Weird California

Last weekend took me through the only US town ever founded by Chinese, the Sacramento Delta--as close as you can get to dirt poor Louisiana backcountry in California, over the capital's Disneyland; all the way to the gold discovery reenactment in Placerville, known throughout the world as the original Hangtown and, not coincidentially, the birthplace of Kinkade galleries.

How many ensigns can spell Ticonderoga?

Fleet week. Really too crowded to see much, but I went for a two hours walk through the City's newup and coming section: Hayes Valley, a fine mix of Gucci and druggy. There is a really cool German restaurant next to the homeless shelter, though.

I didn't even know SF has a new metro system, much less that you can take it right to within 500 feet of the Pacific.

The Blue Angels were pretty cool, but I felt sorry for the Coast Guard guy flying the Hercules right before them--cool job and all, but he has to know that everyone who's watching is there for the F18s.

Dumbest sign ever

Ocean Beach

20x zoom on a point and shoot--cool, eh?

The Nimitz

To put it in perspective

Ticonderoga

A perfect Saturday

Cal plucks, trusses and roasts the Ducks.
Vols neuter the Bulldogs.
Auburn Tigers loose.
LSU Tigers drown in the Swamp.

See you in the Top Ten.

Even better the other Tigers manhandle the Yankees. Not that I care about Detroit. ;-)

Oh, and Indiana won their first Big Ten game this year. Go Andrew!!!

PS. Someone should go after Oregon for bribing referees. They've got a touchdown and a few pass interferences deeded to them, and they got away with the worst personal foul I've seen in college football in a long time.

Gay Square Dancing Makes Me Giddy With Happyness

I don't really know why, it just does. Or it did for the first time today at the Castro Street Fair. The sight of buff, bare breasted, hatted and booted cowboys two-stepping with each other is at once beautiful and deeply subversive. Only downside: I haven't heard this much Shania since my last trip to Alberta.

The other big event in the city was the reopening of the Emporeum as the biggest Bloomingdales outside of 5th Street. Amazingly, putting it next to Nordstrom didn't create a spontaneous implosion that would have sucked the Powell/Market corner into a blackhole of hipness. The biggest jaw-dropper is the hand bag floor--yes, they have a three-football-field floor of handbags surrounded by smaller stores for the more exclusive handbags. I think I might be able to get away with a few in SF, but I couldn't make up my mind between Spade and Tumi. The Diors, D&Gs and Versaces were also cool, but way out of my price range...

OK, seriously, though, it must be the only food court that sells sashimi by the pound, and slices and dresses it for you on the spot. Mhhhhh, Saku tuna.