as well (he’s the one who started it all), but I didn’t get a card from him…

So, after seeing the SFSO, I arrived at New Balance where I received more knowledge that I have ever received before about shoes. I learned that I have extra wide feet (E4, and proud of it!) and a collapsed arch (not so proud — it shows off my flatlander ways). I was then directed to a RANGE of shoes that would remedy problems I was having with my back and my legs. It wasn’t as if the salesperson were pushing me to one shoe and one price range, which I appreciated. I’m happy with my purchase and plan of taking a picture or two soon. These is actually the first pair of shoes that I’ve worn in a long time that is snug, yet gives my toes room to do their thing.

Happy. After that, we went to SFMOMA — The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

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And that’s enough to say about THAT one. I like modern art, don’t get me wrong, but with the exhibits there…hmm….what to say….BLAH. BLAH BLAH BLAH. There were at least 20 canvases that were one solid color. Sometimes three solid colors painted in stripes. There’s modern art, and then there are accidental paint spills sold to a museum. I was hoping to see something more interesting there. The most interesting painting was of a Minotaur Moving (Picasso). The most interesting sight was the entry to the museum. Colors, stripes, stairs, shiny. I’ll post a picture of it.

Return from the museum. Drop off the old shoes. Go to dinner at The Stinking Rose. No vampires allowed! I’ll post a picture of an interesting poster and some interesting pictures inside of the restaurant soon. Excellent food, I ate Bugs Bunny (for the second time in my life). Drank a pitcher of something.

Then was a trip up the street to see Beach Blanket Babylon. It was funny. It was a parody. It was a funny parody. I’m being told to mention that there was a rather substantial earthquake that I didn’t feel during the show, but I’m not surprised after everything I had for dinner! (nudge nudge wink wink)

Then home base again. Tired. Bed. Tomorrow was to be Alcatraz.

Whew! What a freakin’ day!

Okay…first, let me mention that there was a landslide yesterday. Thank goodness the condos stopped the slide, eh? Wouldn’t want traffic blocked…

Hmm…what did I do for day three…yesterday…this blogging the day after thing really isn’t as effective as blogging the day OF

Berkeley. I went to Berkeley University. Where they have marble stalls in the men’s restroom. Enya must have taken a trip here at some point to be inspired by the marble bathroom stalls. Whether she went into the men’s restroom is yet to be seen.

Other than the marble stalls, Berkeley has several features. There is no parking on campus, except for certain high-ranking campus officials and Nobel Prize winners. Insanity. Also, photography in the library is not allowed. Hmm…ah….yes. I purchased a shirt there as well. I intend to wear it this week. I have no idea what color it is — I think it’s blue and yellow. One of the students there proffered me a summer job; I politely declined.

After Berkeley was an excellent food experience at Chez Panisse. Hands down, they made the best pork ribs I’ve ever had in my life. I’d kill for another set like that.

What else did I do yesterday…AAGH…can’t…remember…ah. Asked MS — went to Twin Peaks. It pretty much resembles a giant brazier. Continuing the analogy, I climbed to the top of the Northern Ariola and took a picture or two. It was extremely windy there. I wished for a kite (not the bird).

At the end of the day yesterday, my back and legs were KILLING me. I wasn’t used to these hills. My flatlander ways weren’t going to cut it. If I hadn’t found a way to remedy the problem (with the help of Klep), I wouldn’t have been able to go to the treasure hunt on Saturday. Read the next post to see how I solved the problem…