Oh San Francisco...you are an experience.
First things first, my roommate and I rescued the most adorable kitten in the world last Wednesday. We believe it's a girl, and are completely in love with it. If anybody wants a kitten come take it!!!!
This weekend was Pride Weekend, the huge GLBT celebration here featuring Dikes on Bikes and pretty much anything else you can ever imagine (including gay pride rainbow colored crosses). Definitely not something I would ever take my mother to. I would like to think of myself as pretty open minded about almost everything, but even I felt that some things were taken a little bit too far yesterday, and am wishing that I had missed out on seeing some of the things I saw. I am living in a city where the law allows nudity as long as you have footwear on, but yesterday took everything to the absolutely extreme. At least I could take a break from the extreme sights with fabulous overpriced funnel cake when needed. Unfortunately I missed Cindy Lauper's performance, who apparently has a number 1 hit on gay radio.
Today I have off from work in order to allow everyone to recuperate from Pride Weekend. I have completed my training, so I can finally move up in the world. Last week I was put in charge of making posters for Pride weekend, which included me washing lubricant off of condoms for hours so that we could hang them up on poster board. Now there's something I never really expected to do.
I have given up on the job search as nobody wants to hire someone leaving in seven weeks.
Here's some pictures of my new kitten and, some of the less ridiculous pictures of Pride weekend (you would be amazed at what some people felt comfortable taking pictures of). I've actually realized how few appropriate pictures I actually have, and I was being hugely conservative yesterday. That's San Francisco for you.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
The Bible Strip
Somehow, out of all the areas I could have chosen to live in, I chose the Bible belt of San Francisco. While learning how awful public transportation in San Francisco is (which is truly, truly terrible and something I will probably reiterate in every post to come), I have also been able to take in the huge number of Christian stores and churches in the neighborhood fairly close to me. Unfortunately, I am also pretty sure that it is breeding ground for drug addicts and prostitutes, and therefore don't make any plans of trudging through there on my own anytime soon. There is however a church with Samuel L. Jackson as the pastor. What do you think the chances are that it's the Samuel L. Jackson? (I just looked up his biography and nowhere does it state that he is pastor of the Philidelphia Church of Christ...shucks). I haven't been preached to directly yet, I have however been wildly entertained by crazy mothers blasting their young children (who are clearly completely uninterested) about the Lord repeatedly on the subway (which is the slowest moving mobile machine I have ever encountered).
My time at the SFAF has been uneventful up to date. I haven't been able to do much without real training which will occur this weekend. I have put stickers on thousands and thousands of condoms. Today I was supposed to be promoted to syringe packager, but my "boss" was sick, took the day off, and called me nice and early to tell me not to come in either. Luckily there is another woman there for the summer who is pretty fabulous, which will make condom-stickering much more bearable.
Other than that I have been meandering around the city. Found myself at Fisherman's Wharf yesterday and have vowed to never return. The sea lions on Pier 39 were pretty cute tho. Saw a Chihuly exhibit. Probably would have been better had I been on LSD. If only I had been here forty years ago, I would have been in the perfect city to begin such experiments. I suppose if I look hard enough I could probably still find enough people willing/already partaking in such things. I don't think I'll be putting my time in those endeavors.
Sadly I still don't have a job.
My time at the SFAF has been uneventful up to date. I haven't been able to do much without real training which will occur this weekend. I have put stickers on thousands and thousands of condoms. Today I was supposed to be promoted to syringe packager, but my "boss" was sick, took the day off, and called me nice and early to tell me not to come in either. Luckily there is another woman there for the summer who is pretty fabulous, which will make condom-stickering much more bearable.
Other than that I have been meandering around the city. Found myself at Fisherman's Wharf yesterday and have vowed to never return. The sea lions on Pier 39 were pretty cute tho. Saw a Chihuly exhibit. Probably would have been better had I been on LSD. If only I had been here forty years ago, I would have been in the perfect city to begin such experiments. I suppose if I look hard enough I could probably still find enough people willing/already partaking in such things. I don't think I'll be putting my time in those endeavors.
Sadly I still don't have a job.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Work and Play
First off...new baby alert! My newest niece was born yesterday, healthy and beautiful (although I somehow did not receive the pictures of her and would be greatly appreciative if someone that did forwarded them on to me). Yay for new additions to this already fabulous family.
The baseball game was fun, although SF lost. Devin provided amazing seats, including the secret entryway that only ticket holders had access to and was filled with top-notch food vendors. Fancy smanchy. They were field level, right behind home plate. As an added bonus, it stayed warm until 9 at night allowing me to indulge in some gelatto from the secret vendors. I am getting to be a bit spoiled, and am going to be in for a big shock when I leave for Kenya and find that my modern day conveniences are much harder to come by on a daily basis.
I had my orientation meeting at SFAF (San Francisco AIDS Foundation), and it looks like it is going to be a great summer. They can in fact give me 35-40 hours a week, which seemed a little doubtful a few weeks ago. I begin on Monday, and next weekend will be trained to work the California AIDS Hotline. Other than that I'll be doing work around the office, helping them get ready for the AIDS walk that occurs in July, and going to some needle exchange sites.
The area around the foundation is located where it is primarily to serve drug addicts, who the foundation strives to cater towards. The actual street it's on is fine, as it is one of the main streets of the city. If you take a wrong turn (as I did), well... it isn't very pretty to put it nicely. I had signed up to work at a soup kitchen in the area since I knew I wouldn't be at the SFAF for very long and figured I could use that as a reason to stay downtown and explore. I definitely got lost in the wrong neighborhood; a neighborhood that should probably be renamed Crack Central instead of The Tenderloin (as the Tenderloin is a lame name anyway). Luckily it was in the middle of the day so I wasn't in too much danger, but it was definitely an eye opening experience. So was working at the soup kitchen where they feed close to 1,000 people three times a day, every day. Definitely a lot grittier than what I have experienced before and what I expected. Living in New York City did not prepare me for these sites, as it is almost impossible to just wander into one of those neighborhoods like it is here in San Francisco. I'm expecting a bit of a hard time going to needle exchange sites, but at the same time think it will be a worthwhile experience, and is definitely a service this city needs.
I have figured out how to use public transportation. Biking to and from work is definitely not an option, as the neighborhood I would have to bike through is almost as sketchy as Crack Central. Luckily there is a bus station not too far from my house, as well as a metro line that will take me to wherever I need to go. The system is definitely not the greatest, especially from where I am which is a bit out of the central city, but will definitely work for the next two months. It is also luckily located in the better neighborhood and I feel much better walking around there during any time of the day. (My apartment is a little posh development, surrounded by a few not so posh neighborhoods. Most of the people in this complex can afford to drive their BMW's wherever their little hearts delight.)
I began my job search today, although it wasn't too terribly successful. Most people just smile at me and tell me that they are not hiring right now. I'm not sure if it was worse to constantly be reminded about how terrible the American economy is when I was constantly exchanging money in Europe, or to be reminded now when nobody is hiring and I am poor. I filled out an application, dropped off my resume at a few places, and left my number with a woman who seemed very interested in me but who knows. I can luckily afford to live off the money I have for quite some time, but I am hoping that I will be able to save a bit of money this summer. I will continue tomorrow in another neighborhood which would actually probably be more convenient for me, although not quite as fun as Haight where I was looking today.
Yay new baby, yay SFAF, yay potential new job!
The baseball game was fun, although SF lost. Devin provided amazing seats, including the secret entryway that only ticket holders had access to and was filled with top-notch food vendors. Fancy smanchy. They were field level, right behind home plate. As an added bonus, it stayed warm until 9 at night allowing me to indulge in some gelatto from the secret vendors. I am getting to be a bit spoiled, and am going to be in for a big shock when I leave for Kenya and find that my modern day conveniences are much harder to come by on a daily basis.
I had my orientation meeting at SFAF (San Francisco AIDS Foundation), and it looks like it is going to be a great summer. They can in fact give me 35-40 hours a week, which seemed a little doubtful a few weeks ago. I begin on Monday, and next weekend will be trained to work the California AIDS Hotline. Other than that I'll be doing work around the office, helping them get ready for the AIDS walk that occurs in July, and going to some needle exchange sites.
The area around the foundation is located where it is primarily to serve drug addicts, who the foundation strives to cater towards. The actual street it's on is fine, as it is one of the main streets of the city. If you take a wrong turn (as I did), well... it isn't very pretty to put it nicely. I had signed up to work at a soup kitchen in the area since I knew I wouldn't be at the SFAF for very long and figured I could use that as a reason to stay downtown and explore. I definitely got lost in the wrong neighborhood; a neighborhood that should probably be renamed Crack Central instead of The Tenderloin (as the Tenderloin is a lame name anyway). Luckily it was in the middle of the day so I wasn't in too much danger, but it was definitely an eye opening experience. So was working at the soup kitchen where they feed close to 1,000 people three times a day, every day. Definitely a lot grittier than what I have experienced before and what I expected. Living in New York City did not prepare me for these sites, as it is almost impossible to just wander into one of those neighborhoods like it is here in San Francisco. I'm expecting a bit of a hard time going to needle exchange sites, but at the same time think it will be a worthwhile experience, and is definitely a service this city needs.
I have figured out how to use public transportation. Biking to and from work is definitely not an option, as the neighborhood I would have to bike through is almost as sketchy as Crack Central. Luckily there is a bus station not too far from my house, as well as a metro line that will take me to wherever I need to go. The system is definitely not the greatest, especially from where I am which is a bit out of the central city, but will definitely work for the next two months. It is also luckily located in the better neighborhood and I feel much better walking around there during any time of the day. (My apartment is a little posh development, surrounded by a few not so posh neighborhoods. Most of the people in this complex can afford to drive their BMW's wherever their little hearts delight.)
I began my job search today, although it wasn't too terribly successful. Most people just smile at me and tell me that they are not hiring right now. I'm not sure if it was worse to constantly be reminded about how terrible the American economy is when I was constantly exchanging money in Europe, or to be reminded now when nobody is hiring and I am poor. I filled out an application, dropped off my resume at a few places, and left my number with a woman who seemed very interested in me but who knows. I can luckily afford to live off the money I have for quite some time, but I am hoping that I will be able to save a bit of money this summer. I will continue tomorrow in another neighborhood which would actually probably be more convenient for me, although not quite as fun as Haight where I was looking today.
Yay new baby, yay SFAF, yay potential new job!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
And I Thought it was Summer
I don't think I am being too ridiculous in saying that hot chocolate should not be a best seller at a baseball game. Baseball games are played in the summer. You are supposed to sweat, wear shorts, and have to apply SPF 70 sunblock repeatedly during day games. You are NEVER supposed to order hot chocolate and sign up for a credit card in return for a free blanket.
And yet, that is what has happened to me. California was supposed to be warm, sunny, and beautiful. Well it is sunny and beautiful, but yesterday it was absolutely frigid to the point where vendors at the baseball game were shouting hot chocolate instead of beer.
The game was fun, as the Giants beat Detroit 8-6. I came home to find an invite to tonight's game from a friend that lives near Berkeley. This time I will at least be prepared with my beautiful fleece blanket. However, I will have to brave public transportation which is something I don't fully yet understand. I think I have at least some idea of where I am going, and lots and lots of quarters to pay for fare. Figuring out how the bike racks work on front of the buses...well that is another story.
Tomorrow I will be heading over to the AIDS Foundation to have an orientation meeting, and hopefully figure out what my schedule will be with them for the rest of the summer. Then I can begin figuring out the rest of my life, also known as finding a job.
And yet, that is what has happened to me. California was supposed to be warm, sunny, and beautiful. Well it is sunny and beautiful, but yesterday it was absolutely frigid to the point where vendors at the baseball game were shouting hot chocolate instead of beer.
The game was fun, as the Giants beat Detroit 8-6. I came home to find an invite to tonight's game from a friend that lives near Berkeley. This time I will at least be prepared with my beautiful fleece blanket. However, I will have to brave public transportation which is something I don't fully yet understand. I think I have at least some idea of where I am going, and lots and lots of quarters to pay for fare. Figuring out how the bike racks work on front of the buses...well that is another story.
Tomorrow I will be heading over to the AIDS Foundation to have an orientation meeting, and hopefully figure out what my schedule will be with them for the rest of the summer. Then I can begin figuring out the rest of my life, also known as finding a job.
Monday, June 16, 2008
I'm Going North to San Francisco
"I'm going north to San Francisco, into the cleaner air. I'm gonna get a little land with the money I've saved, and buy an old house that I can work on. Where the next nearest neighbor lives miles away, I'll never have to mow the lawn. Right on."
So Maybe the above song lyrics aren't exactly true anymore, but it looks like I'm going to like this city. The trip out was an experience. The Stephens were wonderful, although the kids are about twice as old and big as they should be, as that means I myself am getting old.
The Grand Canyon was magnificent, and getting Dad to hike down into it was interesting. He did it tho; made me proud. I think he almost had a heart attack several times as I was nearing the edge. That of course would not have been helped by the terrible diet we lived on for a week consisting of pop tarts and beer.
I attempted to ride my bike around. My bike was fifty dollars and has rusted out handle bars, and the gears tend to have a mind of their own. It will be an interesting summer, but I don't have much other choice as gas is over $4.50 in this silly city. I'll just be in magnificent shape at the end of it.
The apartment is great, although I've already been struck by plumbing problems. Hopefully they will all get solved before the Giants game tonight. Too bad they don't still play at Candlestick Park as it is literally behind my apartment. If only it were football season, I could walk to see the 49's play.
Here are some pictures from the trip out here. I'll post pictures of San Francisco/my lovely living quarters sometime in the near future.
So Maybe the above song lyrics aren't exactly true anymore, but it looks like I'm going to like this city. The trip out was an experience. The Stephens were wonderful, although the kids are about twice as old and big as they should be, as that means I myself am getting old.
The Grand Canyon was magnificent, and getting Dad to hike down into it was interesting. He did it tho; made me proud. I think he almost had a heart attack several times as I was nearing the edge. That of course would not have been helped by the terrible diet we lived on for a week consisting of pop tarts and beer.
I attempted to ride my bike around. My bike was fifty dollars and has rusted out handle bars, and the gears tend to have a mind of their own. It will be an interesting summer, but I don't have much other choice as gas is over $4.50 in this silly city. I'll just be in magnificent shape at the end of it.
The apartment is great, although I've already been struck by plumbing problems. Hopefully they will all get solved before the Giants game tonight. Too bad they don't still play at Candlestick Park as it is literally behind my apartment. If only it were football season, I could walk to see the 49's play.
Here are some pictures from the trip out here. I'll post pictures of San Francisco/my lovely living quarters sometime in the near future.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Fries, not Chips
For any that didn't know, I am back in the grand ole USofA. Just in time to see Hillary give up (beautiful) and gas prices to go up $10 a barrel in one day (obviously heinous). Now I am just readjusting to America- saying fries instead of chips, flushing my toilet paper, and realizing that produce costs in this country are completely out of control.
The UK was wonderful and included a trip to Lady Fest where a Brazilian-Nigerian-Indian woman tried to pass of Sojourner Truth's "I Am a Woman" speech as her own work. Brilliant. Also saw a lovely half Romanian, half Scottish band singing feminist gypsy songs and occasional jazz covers. Fabulous.
Side note: Today I was reading an article in the New York Times about Wetlands a German book, and all the hoopla it is creating about feminism and sex. It included that Germany has the third worst wage disparity between men and women in the European Union. Can anybody guess what was one of the countries that was worse? CYPRUS!!! Surprise!!! Maybe they need a Lady Fest there. I for sure will not be organizing it, as I will never step near that island again. I do really miss their strawberries unfortunately.
I was unable to find the guards with the fantastic hats. I looked everywhere, and they were just in hiding. The one thing I wanted to see in London, and they wouldn't come out for me. Other than that the trip was pretty typical of what you would expect- all of the touristy things in London and a ton of sheep in Scotland. Scotland also included a beautiful visit with Allison Sanders and constant effort at understanding their lovely accents.
Now I'm home. I've escaped from a mono scare where I thought I might have to reconsider San Francisco. Luckily I don't have it, or strep, or any illness in fact. I guess that's what I get for skipping sleep for a week straight. I leave for San Francisco on Monday. Get there on the 15th and start to enjoy my life of luxury in my apartment on the bay with private gym and doorman. Of course that this means that my room is probably the size of my current closet, and that I will get kicked out at the end of July rendering me homeless for my remaining month. Oh what fun.
I will probably post a few times this summer, but probably not as frequently as I have (not that I have really posted that frequently on this blog). Hopefully I will be busy volunteering and working, and I doubt that you will want to know the intricate details of waitressing. Or maybe those details would provide the basis for the book I am one day going to write to clear my debts. Who knows?
Love you all.
The UK was wonderful and included a trip to Lady Fest where a Brazilian-Nigerian-Indian woman tried to pass of Sojourner Truth's "I Am a Woman" speech as her own work. Brilliant. Also saw a lovely half Romanian, half Scottish band singing feminist gypsy songs and occasional jazz covers. Fabulous.
Side note: Today I was reading an article in the New York Times about Wetlands a German book, and all the hoopla it is creating about feminism and sex. It included that Germany has the third worst wage disparity between men and women in the European Union. Can anybody guess what was one of the countries that was worse? CYPRUS!!! Surprise!!! Maybe they need a Lady Fest there. I for sure will not be organizing it, as I will never step near that island again. I do really miss their strawberries unfortunately.
I was unable to find the guards with the fantastic hats. I looked everywhere, and they were just in hiding. The one thing I wanted to see in London, and they wouldn't come out for me. Other than that the trip was pretty typical of what you would expect- all of the touristy things in London and a ton of sheep in Scotland. Scotland also included a beautiful visit with Allison Sanders and constant effort at understanding their lovely accents.
Now I'm home. I've escaped from a mono scare where I thought I might have to reconsider San Francisco. Luckily I don't have it, or strep, or any illness in fact. I guess that's what I get for skipping sleep for a week straight. I leave for San Francisco on Monday. Get there on the 15th and start to enjoy my life of luxury in my apartment on the bay with private gym and doorman. Of course that this means that my room is probably the size of my current closet, and that I will get kicked out at the end of July rendering me homeless for my remaining month. Oh what fun.
I will probably post a few times this summer, but probably not as frequently as I have (not that I have really posted that frequently on this blog). Hopefully I will be busy volunteering and working, and I doubt that you will want to know the intricate details of waitressing. Or maybe those details would provide the basis for the book I am one day going to write to clear my debts. Who knows?
Love you all.
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