August 27, 2004

Shandi

Ert and I were at the SF Fashion Week pre-party tonight at 111 Minna. You know, whatever.

Standing outside afterward, I thought that this one girl looked a lot like Shandi from America's Next Top Model. For some reason, I didn't want to seem like a dorky sycophant by gushing, "Are you Shandi?? I saw you on TV!" So instead, remembering a factoid from the show, I casually asked her, "Hey, did you ever work at Wal-Mart?" She replied, "No, Walgreen's." And I was like, "Okay thanks, nevermind!" I figured it wasn't her.

Just now, having returned home and turned on the TV, I saw a commercial saying that Shandi from America's Next Top Model will be appearing at SF Fashion Week. I looked her up on the Internet, and sure enough, she does work at Walgreen's, not Wal-Mart! So I guess I met her. I wish I'd just asked her if her name was Shandi, instead of being all oblique about it!

I really don't understand why people like American Idol. I find America's Next Top Model much more interesting. Aside from the fact that it's usually fun to watch pretty girls wearing amazing clothes, I actually learn a lot about an industry. I watched Season 2 religiously and learned about some of the people that Tyra Banks works with: designers, photographers, aestheticians. I learned a little about how they work; the process is not remotely as glamorous as its glossy result. You hardly learn anything about the music recording industry by watching Simon Cowell openly ridicule the contestants on American Idol!

Hey Shandi, sorry I was such a dork! Also, nice mug shot, lady.

August 27, 2004

Mass, and Matt

Ert and I went to Critical Mass tonight—her first time—and she was all atwitter: "This is so much fun! This is the best bike ride ever!" And indeed it was pretty fun! This was an unusually challenging ride; someone thought it might be fun to climb to the top of Russian Hill and bike down the curvy part of Lombard Street. So many squealing bike-brakes! The Lombard Street gardener was alternately watering the flowerbeds and the hot, sweaty cyclists. Whee!

Apparently the New York City Critical Mass was not as fun as ours. According to the New York Time and Newsday, the ride swelled to several times its usual size due to the Republican National Convention, and over 100 riders were arrested. Rumor has it that an SUV plowed into the crowd, running over seven people. Dang, dude. And just the other night on The Daily Show, Jon Stewart said, "Hey Republicans: why New York City? Was San Francisco all booked up?"

We split off from our very fun mass around 7:45 and pedalled toward Zeitgeist, where our friends were already gathered. But there was a tremendous line outside (?!), so we went one block further to Ert's apartment. As we were lounging around with glasses of cool water, Allison messaged me from the bar: "boyfriend matt is here"! Ert and I exchanged glances. To Zeitgeist!

Our pretend boyfriend, President of the Board of Supervisors Matt Gonzalez, was hanging out at our favorite biker bar! San Francisco sure rules! As we were waiting in that long, slow line, Matt emerged. "It's our favorite supervisor!" I exclaimed. Matt turned his head in passing and said cheerfully, "Hey!" Aw, he said hey to me. I feel like a very special constituent of District 5.

August 25, 2004

Osento

I hadn't been to Osento in a really long time, maybe a year or more. Somehow, it dropped off of my radar, perhaps because Erin and I fell out of the habit of going there together. But tonight I had a headache and plans to be in the Mission district anyway, and I remembered Osento.

In the dimly lit sitting room, I peeled off my clothes. Whew, already I felt better! Other naked ladies were milling about, alone or in chatty pairs. Several were lolling beside the hot tub as I slid into the steaming water: 107°F.

Instantly, my body went slack, my arms floating in the water in front of me as my head tilted back against the warm blue tile. Time stood still. The ladies around me chatted about yoga classes and work and their friends while I studied the recently-painted, powder blue ceiling. So hot. So hot. Soon, too hot. I slipped out, and onto the deck outside.

Lying on a cushioned bench, I enjoyed my first outdoor, naked nap since letting go of the hideyhole. It's pretty fun to lie around, bare-ass naked, al fresco, in the middle of the City! I watched the vapory San Francisco scud overhead and listened to the girls squealing as they jumped into the cold plunge below. Soon I was cool and dry, ready for my favorite part: the sauna.

I prefer the dry sauna: desert-style heat instead of the jungle-style wet sauna. It doesn't even feel very hot, at first, as I climb inside and close the isinglass door. It's dim and quiet except for the gentle creaking of cedar and the ticking of the heater's safety timer. I slouch against the smooth wall as the heat melts my muscles. I'm alone; most of the women prefer the wet sauna. Soon every pore is furiously expelling water—along with all my dirt, bacteria, and whatever other toxins have been festering inside my skin. I notice my headache is gone. My skin is slick and drippy. Time passes. A pool of sweat spreads at my feet.

Eventually, my water bottle is empty; I drank about as much as I'd sweated. I climbed out and stretched. I freshened my skin in the outdoor shower, with some spicy Dr Bronners. Next time, I should bring some sea salt, or one of those skin-scrapers like the ancient Greeks and Romans used.

This is the sort of thing I should really be doing once a week or so. It costs about as much as going to a movie, and it's one of my favorite things about living in San Francisco. Now I'm supple, detoxified, and relaxed!

August 24, 2004

Cat Unbitten

Sasha's last remaining scab has fallen off. Hooray, the cat is officially healed! He's more playful and spirited than he was before he was bitten. Perhaps he's appreciating life more, now that he's gazed into the slobbering jaws of death. Being attacked by dogs was the worst thing that ever happened to him.

August 19, 2004

Burritos Are Back!

Botana left the Lower Haight last year. Ever since then, we all heard a giant sucking sound in the vicinity of Haight and Fillmore. It was the sound of a burrito vacuum! Since then, the nearest burritos were at Church and Market.

But no more! Finally we have a new tacqueria in the neighborhood: Las Mesas, between Steiner and Pierce. I picked up a chicken burrito to go this evening. It's pretty yummy, though I'll have to have a few of them to see if they're consistent. So far, I have one complaint about the menu: there's no simple "super" option for burritos; you have to pick out the individual extras that you want. Rice, oddly, is considered an extra except on a veggie burrito. Also, they didn't ask me what kind of beans I wanted; I guess pinto is the default.

The decor is particularly pleasant, and they have a gorgeous landscaped patio in the back with an atrium looking out on it. The patio was closed and appeared to be under construction; hopefully it'll be accessible when it's finished.

There's a message board discussion about it here. Has anyone else tried it yet?

August 16, 2004

Olympics

I have to admit, the Olympics make me all weepy. The athletes are trying so hard, they're all beautiful and amazing and wide-eyed in a foreign country, kicking all sorts of ass to compete with people from all over the world. And then when they win, it's the best thing that has ever happened to them! They're more psyched than most people ever get to be, they've earned it, and they'll be telling people about it for the rest of their lives. I like that there are people so passionate about becoming the best at some of the things that human bodies were made for doing. I like that no record ever stands for very long; people are always somehow running faster and jumping higher and whatnot. It makes me feel optimistic!

You can all draw your own conclusions about Leni Riefenstahl, but Olympia makes me misty too. I think she made that movie for her own reasons, apart from getting paid by Hitler. Her photographs of the Nuba people make me think that she was passionate about the body as a vehicle for the human spirit. She herself was an athlete and an adventurer her whole life, right up until her death last year at the age of 101. How kickass is that? Say what you will about Nazi sympathizers (I don't believe Riefenstahl was one), but that lady is one of my best role models. If you'd like to know more about her, I recommend the movie The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl.

August 15, 2004

Congratulations John and Lamont

Lamont routinely refers to John as "my heterosexual life partner". They're remarkably compatible as roommates and as friends, heart-warmingly conflict-free. I've never seen two men so at ease with each other, yet so absolutely straight. They even look somewhat similar! And they are both hilarious and universally loved. I've been known to announce, after a little whiskey, that I want them to be my co-husbands.

As of this summer, John and Lamont have lived together for seven years. In our state of California, this would make them common-law husband and wife—if they were a man and woman. So Alicia ingeniously organized a surprise common-law wedding reception, complete with a cake, gifts, champagne, rings, veils, and cheesy music. Brilliant!

The happy couple were wonderfully surprised, and immediately adorned with veils and pendant shot glasses. John and Lamont wrote their own vows on the spot. Lamont's included, "No sex with you, ever. EVER!" and was soon seen cavorting openly with his mistress, the beautiful and charming Michelle. "You slut!" roared John. A champagne toast followed, then the gifts, which included a Mister Loaf bread machine.

Brent took great pictures here.

August 14, 2004

Lipstick

Sometimes, it really is worth spending some extra money on a higher-quality product. I learned this a long time ago with shampoo: There isn't a single drug-store brand that won't give me hay-head. Only a salon-quality brand (I like Bed Head) keeps my hair soft and shiny. I also pay $50 for a good haircut, which some folks find outrageous. But for me, it's a bargain compared to being annoyed with my hair all the time.

I need to learn to apply the same lesson to lipstick. Occasionally, I buy a cheap lipstick at Walgreen's. Sure enough, I bring it home, put it on, and it looks like crap. This bugs me and bugs me until I feel compelled to go back and buy another one, and repeat until I finally get one that will do. By that time, I have three or four crappy lipsticks that I'll never wear and one that's merely satisfactory.

This week, as this cycle of frustrated lipstick-purchasing began, I decided to short-circuit it by making a trip to Sephora. At last, satisfaction would be mine!

There were hundreds of lipsticks to choose from, with testers and mirrors and good lighting, Kleenexes and cotton balls and complimentary makeup remover. As expected, this resulted in a violent hemorrhage of cash, since of course I can't just buy one thing and get the hell out. I bought a birthday gift for the lovely Ert*, and for myself I bought a set of false eyelashes, metallic green eyeshadow, eye makeup remover, hair gloss, loose powder, and yes, two absolutely perfect lipsticks that look great on me: Lulu lipstick in "Tallulah" (glamorous for evening!) and Cargo lipstick in "Casablanca" (subtle for day or evening wear).

Now I have no lunch-money, but I really scratched that itch! It's a good thing I don't wear makeup every day. This haul will easily last me a year or two.

* Ert's birthday celebration included a rousing game of spin-the-bottle. I must have kissed eight different hotties. I'm sure I have a case of the cooties now, but boy it was fun! Thanks, Ert!

August 12, 2004

Belated Hiking Report

Last Saturday, Locke, Erin, and I hiked the Dipsea/Steep Ravine/Matt Davis loop on Mount Tamalpais. Today I finally got around to formatting my pictures from that day; click the one at left to see more. We spent about five hours on the 7 1/2 mile trail, including a long lunch under some spreading oak trees. It was the perfect combination of exertion and leisure: After a walk across a rolling meadow, we climbed a series of stairways up Steep Ravine, then adopted a more relaxed pace for the descent on the Matt Davis trail. This was as close to a perfect hike as I can imagine. Locke wrote his own trail report here.

At the end of the day, we were satisfyingly tired and grimey. Locke flitted off to meet some friends, while Erin and I enjoyed showers and a change of clothes at my apartment. Refreshed, we had dinner at Indian Oven and then saw the movie What The BLEEP Do We Know.

This is a strange film, a combination drama (starring Marlee Matlin as an anxiety-ridden photographer) and documentary featuring an array of scientists and doctors discussing quantum physics and its implications for our everyday lives. This movie refreshed my understanding of the basic concepts of quantum physics and encouraged me to think more positively. Did you know that your body's cells have receptors for the peptides that correspond to all your emotions? That there's no such thing as matter? That things are really in many states at once, and we choose which state to perceive? As we learn more about this weird science, we may find out that the "supernatural" has a scientific explanation after all. Wouldn't that be a trip?

August 10, 2004

Hotrod Hearse

I think of myself as someone who's not generally impressed by cars, even custom cars. But it's not true. I've had a long-standing fantasy of owning a Volvo P-1800. I've been known to loudly admire a sturdy all-wheel-drive station wagon. And this accursed television cable has made me a fan of MTV's Pimp My Ride. There are also a few funky old custom cars around my neighborhood that I admire. This is one of them: a black hearse with yellow flames, parked down the street this evening.