Glorious Place

Heading back from sunny Napa as soon as you cross through the Waldo Tunnel toward SF this billowing blanket of fog had rolled in and covered The City. It was a beautiful and peaceful sight. The sunset was not bad either. I love this place.

Napa Colors

Fall is probably the best season to experience Napa with all of the vineyards changing colors. Those colors have just about vanished but not quite, so while Michelle was enjoying a spa/massage treatment I took the opportunity to take in the last burst of Napa's changing colors.

Musical Experiment

Here is a unique experiment. What where the top albums the year of your birth? Not the top songs or hits, but albums. Works that encapsulated an entire year and a musical feeling.

I looked up the top albums of 1971, the year of my birth. It is an interesting capsule. Many of the albums I know very well and have in my stash of music; Marvin Gay's 'What's Going On', 'Sticky Fingers' by the Rolling Stones and 'There's a Riot Going On' by Sly and the Family Stone. Others I have heard of but never listened to (T Rex's 'Electric Warrior') or cared to listen to (Joni Mitchell 'Blue').

I have decided to give these albums a try, along with others. I want to listen to the spirit of 1971 in all of its glory.

Here are the top albums of 1971 according to this one particular list:
Joni Mitchell - Blue
Marvin Gay - What's Going On
Carole King - Tapestry
Elton John - Tumbleweed Connection
Allman Brothers - Live at Fillmore East
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Led Zepplin - Led Zepplin IV
Kinks - Muswell Hillbillies
Doors - L.A. Woman
Nilsson Schmilsson - Harry Nilsson

Korean TV

Michelle and I were watching some Korean TV over the weekend, some celebrity profile or entertainment program. I noticed most of the shows used some type of American music for background music. One caught my ear and jumped out at me. They used one of the nastiest, dirtiest songs ever recorded by Snoop Doggy Dogg. If they only knew what was being said in the song.

Proud to Vote

I voted for President Elect Obama.

The rest of my votes went almost exclusively to Republicans and Libertarians. In looking at the Democratic platform, there are a few things I agree with, but on the economic side, other than being ok with him raising my tax rate, there isn’t a lot of his economic policy that I do agree with him on. So why did I vote for him?

It's simple. Having an elected black President will do more to energize this country than any economic or social policy ever could. In a single day of voting, our amazing country once again reinvigorated the dream that any child in this country, no matter what circumstances they are born into, can grow up to be anything they want, including President of the United States.

That dream, staying viable, being reinvigorated, will do more for this country than any economic policy or any legislation that could ever be passed.

That, and I am tired of hearing Black America say it does not have any role models, as if that was the reason for its troubles.

Nike Club Run SF

Here is a photo of my fellow Pace Leaders for Nike's Club Run San Francisco. Each Saturday for the past 16 weeks we have been leading and helping runners train for this weekend's Nike Women's Marathon. CRSF is a pretty darn good group and a great resource for first time or experienced runners. Yes, I am a bit biased. The whole thing is free, the support is great, you can get a bunch of free goodies, and you get to run with some fun, friendly Pace Leaders. Plus, you don't have the burden of having money like some training programs. CRSF is open to all with abilities ranging from walkers to sub-8 minute milers.

What a Deal!

Wow! This is what I call great marketing. Bet no other store can offer this.

Bailout Pork Barrel

So, you thought the Senate was only concerned with helping the economy and the mortgage crisis? By now we all know Hank Paulson's original 3 page bailout plan has grown to a massive tomb exceeding 400 pages. In doing a quick (okay, not so quick) scan of the Senate proposal, you find several admendments extending provisions to certain groups.

Page 279 — Rum excise tax to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands
Page 280 — Mine rescue / mine safety
Page 290 — Motorsports racing track facility
Page 290 — Hurricane Katrina and Gulf opportunity zone
Page 295 — Wool modifications
Page 296 — Permanent authority for undercover operations
Page 297 — Child tax credit
Page 300 — Children and wooden arrows

Look, check it out for yourself.
http://www.docstoc.com/search/senate-bailout-bill-text/

This is the reason why so many of us have a distaste in our mouth at the very thought of government. Instead of focusing on solving this enourmous problem, our elected officials are still concerned with special interests. No matter what the bill, no matter how important, these pork barrel items are always present.

Flat and Boring

Not all runs in San Francisco have to involve hills, bridges, coastline and spendor. This one is flat, one small hill, and one bridge to run under. This was my run on Saturday.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2283270

While many people enjoy running along the Embarcadero I am not one of them. I would much rather prefer running through downtown and The Tenderloin than this. You do pass through tourist filled Pier 39, the overpriced farmer's market at the Ferry Building and AT&T Park but there are few things to challenge the mind body on this route. What it does do is give you the mileage. 12 miles with an up and back along the Embarcadero. ugh!

Expensive Pears

I have come to learn, as with many cultures, Koreans like to call certain things 'Korean'-something. Take these 'Korean Pears' for example. The Japanese call them Japanese pears. If you are Thai you call them Taiwan pears. Another example is the 'Korean Grape', which is a Concord grape.

The nashi pear, Pyrus pyrifolia, is sometimes called the Asian pear, as well as sand pear, apple pear, bapple, papple, and bae, from the Korean or li in Chinese. In India is it called nashipati and in Bangladesh and Nepal it is called nashpati. Nashi pears are widely grown for their sweet fruit, a popular food in East Asia. They are sweet on the tree and are eaten crisp.

My real reason for this post is the price. 30-bucks for seven (7) pears, over 4 dollars each. Koreans pride themselves on their pears and they are very sweet, juicy and delicious. I am not a big fan of pears but these pears are delicious. But $4.20 for a pear!

While I was in Korea I passed several pear orchards with each pear wrapped in paper to protect it from bugs and elements.

Happy Chuesok

Chuesok (chew-sock) is the Korean Harvest Moon festival. This holiday is scheduled on the lunar calendar so it will fall on a different day each year. In particular Chuesok is the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar; however, the day on either side is also celebrated. It is a lot like the U.S. Thanksgiving, but with gifts and special games.

Michelle picked up some Songpyeon (pronounced song-pyong) which is a traditional Korean food made from glutinous rice. Songpyeon are half-moon-shaped rice cakes filled with sesame seeds or chestnut paste steamed over a layer of pine needles, which gives them the fragrant smell of fresh pine trees. They used to be made into various shapes with the participation of family members and were often exchanged between neighbors. They are eaten on Chuseok and other festive days.

They are not loaded with flavor and are quite chewy.

Dumplings

Our kitchen turned into a dumpling factory last night as Michelle made dumlings (English) Gyoza (Japanese) or Mando (Korean). Two kinds, beef and shrimp. After she chopped and mixed she allowed me to scoop and wrap. They turned out quite good. Now we have enough dumplings to last a month.

2 Days 40 Miles

Saturday 13 miles.
Sunday 27 miles.
Yes, Sunday was on bike and Saturday was running.

Here is my Saturday run:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2262006

Here is my Sunday ride:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2261987

Tomorrow I am going to take the bus for 4 miles.

San Diego

We made the trek down to San Diego to get away and just relax. We ended up gorging ourselves with fish tacos. You can have your SeaWorld, keep your Mission Beach and Torrey Pines, the fish taco is the real reason to visit San Diego. Fish tacos anywhere else do not compare to these tasty treats, and cheap. Fish tacos here in SF cost around 7-bucks. In SD they are around 3-bucks and so much better. Sorry, I do not have any photos of said tacos as I was too busy stuffing them down my face. I do have a picture of this so-called Korean BBQ beef. Michelle and I tried to figure out what made it 'Korean" but really could not. It made us think what 'passes' as ethnic food in some places. What makes adding won ton bits enough to call it an 'asian salad'? Does adding curry to something really make it Indian?

Chihuly

I finally got around to checking out the Chihuly exhibit at the deYoung. I get good use out of my membership but it really came in handy on this visit as non-members have to wait to see the exhibit using timed tickets. Members can just walk it. Glass-blowing never looked so fabulous.

Face to Face with Giants

I had the great opportunuty to interview Willie Mays back when I was in college. While my experience was anything but enjoyable it did not diminish my respect and reverence for this Giant of baseball, some would argue the greatest to play the game. Before Saturday's the Giants dedicated a new statue to The Baby Bull, Orlando Cededa, and Willie Mays was there stealing the show. Orlando was the man of the hour but where ever Willie went the crowd buzzed.

Natives on the Beach

Once again while running I happened to stumble upon something cool and unexpected. An artist was recreating a historic photo featuring Buffalo Bill and dozens of Native Americans on horseback. The playwood cutouts were quite detailed and the backdrop of the ocean made very dramatic.

Today's run was along the Coastal Trail. After a week of unusually high tempertures the fog and chill returned making the run pleasant and enjoyable.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2243363

San Diego

Posted with LifeCast

Victorian Uprising

Victorians side by side with modern structures. As cities mature they are shaped by the constant tension between old and new, tall and short, broad strokes and fine grain. Now there's a fresh example of this tension in San Francisco, and it's not some cloud-popping tower downtown. It's a synagogue in the largely residential Richmond District that rises just 40 feet - but commands a prominent corner with a strong modern design that pushes the notion of neighborhood context to the breaking point.

Battle Among Friends

My friends and I have a Tradition but the only tradition that is taking place is Cuban domination. Fidel may be on his last leg but the Cuban I know is going strong. Once again, Omar was the winner of this year's weekend games. The highlight competition for me was the revised Gaunlet and the water balloon target practice (pictured here).