Public Open Spaces

I have forgotten to mention that while we were in Ireland, a public open space popped up at the corner of Castro and Market. While the streetcar (or F train, as Matt likes to call it) can pass through, cars no longer can. There are planters and tables and chairs sitting there - and they're not bolted down; I have yet to figure out how they stay there. It is now always full of people.

Thursday when I was waiting for the bus, I watched a group of 30 to 40 bicyclists dismount at the plaza and proceed to dance. When the song ended, they got back on their bikes and followed the stereo down Market. People clapped.

Also Thursday I learned that the Kaiser building next to my office has a public rooftop garden. Sounds like a new lunch spot (not that I ever take lunch...).

Watching a Baby Bird Die

Yesterday as we were walking down the hill to a barbecue, Matt and my dad stopped to look at something, and then told me not to look. Naturally I looked back. Lying on the ground was what appeared to be a little rubber animal - like a floppy chicken. It was really a baby bird with no fur, splatted on the ground, but intact, like it had done a belly flop. But as I peered closer, I saw it begin to move. The poor little thing was struggling to go somewhere. And it wasn't going to make it.

It had clearly fallen out of its nest far too early. I wanted to stop and help it, but we didn't know what to do. Then I suggested that maybe we should kill it, but that was vetoed as well. So we just walked on, leaving a tiny, unfeathered baby bird waiting to die on the sidewalk.

First an egg, then a baby bird. What's next?

Bad Omens?

This morning a pigeon attempted to lay an egg on her former nest site (long since knocked down by yours truly and her husband), and now we have a cracked-open egg with unborn pigeon guts splayed all over our balcony. I have so much yolk on my hands... (metaphorically speaking)

This afternoon our office manager/research coordinator was suddenly fired. That makes 10% of the employees in about a month. Funny thing is, we're looking to expand, not lay people off. And the boss locked the door and called security just in case. Yeah. Guess I better make sure I'm doing a good job.

What will the third thing be?

And my Predictions Have Come True

Hello there long lost blog friends.

This past week was my first full 5 day work week in the office, preceded by a 6 day, 60 hour work week that included a 3 day trip to Boston in which I never got to leave the conference center. And during those two weeks I have been writing on planes and at night for a magazine deadline.

I managed to never have time to buy a plane ticket to LA this weekend to see our friends until the plane tickets finally became too expensive. (Except for the night before I flew to Hawaii during which, in a rush, I bought a plane ticket for the wrong weekend and decided to go to bed instead of purchasing any other inappropriate things.)

I've been far too busy to spend time on the internet or head out into the world, and therefore I have had no material about which to blog. I fear this will become my routine. However, if my husband ever wakes up we might be doing some City Walks today, so maybe I'll at least have a pretty picture or two to post.

Hope everybody's doing well!

See more pictures of my nephew. Three weeks until we get to meet him!

Puka Dog

Goodbye For Awhile (Or Maybe Longer)

Well folks, thanks for indulging my need to talk about myself. Tomorrow morning we head to Ireland for 10 days, so there might not be any new blogs during that time. And as soon as I come back I start my new job (interrupted by a quick trip to Hawaii), so my midweek musings on the news and other random stories will be much limited. We will of course still be doing City Walks - only 21 left though, and posting about our other weekend adventures I'm sure.

(And there's a chance we might post from Ireland using my brand new tiny netbook that is the cutest thing ever...)

I'm off to enjoy one last gorgeous day of freedom in San Francisco now. Take care!

Creatures Big and Small (at the same time)

Walking home this evening in the dark and a rather heavy mist, we stumbled upon the biggest snail I have ever seen. Just the normal kind you see in their brown shells, but its body, based on the part sticking out, looked as big as a banana slug.

I tried to take a picture with my phone, but sadly between the lack of a flash, poor resolution, distance from street lights, and precipitation, there isn't even a point in taking up picture-storage space on my blog with the picture. Too bad - you would have loved it.

This weather sure is getting us ready for Ireland!

Matt's Garden Enjoys the Rain

The Last Days of Spring

"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." ~Mark Twain

Yesterday I dropped my car off at its doctor, walked a few miles over to Japan Town and ate some inari outside by the Peace Tower before getting my hair cut nearby. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera on this mini-venture.

Then I decided to walk home, since it was a nice day, one of my last days of freedom, and swine flu probably travels on public transit. I got distracted about 1/2 of the way home by a Jamba Juice, which offered me a no sugar added, dairy free, lovely pomegranate beverage. I sat outside at a patio table, no jacket on, reading a magazine, and realized a massive edifice known as the US Mint rose behind me. (And somehow I've never noticed it before.)

Later on my way home, I discovered a new staircase bordered with flowers, offering astonishing city views, and killing my calves. There were even benches for resting and a water fountain for both humans and puppies.

When I returned home after my 5+ mile urban hike, I discovered I'd been sunburned.

The lovely, warm temperature I have learned, was a whopping 59 degrees.

Maybe I'm getting used to it, just in time for winter.

Oh, Smuckers. How You Disappoint.

I am a PB&J fan. I have it almost everyday for lunch if we don't have leftovers. I like it on Safeway O Brand Seeds & Grains bread with Safeway O Brand creamy peanut butter. But I've been having a hard time with the jam. All the organic or natural stuff is either ridiculously expensive or actually preserves, it seems. And folks, I don't eat crunchy peanut butter, so I certainly don't want, for instance, WHOLE blackberries in my sandwich.

So in a moment of desperation, I picked up the smooth jam, my childhood staple - Smuckers. As I was looking at the label today, I realized that this jam contains not only high fructose corn syrup, but also regular old corn syrup and sugar. YUCK!

Sometimes I forget why I like to buy organic food. Sometimes I think I am just doing it for the environment or it is now just a habit. And I forget that actually eating gross ingredients like corn syrup stinks.

Here is my advice: never stop reading labels.

Now, could someone please suggest for me a tasty, not chunky natural or organic jam?

PS Will you miss me when I have a job and can no longer blog about my super exciting lunches?

PPS Is 11:20 too early for lunch?

Fortunes, Fortunes

In case you didn't know, fortune cookies were invented in San Francisco. Natalie and I took part this weekend, revealing these spectacular fortunes.

Mine:


(Well, at least we know one of these is true...)

Natalie's:


(Also known as: You suck. Try harder. PS Natalie: Good news! I remembered to capture your fortunes for posterity. And fulfilled one of your fortunes! I'm so helpful.)

Also, proof that 87 degrees in the sun in San Francisco is hot:



Hope you're having a good week!

The Ice Plant Bloometh

(Don't click on the pictures - they are horrible big. My 4.0 mega pixel camera can't even shoot across the parking lot without crappy digital zoom...)

See the pretty purple flowers? Unfortunately they are invasive. However, while I know the plant is bad for beaches and dunes where it prevents natural movement, maybe it's okay on our little hill if it keeps it from falling down?

In Line at the Library

Last Friday, I stopped at the library to return some books before meeting Matt for our walk across the bridge. It seemed like there were an awful lot of people outside, so I walked toward the door and discovered that on Friday, the Main Library of San Francisco does not open until noon. I rounded the corner and found even more people waiting at the next entrance. While waiting, an international visitor struggled to ascertain from me why the library was closed - I had no good answer for him. And when the doors finally opened, people streamed in from all entrances, including a humongous throng of people from the one I had not walked by yet. It sounds like I could have gotten a better picture over there.

Matt thinks they were all waiting to run towards the best computer for porn-viewing. I hope not.

On a side note, I took this picture with my cell phone and sent it to an online album. There may still be hope for me entering the 21st century. (I wonder how much that cost?)

The Moby Dick Whalers Easter Party

In case you or someone you know will be bored in the Bay Area on Easter Sunday (this Sunday, April 12th), Matt's softball team could use some support!



(I am so technologically inept that I had to print out this pdf and scan it in order to insert it as an image on my blog.

Wildlife in the City

Gosh, this post would be so much better with pictures. Alas, I am not much good with the camera.

But I've been thinking about how much nature we really get to see here in this dense, concrete, urban chaos - mostly in our little neighborhood though.

• At least one skunk
• Multiple raccoons
• Matt swears he saw a rat that was *this* big
• A raptor stalking and catching a mouse - we could see a long tail dangling
  
• Songbirds on the hill - I hear them chirping right now
• Pretty yellow butterflies
  
• Deer on Angel Island
• Coyotes and more raccoons by my office
• More cats and dogs than one can imagine

So it's not zoo-quality or -quantity sightings, but it's still pretty neat.

A Night at the Cal Academy

Last night we went to see a lecture called Habitable Worlds. It was held in the planetarium, which was cool because they did fly-throughs of the universe. After two fire alarms and some technical difficulties, the program that was supposed to end at 9 finally finished at 9:45. I love that the staff passed out stickers to the adult audience to try to make up for it though. What should I do with my chameleon?

I also felt sorry for Claude, the albino alligator, who seemed none too pleased about the fire alarms considering he actually moved on his rock for once.

As for the lecture, the part about how to find planets using the Doppler effect was pretty cool, but I still don't understand why astronomers assume that life on other planets must start on planets like ours and look like life as we know it. It seems as though there would be so many other possibilities. I guess I'll leave it to the experts though.

Baseball and Baby Showers

I have an excuse for my four day blogging absence: I went to Phoenix!

Spring training with my girls (and Glenn!):



Karen's baby shower:



A little hiking:



And more spring training:



All followed by four hours in Sky Harbor International Airport and two hours on a plane. Fun!

I'd Like to Invite You to a C-Section

This one is for you pregnant ladies (and those considering pregnancy).

I was at the lady doctor today, reading a magazine and minding my own business in a little room, when I hear a male doctor invite someone (a medical student?) to come to a c-section next Tuesday, just as if he is inviting him to a tea party.

Now I know that people have to learn how to become doctors somehow, but hearing an invitation to a (somewhat) private and personal moment just seemed really odd.

So get ready for the guests at your tea party - oh I mean c-section!

Softball Season: The End of Alison's Weekend Trips

Today Matt had his first softball practice with the San Francisco Gay Softball League (it's in our neighborhood and all). Turns out there is a game nearly every Sunday for the next 500 months. Followed by excessive drinking. Plus trips to tournaments out of town, Easter weekend fundraising with drag queens, and endless other celebrations and parties.

So we may have acquired a social life, but we have apparently lost all free weekends. Expect fewer posts of fun new adventures...

On the plus side, I went down to meet Matt after his practice and discovered an awesome new park close to our house. Perfect for picnics and a bit of hiking.

ASU Challenges

This one's for you, Sun Devil alums. (Although I cordially invite Wildcats to participate as well.)

ASU is developing something really cool, and I'll just let them speak for themselves:

ASU is unveiling the Challenges Project, an ambitious initiative that aims to identify the most pressing local and global issues we face as world citizens, determine the crucial work being done at the university on each one, and invite everyone—alumni, students, faculty, staff, the public—to help the university tackle them head-on. It’s a way of magnifying the impact of the university, by asking people to pitch in and work on issues that concern them the most....ASU hopes alumni and others will go to the site between now and May to identify the issues they’re passionate about. Later this year, they will be able to return to the site to volunteer to provide expertise, serve on a panel, work on a team, donate resources, or serve as an advocate for problems identified and selected to be part of the initiative with the public.

Read the rest of the article in ASU Magazine and visit the website to suggest an issue. I, of course, plan to be involved in something water-related. Although many people like to make fun of public universities, and especially Arizona State, for the quality of the students and the education, I have excellent things to say about my education there, especially after I left engineering. In addition, I think the university is working to tackle some awesome projects, especially in the environmental realm, from the school of sustainability to a master's in alternative energy. I believe the university is truly working on many issues that matter. Let's join them!