not to be outdone, eric flew up from los angeles and showed me how a good birthday weekend is truly done. he first took me to the historic ferry building
and we walked around sampling all of the delicious foods that a graduate student with no income only dreams of someday enjoying.
there, in the hustle and bustle of tourism and trade, i was introduced to my pallet's latest obsession -
persian lime flavored olive oil. i was never into the fancy breads and olive oils until now, and lately i add it to everything possible.
the fancy feasting didn't stop there. eric was so intrigued by my telling of the experience at supper club that he had to go there himself...and what better time then for my birthday! so off we went for a nice, personal dinner filled with entertainment, four courses and lots of smiling.
i had to thank him by taking him to my new favorite stomping ground at baker beach.
he hadn't been there in a very long time so i figured it was a good way to thank him for the great company and treatment for my special day.
first, a delightful meal at my favorite little sushi place, warakubune. i did not eat that many plates, although my dear friend jonny likes to pretend that i had all of them. thanks, jonny.
then, i went back to my place, pre-celebrated, and threw on the birthday outfit - remember - shorts was the theme.
hilarious.... let's see what some other attendees wore... onward to the pilsner for a dive bar extravaganza!
a very very large crowd of people was suddenly wearing shorts in celebration of my birth -
there were a few onlookers who had the guts to ask "what's going on here?" or "are you all from l.a. or something?" or "where did you get those shorts?" ... it was hilarious
...and then, casually and with her beautiful smile, this italian bombshell walks through the doors
this is lindsey. lindsey signorelli. i met her in new jersey in college. we took classes, worked and enjoyed each other's company until she jetted off to italy and i thought i'd never see her again. she was in berkely visiting her boyfriend and saw my invitation on the internet.
it was the greatest surprise a birthday boy could ask for. i nearly dropped my drink and started crying (i actually did well up a bit...sap). i basically didn't say hello to the people that kept crawling into my party because i spent a good portion of the time catching up with her and selling california to her (she was thinking about leaving new jersey). it was glorious.
then 11 came.
the great migration!
mini groups of twos and threes went walking down market street to the next location... and i am not lying when i say a group of people shouted, "nice shorts!" ...perfection.
the party moved to trigger, the most pretentious of all of the castro nightclubs. a friend got me a private booth, and even more friends showed up to show me their legs. have a look -
the manager came up to check on my party and then complimented my outfit. i looked at him and started laughing. i hope he didn't take it the wrong way.
afterwards came the afterparty, of course, where a large collection of legs stayed up until the wee hours in the morning.
josh and francisco have no excuse for not wearing shorts... they will live that down for eternity
most of the photos from this evening are not really meant for mass publication, so this was the pg edition. maybe one day ill show some more.
i celebrate with good friends and a very nice l.a. gentleman over the week and this is the end result. brontosaurus. i mean bronchitis. sorry, .. meds.
i would love to be able to post photos and give you all of the lovely details, but i'm surprised im even awake right now to let you readers know that i'm still around.
to my mother - i'm drinking plenty of fluids and eating nothing but soup... although right now i crave pancakes... i'm gonna go get pancakes. doctor's order?
"Stuff That I Didn't Know Before Tuman's Class Because I Am An Ignorant Youth"
let's review: 01. jimmy stewart 02. mitt romney 03. robert redford 04. voter apathy 05. midterm elections 06. a media consultant 07. a corked bat in baseball 08. barry bonds 09. natalie wood 10. married with children 11. dan rather 12. walter kronkite 13. ross perot 14. citizen kane 15. jimmy hoffa 16. an incumbent 17. george wallace 18. The history of Iran 19. ann coulter 20. david gergen 21. bipartisan politics 22. the huffington post 23. BBC News 24. giving a speech 25. diane feinstein 26. george masconi 27. robert morris 28. walter mathau 29. jane mansfield
after our fourth class, i was informed about these pieces of information that i had never heard about before i was in his class.
30. Theocracy 31. Incitement 32. Tiananmen Square 33. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" 34. Scapegoat 35. Frank Rich 36. New York Times 37. The Primary Elections of 2008 38. Empathy 39. Jose Conseco 40. Steve Young 41. The Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints
...and the kicker 42. The LGBT Community
i actually started laughing when he started explaining this last one.
to relax from a rising level of stress and irritation, i spent all of sunday at baker beach. i'm talking 11 hours.
it was heaven.
i got to rest, read and relax right next to the golden gate in a little piece of paradise located on the very tip of san francisco. it was surprising just how hot the sun was. every beach area i had been to before baker was freezing and depressing. it reminded me of laying out in new jersey, which always brings good feelings
check out these photos and tell me it didn't look like paradise.
monday's class was an interesting one, particularly because tuman thought i didn't know the following additions to:
"Stuff That I Didn't Know Before Tuman's Class Because I Am An Ignorant Youth"
previously, we didn't know about: 1. jimmy stewart 2. mitt romney 3. robert redford 4. voter apathy 5. midterm elections 6. a media consultant 7. a corked bat in baseball 8. barry bonds 9. natalie wood 10.married with children 11.dan rather 12.walter kronkite 13.ross perot 14.citizen kane 15.jimmy hoffa 16.an incumbent 17.george wallace
here are the additions: 18. The history of Iran 19. ann coulter 20. david gergen 21. bipartisan politics 22. the huffington post 23. BBC News 24. giving a speech 25. diane feinstein 26. george masconi 27. robert morris 28. walter mathau 29. jane mansfield
this was also a quote which i think needs documentation. in reference to his first understanding of politics at age 10, tuman boasted, “I’m not a genius, but…”.
well now he is inviting his hometown of Bristol to take a look at his biggest exhibit yet. not only does it show his pet shop, but also showcases highlights from his career.
starting out as a graffiti artist on the streets of bristol, banksy has become one of the world's most soughtafter artists, particulary because of his refusal to expose himself to the public (lawsuits and what not - he's a graffiti artist).
his anthology of work is the world's bestselling art book, especially in my generation. i can't tell you the last time i went to a friend's apartment and didn't see his anthology on their coffee tables.
they've been around for a bit, and i've been quite a fan since the ep came out. i randomly heard passion pit at a nightclub tonight and got confused/excited. i guess they're big now with the release of their first full length.
before reading further, i would advise you to play this song as you read. it's more fun that way...just saying
Michael's "Happy Birthday/Celebrate Shorts/Welcome Summer" Funtime Jam
MUST WEAR SHORTS, please?
Host: Me, right? Type: Party - Night of Mayhem Network: Global Start Time: Thursday, June 18, 2009 at 9:00pm End Time: Friday, June 19, 2009 at 11:00am Location: Starting Point - The Pilsner Inn Street: 225 Church Street City/Town: San Francisco, CA
It's my birthday and I want to celebrate with all of you fine people properly - wearing little clothing and strutting around the Castro.
If you know me by now, you know I love a nice pair of shorts to sport throughout the city. Come play with me at the Pilsner Inn and after a few cheap drinks we can all parade down Market Street celebrating limbs, life and leering onlookers... followed of course by some euphoric dancing.
NO EXCUSES, DEAR FRIENDS. SHORTS! DO IT. for me? I bet you have nice legs, anyways.
Meet me at the Pilsner (Church and Market) at 9 all dressed to impress. After a few rounds of drinks, we can all march our way to the Castro at 11ish, followed by who knows what. Knowing my delightful friends, we are all sure to be in for a good time.
this list will probably continue all throughout my summer class with this professor, as each session seems to include more
"things that we wouldn't know because information retention only begins with tuman's class" list
previously, we didn't know about: 1. jimmy stewart 2. mitt romney 3. robert redford 4. voter apathy 5. midterm elections
this time around, we didn't know a lot: 6. a media consultant 7. a corked bat in baseball 8. barry bonds 9. natalie wood 10.married with children 11.dan rather 12.walter kronkite 13.ross perot 14.citizen kane 15.jimmy hoffa 16.an incumbent 17.george wallace
to which i respond.... SERIOUSLY?!
at one point, i held my arms out in absolute shock and disbelief because he thought i knew nothing about citizen kane. citizen kane?! really?
thank you for pointing out all of these important things in life that i would have never heard of had it not been for you.
Throwing orange peels, coffee grounds and grease-stained pizza boxes in the trash will be against the law in San Francisco, and could even lead to a fine.
The Board of Supervisors voted 9-2 Tuesday to approve Mayor Gavin Newsom's proposal for the most comprehensive mandatory composting and recycling law in the country. It's an aggressive push to cut greenhouse gas emissions and have the city sending nothing to landfills or incinerators by 2020.
"San Francisco has the best recycling and composting programs in the nation," Newsom said, praising the board's vote on a plan that some residents had decried as heavy-handed and impractical. "We can build on our success."
The ordinance is expected to take effect this fall.
The legislation calls for every residence and business in the city to have three separate color-coded bins for waste: blue for recycling, green for compost and black for trash.
Failing to properly sort your refuse could result in a fine after several warnings, but Newsom and other officials say fines will only be levied in the most egregious cases.
Fines for almost all residential customers and many small businesses - anyone who generates less than a cubic yard of refuse a week - are initially capped at $100. Businesses that don't have proper bins face escalating fines up to $500.
There is a moratorium on fines until at least July 2011 for tenants and owners of multifamily buildings or multitenant commercial properties to get people used to composting. Buildings where recycling carts won't fit can get a waiver.
"In any scenario there will be repeated notices and phone calls before we even start talking about fines," said Jared Blumenfeld, head of the city's Department of the Environment. "We don't want to fine people."
The proposal, hailed as an effective way to cut about two-thirds of the 618,000 tons of waste the city sent to landfill in 2007, drew resistance from some apartment building owners when details emerged about a year ago. And some residents were upset over the possibility of inspectors checking their garbage.
The ordinance calls for garbage collectors to leave tags on containers when they spot incorrectly sorted material, but those collectors are only going to view what's on top of the container and have no intention of going through them, said Robert Reed, a spokesman for San Francisco collectors Sunset Scavenger Co. and Golden Gate Disposal & Recycling Co., subsidiaries of Recology, formerly Norcal Waste Systems.
"Our role is to pick up the garbage and to make recycling as easy and convenient as possible for our customers," Reed said. "Our collection drivers will not become enforcers."
City officials would levy any fines, and the legislation doesn't provide funding for new trash inspectors.
"It doesn't create trash police," Blumenfeld said. Support mixed
Newsom's proposal created odd political bedfellows at the Board of Supervisors.
It was co-sponsored by frequent Newsom critics, Supervisors Chris Daly and Ross Mirkarimi, while two of the mayor's most reliable allies, Supervisors Carmen Chu and Sean Elsbernd, were the only opponents. "This is a little too much big brother, even for me," Elsbernd said. "We've got a huge problem in my district and a lot of other parts of the city with people who go in and out of garbage cans at night scavenging. Who's going to be responsible for that? Are we creating a whole brand-new problem?"
Elsbernd also questioned assurances that fines would not be aggressively pursued against residents, saying similar promises were broken on legislation against leaving trash cans visible.
The San Francisco Apartment Association, a trade group for rental property owners, took a neutral stance on the plan after language was dropped that would have held landlords responsible for tenants' sorting.
Cities from Pittsburgh to San Diego have mandatory recycling. None, however, requires all food waste to be composted. Seattle passed a law in 2003 requiring people to have a compost bin but, unlike San Francisco, it did not mandate that all food waste go in there. Reducing trash
Newsom floated the mandatory recycling idea in April 2008 as he faced the city's self-imposed goals of having a 75 percent recycling rate in 2010, with zero waste by 2020.
The rationale behind the move is clear. Material like food scraps and plant clippings that go into landfills take up costly space and decompose to form methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
A June 2008 report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, a group focused on environmentally sound community development, said a zero waste approach is one of the fastest, cheapest and most effective ways to protect the climate. Cutting waste sent to landfills and incinerators would be like closing 21 percent of U.S. coal-fired power plants, the report said.
About 36 percent of what San Francisco sends to landfill is compostable, and another 31 percent is recyclable, a comprehensive study found.
By the city's count, it currently diverts 72 percent of its waste, best in the nation. If recyclables and compostables going into landfills were diverted, the city's recycling rate would jump to 90 percent, Blumenfeld said.
Only 22 percent of the city's 10,000 large apartment buildings have composting bins, but the number has tripled in the last year, Reed said.
"Once people start to compost," he said, "they find it easy to do."
One hang-up, of course, is the perceived yuck factor.
"It's a false phobia that things are going to smell," Reed said. "It's the same garbage you already had, it's just handling it differently, in a more environmentally responsible way." Composting tips
-- You don't need a specially designed composting pail in your kitchen; a paper milk carton or a paper grocery bag work just fine.
-- With a paper grocery bag, put some newspaper in the bottom to absorb moisture.
-- Start with easy things - orange peels, coffee grounds, eggshells - to get the hang of it.
-- If you're using a paper bag, roll down the top to close it. Knot the end of compostable bags.
-- The composting bin has an attached lid. Keep it closed.
the following are things that my professor thought i would not know about:
1. jimmy stewart 2. mitt romney 3. robert redford 4. voter apathy 5. midterm elections
i'm guessing i wasn't the only student pissed off by his condescending nature because my head wasn't the only one that exploded when he suggested i didn't know what voter apathy meant.
before moving forward, the world must address the effects of extremism
-president barack obama
i know that the speech was in regard to muslim/american relations, but this particular quote in his speech resenates with me as I continue to my studies in american political journalism.
good speech.
...now let's see what the talking heads have to say about it
i had another visitor immediately following my final final, this time from my hometown of monroe township, new jersey.
i showed kristen some of the similar locations that i took sarah to, only this time there were certain parts of her vacation that definitely differed.
first, in celebration of my looming birthday, kristen took me to supper club, quite possibly the most bizarre dining experience i have ever had in my life... and i've been to a sushi joint in dublin (they had no idea what they were doing).
not only is the entire restaurant served at once, but we are asked to take our shoes off and climb into one of the many beds.
that's right, readers, this place serves you in bed.
here was our view from the second of two floors.
i know what you're thinking, "this looks like a nightclub."
or maybe you were thinking, "gee, i wonder when michael's birthday is."
a: june 18th, but let's focus, people.
for those of you curious about the ambiance, yes, the place does turn into a nightclub immediately following four courses of heaven. but during this meal, club kids dressed for a 1990s rave in philadelphia served us drinks,
delightfully tailored portions of food
and provided witty banter and eye candy.
in between the courses was when the fun really begins...
and then that happened...
and then that happened...
and then that happened...
we were fed dessert, i was given a birthday shot by the "hostess"and we went on our merry little ways after 4 delicious courses.
we also got an amazing audio tour at alcatraz
i thought that a tour of alcatraz was the most touristy thing a person could do in san francisco, but i was sadly mistaken. we went to the jail on the day of prop 8's confirmation announcement.
so kristen got to take part in the most san francisco-ish thing a person can do - protest.
this was no ordinary protest. in fact, this was the largest protest i have ever been a part of. we shut down market street on both sides and marched through downtown.
it was pretty intense.
we all arrived at yerba buena gardens, however it was cut short after police made an arrest and the crowd got angry and shut down nearby streets
3 very san franciscan activities and another completed vacation.
