So the way to solve the problem of low voter turnout is by allowing 14-year-olds to vote? It’s sort of like solving the unemployment problem by creating thousands of new fast food jobs. Color me unconvinced…
I wore my Elmo shirt to work today. I always get lots of attention when I wear my Elmo shirt. Random strangers come up to me on the street. Evil co-workers even have nice things to say. I guess Elmo has that effect on people. Elmo is good…
An article in yesterday’s paper had a a subhead which read “The heat blanketing the Bay Area can be explained by laws of physics”. Well, duh. Yes, this is the Bay Area, where stating the obvious over and over again can be somewhat necessary, if only to remind residents that — evil as he may be — George W. Bush is not responsible for ALL bad things. Nor are people who (shudder) drive CARS…
I wouldn’t be terribly surprised to see “Current recession may be result of economic factors” in the Chronicle, nor would I surprised to see the moral outrage which would follow such a statement…
Just wait ’til we see this headline: “High housing costs in California may be related to growth limits”…
Planet SOMA lives…
Just a few minutes ago, I passed the $500 barrier on my QuitMeter, meaning that I’ve saved that much money by not smoking a single cigarette in the past 4 1/2 months. I think that means I get to buy myself something this afternoon…
Had dinner last night at a new Indian place on Haight near Fillmore. I think it was called Naan & Chutney, but I’m not sure. Anyway, it’s in the space where Hahn’s Hibachi used to be, and I mention it because it’s both so amazingly good AND so amazingly CHEAP. Eat there. Right now…
Mark‘s home in Fresno for the weekend, and I’m just about to head off on a little road trip of my own now…
On my way out of the city yesterday, I pulled into the Westlake subdivision of Daly City in order to take some pictures of the cool mod houses there. I’d been planning to do it for quite a while and this was the day…
Apparently, though, one guy was not at all amused that I’d decided to take pictures in his neighborhood. He pulled up next to me when I was stopped at a stop sign and motioned for me to roll down the window. I figured I had a flat or an open gas cap or something, since this is really not a scary neighborhood at all…
The guy was Latino, late teens or early twenties, and he was driving a low-slung newer Cadillac. He asked me about my camera, and I guessed he was your average technology freak. That is, until he started asking why I was taking pictures, and proceeded to get a little more belligerent with each question. Finally, I started getting a little nervous and pulled away…
And then he started chasing me…
It wasn’t a high-speed chase or anything, but he was right on my ass and I couldn’t shake him. I crossed John Daly Boulevard into the shopping center. I wanted a lot of people around and I hoped I might find a cop or a security officer. No such luck. He chased me all around the shopping center, pulling up next to me and about an inch from my car at one point. I was scared shitless…
I turned and saw a bus stop with a bus at it. I pulled in front of the bus and started honking my horn over and over again to draw attention. The guy went on past and out of the center, and I was through with him…
Until I got stuck in traffic on John Daly Boulevard headed for the freeway. I looked in my mirror and there he came, out of the bushes. Apparently, he’d pulled on to a side street to wait for me. He came up to my car, banged on the window and just started yelling. Finally, he went away. I saw his car pull out ahead of me, so I just didn’t move when the light changed. I waited until he was past the freeway on-ramp with no chance of return and I floored it…
This guy was fucking insane. He must not have been armed, which is a good thing. If I’d had a gun in my car, I would surely have killed him, without a moment’s hesitation. I think that’s the first time I’ve ever been able to say that about anyone, mainly because it’s the first time anyone has gotten me that scared…
Yes, I’m alive. I’m just insanely, horribly busy…
Had a visit from Juan Felipe last week, which is always a happy thing. There was also dinner and a movie on Saturday (and yes, we DO cover a lot of ground on a Saturday, thanks). This week, alas, will be nothing but work…
S.F. cops investigate role of ex-police chief in son’s Arizona brawl:
Fagan Sr. is not new to off-duty incidents related to alcohol. He was suspended after a drunken clash with California Highway Patrol officers in 1990, and 10 years later, Fagan Sr. left the scene of a crash, leaving his daughter behind to be with the motorist.
How and why did this guy ever become Chief of Police to begin with? I can’t help thinking the explanation somehow involves Willie Brown and oral sex. But I’m just speculating…
Unrelated: isn’t there a leash law in San Francisco? And if so, how can I politely remind my neighbors — a/k/a “Slimy Yuppie Guy with Trophy Dog” and “Granola Chick Who Probably Thinks Restraint Will Damage Rover’s Self-esteem” — of this fact?
Things I’ve learned so far at this week’s training class down by the airport:
I may not have mentioned this before, but one of the really cool things about my marriage to Mark is that he came with a turntable as part of his dowry. It’s nice being a vinyl family again, and it’s really making me crave all the stuff I have back east in the closet of my old bedroom at Mom and Dad’s…
But right now I’m just enjoying this past weekend’s cheap haul, including Kate Bush and Joan Armatrading and even more Joan Armatrading, not to mention Red Rider and Peter Garbriel in German. Most interesting find, though, was a 1987 album I didn’t know existed by a Chapel Hill band called Other Bright Colors. Loved the band in those days. Love the lead singer even more…
Am I suspended in Gaffa?
