6th floor

This is the view from the 6th floor where I work. You can kind of make out the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance. I took it with my camera phone so it is a bit blurry. I should take my phone out and take pics for a tour of SF.

ice cream

I've had the strongest craving for cheese and corn ice cream. I remember having this concoction in the Philippines when I was a kid. There's something about the saltiness of cheddar cheese (I assume it was cheddar) contrasted with the sweetness of corn that made for good eating. It may sound like a strange combination but it really was tasty. It's probably the fact that it's warm here in San Francisco that is making me have this craving. I guess I should go to a Philippine market to see if it tastes as good to me as I remember.

jump

So, one of the big stories here in San Francisco is the fact that they wanted to put a ski jump on Fillmore Street. Yes, you heard me, they wanted to place a ski jump on a street in a major metropolitan city. Presumably because of San Francisco's notoriously cool summer days, Jonny Moseley and friends wanted to dump over 200 tons of snow onto a steep hill in San Francisco and erect a ski jump. They were going to have a competition and have it filmed by MTV. They had procured the proper permits to stage the event and was set to ski in San Francisco this Saturday. Today, they announced that the event was postponed until further notice. Mayor Gavin Newsom said due to the fact that there has been too much publicity and there are fears of crowd control problems.

I'm kind of disappointed. I was actually thinking about going to see it. It sounds like a great idea. Use the streets of San Francisco for something other than wearing out my truck's brakes. I'll probably have to wait for it to come around again. It would've been cool to see snowboarders and skiers jumping the city streets.

I posted some pictures below one is a conceptual picture of what the jump and the event might look like. The other is a picture of the street as it is.

A view from the top of Fillmore Street.

A Photoshopped pic of what the jump would've looked like.

Listening

Ari Hest -Someone to Tell
Today I was listening to Ari Hest on my way home from work. Highly recommended for anyone that likes the singer-songwriter genre. I love all of the songs, especially, "They're On To Me" and "Anne Marie." I've always wondered about songs named after a person. I wonder, sometimes, if they're actually people that the artist knew or just stories where the name happened to rhyme . I've always wanted to make a mix CD with all songs with names as titles, like Elvis Costello's, "Alison;" Sponge's, "Molly" and the aforementioned "Anne Marie." Just a thought...

John Doe

So, I work in a hospital. Many of you may not know that, but I do. I have two positions in that hospital. I do clerical work for the EEG (ElectroEncephaloGram) Lab but I am primarily an equipment tech for the Respiratory Department. So, today, through the printer comes a "stat" inpatient order for an EEG for a "John Doe." We've gotten these orders before but rarely do they have no real name. One of the techs wondered why we name unknown people or anonymize people using the name John Doe. I did some Google-ing and found a page that answered my question. Just a little piece of history and trivia for you.

Luau

A friend, actually my boss, just offered me a chance to work in a professional kitchen again. His wife is an Elk. He's helping the Elks out by putting together a Luau for a fundraiser. He's asked me to join his kitchen just to help out. It's been quite a while since I worked in a professional kitchen. I do miss the work. I've always liked the process of taking raw ingredients, putting them together , throwing in a little fire and some spice and out comes a dish that is an amalgam of all its parts but also so much more. The Luau won't be happening for another month but I'm excited about the prospect.

Now I'm hungry...

More driving

As I was coming into work today at 5:30 (my shift starts at 6:00AM), the streets of San Francisco were still in night mode. The streetlights shone on the streets and cars were whizzing by, their headlights piercing their dark surroundings. There are lots of cars driving with me towards the City, dozens of little red lights in the highway ahead of me. I wonder what all these people are doing up? I know most people don't head to work until about 8:00. I know the circumstances that bring me to this place at this time of night. But what are their circumstances? What compels them to be driving with me as I rush to work? My silent companions and I all speed down the road towards our various destinations. We are each aware of the cars that flow along the road but also just as unaware of the many stories and twists of fate being played out in the surrounding darkness.

I still think I get up at an ungodly hour. I know that my circumstance compels me to be at the hospital at such an early time. But it still amazes me that all these people are up and about as early as I am. It also amazes me that even more people will be up soon and rushing towards the myriad of places they need to go. It's kind of lonely somehow to feel lost in all that rush. And yet, not so lonely, to be moving along with countless others, all finding our little places in the world.

Driving

I was driving from San Jose to get home to Daly City (that's the next city south of San Francisco for those unfamiliar with the Bay Area) . I had just visited with my friend Trung who lives down there in San Jose. He helped me burn some DVDs for a couple of friends after which we proceeded to have dinner, which we ALWAYS do. I've known Trung for almost 10 years now. It's funny that we had to meet at UNLV when we lived just a short drive from each other. We'd always had our best times over food or drink so I guess that's why we always meet with the intent to dine. We even took a class at UNLV together where we learned to manage the kitchen of a restaurant. We cooked many dinners in that class and bonded over the stoves and grills of that kitchen. I even took a wine tasting course with him. Like I said, our best times always involved food or drink.

But I was actually talkng about the drive...

The drive takes about 45 minutes to an hour depending on whether you drive like a bat out of hell or MST ( Mother Standard Time= the average time it takes our mother to drive somewhere because we assume she follows all speed laws). Yahoo! Maps says 58 minutes. I love long drives. I love long drives alone, with one other person or with a group of people. I think you really get to know a lot about yourself on long drives. If you're traveling with others, I think a long drive is the great way to get to know them. But tonight, I was alone. With my thoughts. And a radio. This is my favorite kind of driving. You can choose to ignore your thoughts and let yourself get caught up in the music. But, for me at least, that never works out. I get caught up in the music and the words (cause I'm a lyrics guy). Then, the mind starts to wonder (and wander) and get lost in my own thoughts. Mostly about the future. What I want to do with my life, finding love down the road, and even my own mortality (sometimes). I don't know if I ever really learn what it is I am searching for in these drives. I only know they fill my head with thoughts and let me mull over things. The drive becomes a time to let my mind breathe and relax. A time to let some thoughts go and to dwell on the some I've pushed to the back of my head.

My friend, James, from Las Vegas had dropped an interesting proposal that I was sorry to turn down. He offered me a road trip to visit our scattered friends all over the country. After I made it down to LV, it was to be a straight drive (one of those I sleep while he drives and vice versa things) to Savannah, GA to visit his family and some friends. Then, to Atlanta to visit some friends. Up to Rochester, NY to visit with more friends. A stop in Hartford, CT to visit with my oldest and dearest friend, Tim. Down to Indianapolis, IN to visit with my cousin. Then, straight back to Las Vegas and finally home to SF for me. He knows I become more centered after long drives and knew I needed the break. I had the PTO to make the trip but, the one thing I needed were the funds. Even staying with friends (which would save us lodging), we'd still have to gas the car, feed ourselves and pay for various other sundries along the way. Even with as much as I need the break and the vacation, it was still a no go for me. I'll just have to wait it out, save up my nickels and dimes and maybe next year...

A drive would've been nice though...

celebrity

For some reason, I'm always slightly star-struck when I meet celebrities. I'm always amazed by this reaction of mine. I really should be used to meeting rock stars and such by now. I cooked at the Fillmore and met a great deal of them when they came through the dinner line. I also have a sister that has a knack for winning stuff on the radio and always takes me to these private performances and meet-and-greets. Recently, My sister and I went to an "Alice Lounge." It's basically a local radio station's private performance series to promote artists they play. This particular afternoon it was Anna Nalick. She was supposed open for Howie Day, but, one of his crew came down with a medical emergency and he couldn't make it. Nevertheless, she was just a singer. But something about having heard her music before on the radio and having seen her on TV made her other-worldly to me. I got her to sign my CD cover and took a pic on my camera phone (and my friends told me I'd never use it). She seemed real down to earth and was very personable, but still that aura of fame was around her. I just couldn't shake it. Star-struck I was. Again.

Like I said, I REALLY should be used to this by now.

Sherman's Head

Welcome!

Finally got myself a blog. I've always been one of those types that would love to write down my thoughts but have never had the nerve or the drive to actually start. Well, regard this as my start...

Sherman's Head is a take-off on the title of an old Fox sitcom, "Herman's Head") Not to say that I hang out in an office all day with the voice of Lisa Simpson and Ross's lesbian ex-wife. Also not saying, that my head has 4 people living in it. Believe me, the one voice is bad enough as it is. Four would just drive me crazy. This is meant to be a collection of my thoughts, opinions and rhetoric. So, read on and I may post a nugget of brilliance in here someday.