Kickoff Weekend 2008-09

I am a college football maniac and I have really been looking forward to this weekend's non-stop College football extravaganza. For the past two seasons, I have been out of the country during football season so I this year's season has been highly anticipated. This year, I get to enjoy it on a flatscreen in HD with DVR (I <3 acronyms).

Unfortunately, my much beloved Washington Huskies got their asses kicked at Oregon. It's not exactly the way I want to start the season. Next up is BYU who is picked by the MSM to be the BCS Cinderella story. Everyone loves an underdog, even if that underdog Morman.

I'm watching Tennessee at UCLA right now on a 4 hour tape delay, which is awesome. I was able to have people over on a Monday holiday, then go out for some fun and then come home to watch the game in HD. Live is good.

UCLA Fight Fight Fight!

Gossip Girl

Yuck. I just threw up a little in my mouth.

In Search of Lo Pan & Aunty Lindo

Last month Joe came to visit me here in SF and we took a day trip to Chinatown to find two of our favorite people in the whole world.

We started off looking for Gracie Law's office, which we knew was somewhere in Chinatown. If we found Gracie, I'm sure she could have led us to Egg Shen's place, where he could help us prepare for the battle against Lo Pan. Unfortunately, we were unable to find Gracie's office, so we decided to save our chi and see if we could find Aunty Lindo and maybe play a game of mahjong. We roamed the streets of Chinatown, weaving between the tourists and exploring back alleys, but we were unable to find Aunty Lindo. The closest we came was Waverly street. I wonder if Aunty Lindo named her daughter after this very street?


Joe preparing for his battle against Lo Pan.


Joe has best quality heart.

8 More days to Kick-off

College football fans, your time is almost here! In just over one-week, the college football season kicks-off.

It's time to dust off your favorite school-spirited gear and practice your fight song and cheers.

My Washington Huskies open the season with a bang at the University of Oregon. Nothing would make me happier than a big Husky victory over the much hated Ducks. Washington is a 13 point underdog, but it's the first game of the season and anything can happen! Go Huskies!

Rachael Maddow to host her own show on MSNBC

I am very excited for the addition of Rachael Maddow to the MSNBC prime-time line-up. She has been an outstanding contributor and fill-in for Keith Olbermann, but now I get to enjoy her 5 nights a week.

Apparently, her hiring has caused quite a stir. Glenn Greenwald on Salon.com comments:

"The reaction to Maddow's show highlights just how suffocatingly narrow, and right-wing, the spectrum of mainstream political discourse in America is. Hiring Michael Savage, Joe Scarborough and Tucker Carlson to host their own shows didn't jeopardize NBC's news brand, just as giving Glenn Beck -- Glenn Beck -- his own show didn't jeopardize CNN's. Most mainstream political and media figures even continue to insist that Fox is a legitimate news organization because Brit Hume confines his overt right-wing talking points to the Sunday show. But the presence of a liberal on MSNBC instantaneously destroys traditional principles of Journalism."

Friday Morning News

• Hallmark is now offering same-sex marriage cards. Great news! That means I can now go there the next time I'm going to a Lesbian, Jewish-Buddhist, mixed-race wedding!

• A Delta Airline Jet in Florida had to delay its landing due to walking-catfish on the runway. I think they should have let the jet landed and had a catfish fry that afternoon.

• The drama continues in Berkeley with the season home opener right around the corner. These people in the trees are nuts, but I have to admit that I love their nicknames. "Dumpster Muffin"? Really?

• Local boy Bryan Clay won the gold in the Decathlon. He's also half black and half Japanese. I think I'm in love.

• Tour buses have been dropping off crowds of gawking visitors to The Castro and it's been causing quite a stir in the neighborhood. You can't get married without someone taking your picture!
  

To my friend Coach

To my friend Coach,

I apologize for the lack-luster performance of my blog.

I have been distracted recently and have neglected to express my experiences here on my little spot in the internets.

I will try my best to keep you informed, because from what I understand, an honest writer is a productive one.

My Birthday & The Golden Girls

Last week Friday, I celebrated my 31st birthday with a few of my friends and had a memorable night here in San Francisco. We started out the evening with drinks and nibbles at the Lookout. I was impressed with their pizzas and bar snacks and the beers weren't bad either. Then it was off to see two episodes of the Golden Girls performed by drag queens! I am a huge GG fan and this was the perfect way to celebrate my birthday. The show was amazing and we got a picture with the cast afterwards. I love San Francisco.


Greg and Craig flew all the way from London for my birthday!


Matt and the Hapas.


Blanch's gay brother!


Can you pick out the drag queens in this picture?

Blown Away by Glass

On Wednesday, I took my visiting sister and niece to see, Chihouly at the de Young, which opened last weekend at the de Young Museum here in San Francisco. I have seen many Chihouly exhbits in the past (he's also a fellow Washington Alum. Go Huskies!), but this one blew me away. The exhibit showcased various stages in his fabulous career and was displayed with breathtaking brilliance. The exhibit runs until September 28 and I recommend checking it out!

Exploring the Bay Area: Walnut Creek

Just 30 minutes away from San Francisco on BART, sits Walnut Creek. A pretty suburban area located east of San Francisco, Walnut Creek boasts a population of about 65,000 and also serves as the business and entertainment hub for the local area. Nestled at the foot of Mt Diablo, Walnut Creek boasts beautiful open spaces, sensible urban planning and a vast array of shopping and dining options. The city offers a free shuttle between the BART station and the downtown core which makes things accessible for those without a car.

Sam, a friend of mine, met me at the BART station and gave me a tour of the downtown area. His insightful knowledge about the area and upcoming developments to the city were very interesting and I found the tour to be quite pleasant and rather enjoyable. We stopped for delicious lunch and dined on one of the many open air patios that dot the urban core.

After lunch, Sam treated me to a little career shadowing and took me to check out a vacant lot in the city that will soon be developed. After doing a quick inspection of the area, I gave him my opinion and I started to wonder if a career in urban planning was in the cards for me?

I returned to San Francisco later that afternoon happy to have explored a new part of the Bay Area. If you're ever in the area, I suggest stopping by Walnut Creek to enjoy its beautiful urban center and easily accessible shops and restaurants.


Just making sure I got off at the correct BART stop.


There really is a creek in Walnut Creek!


Where Sam works.


Sam took me to a site inspection. I suggested to him that this plot of land could be better used.