And so it came to be that a man named Thomas found himself driving me to the airport.\u00a0 Only four days had passed since my return from the South but my thirst for travel still pursued me.\u00a0 As we pulled to the curb, Thomas and I said our goodbyes in hushed tones.\u00a0 My destination was San Francisco and after six and a half hours of flight, I made it so.<\/p>\n
On the way out, I witnessed George Bush win the 2004 presidential election on my small television monitor right after I watching the philosophical thriller, \u201cDodge Ball\u201d.\u00a0 When the plane finally arrived in Oakland, I boarded the bay area\u2019s public transportation vessel known as BART and got off at the Embarcadero station.\u00a0 It was here that my friend and former college roommate Dara White worked.<\/p>\n
You may remember Dara\u2019s parents from the previous journal that covered the fantastic and perfect adventure in Ireland.\u00a0 Before I met up with Dara, I stopped into a liquor store to purchase a bottle of wine and as my dear friend Bobby Hands would say, \u201cpaid through the nose for it.\u201d\u00a0 I then met up with Dara who I had not seen in six years.\u00a0 I commented on his gray hairs and he spoke of my receding hairline.<\/p>\n
As he had to be involved in a high-powered, most likely diesel-fueled meeting, I dropped my bag in his office and walked around the city for a couple of hours.\u00a0 I first hit the historic Ferry Building on the waterfront.\u00a0 A building that was constructed in the late 1800\u2019s to handle the bay area\u2019s busy ferry traffic; it had gone into decay once the dirty bridges had replaced the majesty of ferry travel.\u00a0 And after a major earthquake forced the removal of a highway that ran in front of this building in 1992, it was decided that the Ferry Building should be restored to its former glory.\u00a0\u00a0 My brief tour of its limits proved to answer some previously unknown hunger that existed for large, old ferry buildings.\u00a0 Well done.<\/p>\n
I then continued north along the water and headed westbound up to Coit Tower where I was furnished with professional views of the surrounding area.\u00a0 Part of the view included the \u201cRock\u201d which made me reflect on Clint Eastwood\u2019s brilliant escape and Sean Connery\u2019s reluctant assistance in dismantling a domestic terrorist threat with the help of Nicholas Cage.<\/p>\n
I left this area and descended down into Chinatown where I watched old men play an assortment of games on the ground.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know what they were playing but the fact that it was on the ground and performed on pieces of cardboard made it look illegal.<\/p>\n
Once back at Dara\u2019s office, the two of us drank a couple of pints of beer at a local bar and made fine work of our recent pasts.\u00a0 The two of us then drove to Dara\u2019s apartment where I met his girlfriend, Chris.\u00a0 Chris was a kind and gracious creature and showed me a warm welcome that I had not experienced since before the war.\u00a0 The three of us then walked to a French restaurant by the name of \u201cClementine\u201d.\u00a0 This restaurant had the perfect mix of fine food and a comfortable atmosphere that was void of any pretense. \u00a0In a nutshell, I was delighted.<\/p>\n
As we ate and spoke, I enjoyed spending time with these two lovers.\u00a0 Their relationship can be described as fresh and after their multiple years of togetherness, it still contained the playful elements one would see during the initial stages of courtship.\u00a0 Back at their apartment, we watched a bit of the Knick\u2019s game and went to bed.<\/p>\n
After breakfast, I spent some time reading on San Francisco.\u00a0 Adequately educated, I took to Dara\u2019s bike for a couple of hours and made it happen.\u00a0 I first went through the tree-covered area of Paradiso.\u00a0 It was amazing to find out that this area had once been barren and that all the trees present were the result of human efforts.\u00a0 It was here that I chose to stun myself with delicious views of the Golden Gate Bridge.<\/p>\n
I eventually headed south to Golden Gate Park and back north to Dara\u2019s apartment.\u00a0 After a quick cleanup, I drove over to Alamo Plaza, home of the \u201cPainted Ladies\u201d and a heart-wrenching scene from \u201cSo I Married an Axe Murderer\u201d.\u00a0 When I refer to the \u201cPainted Ladies\u201d, I speak of the Victorian homes that are so decadently painted; they must be compared to hot, well-dressed, makeup-wearing chicks.\u00a0 Perhaps it is good these homes were given their nickname long ago since today\u2019s culture may have dubbed them the \u201cTrashy Sluts\u201d.<\/p>\n
I whispered goodbye to these ladies and drove to the touristy area around Fisherman\u2019s wharf.\u00a0 As I walked, I passed a man who obviously had made his companion a general sense of craziness. \u00a0He told me that he was the one who stopped the Vietnam War.\u00a0 If it weren\u2019t for the rags he wore and hands so permanently dirty they looked like black, polished shoes, I may have believed him.<\/p>\n
I then drove through some of San Francisco\u2019s streets like Steve McQueen in the movie \u201cBullitt\u201d.\u00a0 I made it back to the apartment and left with Dara to conquer the night.\u00a0 We met with my brother in law\u2019s coworker, Alicia, who works in the Palo Alto office of the company.\u00a0 We first met Alicia and her friends at the Fly Bar.\u00a0 She proved to be a social warrior and her friends were cut from similar cloth.\u00a0 Perhaps the most interesting was Leslie who kept leaving to check on and bring food to her dog in her parked van outside.\u00a0 Strange but whatever it takes.<\/p>\n
Another one of here friends, Keith, looked a lot like Keanu Reeves which is great since I look a lot like Agent Smith.\u00a0 I told him we should go out in the streets and just kick the crap out of each other like we did in the \u201cMatrix\u201d.\u00a0 Instead of fighting, we moved on to the \u201cIndependent\u201d where we watched some interesting live music that combined blues, fife, drums and funk and a serious cloud of cannabis that defined the odor and tone of the evening.\u00a0 Folks got drunk, some high, a sloppy entertainment persevered but no one got hurt.<\/p>\n
Today I got in the car and drove north to the Muir Woods, home to many brilliant scenes from Return of the Jedi\u2026and some sort of well known redwood trees.\u00a0 I enjoyed these intense organic structures and the hike that took me out to the ocean.<\/p>\n
Once I achieved just the right ocean view, high up on a small mountain, I paused to eat my lunch and write some of the tasty words you\u2019ve read up to this point.\u00a0 I then worked my way back to the parking lot and drove back to San Francisco.\u00a0 Before going to Dara\u2019s apartment, I drove to an area known as \u201cTwin Peaks\u201d.\u00a0 The great thing about this place is that there really are two peaks<\/u>!\u00a0 Awesome!<\/p>\n
Here I could see the city as if my eyes belonged to a winged creature.\u00a0 Content with a day of dramatic visuals, I met Dara and we eventually drove to a small town named Truckee.\u00a0 It was here that Dara\u2019s friend Scott owned a condo that put him 10 minutes from Lake Tahoe.<\/p>\n
Paying respect to my rhythm for the past month, Dara and I met Scott at a bar in Truckee.\u00a0 Along with Scott was another friend of Dara and Scott by the name of Chris who hailed from Ipswich, Ma.\u00a0 Getting over the mild amusement of our forename and geographic similarities, I began to study my new victims.\u00a0 It always intrigues me to see the dynamics of friends when they get together.<\/p>\n
Dara\u2019s role would be that of the \u201cCool Mom\u201d.\u00a0 He would buy the kids beer but kick their ass if they got on his nerves.<\/p>\n
Scott was \u201cClark Kent\u201d.\u00a0 A mild-mannered professional at first glance but had the super hero ability to party if the situation demanded it.<\/p>\n
And then there was Chris.\u00a0 I dub thee \u201cRisky Disco\u201d.\u00a0 As we all know, by its precious nature, disco is risky.\u00a0 To put an adjective before the noun that speaks to the noun\u2019s inherent nature is to emphasize the potency of the one that bears its name.\u00a0 The role and purpose of Risky Disco is to make it so that no matter what happens, no conversation will be boringly clean, the virtues of sobriety will be placed on the back burner and that at least one poor sap is being gloriously made fun of at all times. In fact these virtues will probably not even make it to the stove.\u00a0 They\u2019ll most likely be stored in an unmarked Tupperware bin and placed under some eight-month old bag of frozen chicken livers.\u00a0 Risky Disco will also introduce new and exciting ways to talk about intimate matters.\u00a0 It is this particular inventive spirit with the spoken word that keeps our words on our public bathroom walls so fresh and stimulating.<\/p>\n
My role?\u00a0 It was to be the guy who in high school could have been voted \u201cMost Likely to Wear Acid-Washed Jeans\u201d.\u00a0 This was the abstract role I had to fulfill.\u00a0 The great thing about this role is that you don\u2019t actually have to wear acid-washed jeans.\u00a0 In fact, it\u2019s better if you don\u2019t.\u00a0 You just had to have convinced your high school that you had what it took to wear them.<\/p>\n
After a paltry four hours of sleep, we drove to Alpine Meadows where we would ski for the next few hours.\u00a0 Although I had not skied, for over four years, I managed to perform.\u00a0 I even inadvertently went down a double black diamond trail aptly named \u201cWaterfall\u201d and lived to write about it.<\/p>\n
When we returned, we literally watched television and slept for the rest of the day.\u00a0 Crazy.<\/p>\n
The four of us drove to Lake Tahoe this morning to eat breakfast.\u00a0 On the way back, a spontaneous decision was made that would have a profound effect on the remainder of the day.\u00a0 I will tell you that up to this point; it appeared that Chris, Dara and I were going to drive back to San Francisco somewhat soon.<\/p>\n
But after a few pitchers of beer were consumed and a general rowdiness ensued, thoughts of homeward bound travel were like dust in the wind.\u00a0 Since I drank very little, I was elected to navigate our crew to Reno whenever we left the bar.\u00a0 As the lads continued to increase the intensity of their feedback on the waitress who boasted of ample and interestingly-placed flesh, I realized that the journey and stay in Reno would be stimulating.<\/p>\n
For good measure, Chris and Scott punished a couple of innocent shots of Jack Daniels before we left Truckee.\u00a0 The ride to Reno may have only been 32 miles but it was so saturated with a special kind of inebriation that consistently begged me to stop for beer at every exit.\u00a0 Dara and I had to refuse these demands and others like, \u201cOhhh, hey look dudes!\u00a0 It\u2019s Boomtown!\u00a0 Ha ha haaa!\u00a0 Let\u2019s stop here!\u00a0 Whooohoooo!\u00a0 Boomtown!!!\u201d<\/p>\n
We finally reached the Silver Legacy casino and I watched the boys gamble.\u00a0 After many heartbreaks, Chris finally had some luck and finished the day ahead $300.\u00a0 Even more incredible was Dara\u2019s majestical craps performance that earned him a whopping $2100.\u00a0 While Dara was finishing his game, I pursued one of the skankiest buffet meals I have ever endured.\u00a0 The food was so void of personality and quality, it was as if they cut out pictures of the actual food, put a despicable gravy on it and let the food warm itself under heat lamps.<\/p>\n
The four of us then left the casino and then went to a place where stuff happens.<\/p>\n
Tired but determined to get home, Chris, Dara and I left Reno and made it back to San Francisco by 2:00 AM.<\/p>\n
This morning I performed my normal morning routine.\u00a0 But this morning included a special caveat that took the shape of a birth announcement.\u00a0 I called my sister and learned that her new daughter, Audrey Nora Callahan, became a new member of the human race.\u00a0 The only thing that could compliment such news was a return trip to the Muir Woods.<\/p>\n
This time I hiked from Mount Tamalpais to Stinson Beach.\u00a0 The 4.1 mile descent to the sea brought me through old forests, out on to grass-covered mountain tops and then down through more forests where I finally made it to the small town of Stinson Beach.<\/p>\n
At the start of my hike, signs warned me of the possibility of seeing mountain lions, and rattlesnakes.\u00a0 Amazing, here I am, 15 miles from San Francisco and I have to watch out for dangerous animals.\u00a0 If I was in a wooded environment 15 miles from Boston, I could only hope to find signs warning me of high school terds drinking in the woods.<\/p>\n
For lunch, I grabbed some food at a snack bar and sat by the beach to eat.\u00a0 As I did, 20 or so seagulls began to close in and beg for food in their silent way.\u00a0 This caused me to rush my meal and compromise my digestion.\u00a0 Animals can be such punks sometimes.<\/p>\n
On the hike back, I chose a different trail named \u201cSteep Ravine\u201d.\u00a0 It brought me alongside a river that originated on the top of the mountain I was climbing.\u00a0 The forest here was so dense and the trees so large that I felt like a tiny piece of lice on the scalp of a rock star\u2019s head.<\/p>\n
Back at the apartment, Dara and I enjoyed a salmon dinner of his creation.\u00a0 While we ate, we watched a movie by the name of \u201cThe Power of One\u201d.\u00a0 The meal and film were both of riveting quality.<\/p>\n
Today I decided to drive to Napa Valley to investigate the buzz that this region has created.\u00a0 I\u2019m not usually one for a buzz of this kind but I felt it was the only way to protect myself from people.\u00a0 For whatever reason, many folks are convinced that Napa Valley is the greatest thing since the invention of the moped (Meaning that they really like Napa Valley.\u00a0 Come on, who doesn\u2019t like mopeds?\u00a0 A bicycle that moves itself\u2026brilliant.).\u00a0 Perhaps if you have lived in the ground your entire life and this was the first thing you saw, the experience would be far more provocative.\u00a0 I know for a fact that when I return, people will say, \u201cSo did you see Napa?\u00a0 Did you?!\u00a0 Did you?!\u00a0 I LOVE NAPA VALLEY!!\u00a0 Flowers\u2026wine\u2026slacks\u2026ahhhh, I can\u2019t take it anymore!\u00a0 Napaaaaaaaaa\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the record, Napa is a fine place.\u00a0 I went to Francis Ford Coppola\u2019s winery in Rutherford which proved to be a unique experience.\u00a0 I tasted wine.\u00a0 It was nice.\u00a0 I then ate lunch in the town of St. Helena which was also a lovely experience.\u00a0 One of the best parts of the lunch for me was my encounter with Mr. Lady Steps.\u00a0 Sitting at the bar, I heard someone walking behind me.\u00a0 In my mind, I decided this person to be a woman.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 The sound of the shoes hitting the floor was that of a woman\u2019s shoe.\u00a0 When I turned around and saw a man producing this delicate patter, I realized it was a man who stepped like a lady, Mr. Lady Steps.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure if it was due to his method of walking or because his shoes were so astronomically fancy.\u00a0 Whatever the reason, he will remain Mr. Lady Steps.<\/p>\n
So in any event, don\u2019t get me wrong.\u00a0 Napa is fine.\u00a0 I just didn\u2019t feel the emotion for it that others do.\u00a0 And it may also very well be the case that I do not return.<\/p>\n
On my return to San Francisco, I drove along Sea Cliff Drive and witnessed some brilliant ocean side property and parks.\u00a0 When I returned to Dara\u2019s, we ordered out for Chinese food and watched Gladiator.\u00a0 All good.<\/p>\n
Flew home, yo.\u00a0 What else can I tell you?\u00a0 One odd side note to share is that before boarding the plane, I stopped in the men\u2019s room.\u00a0 As I stared at the tiny alleys of grout between the tiles on the wall, I could see words written in the grout.\u00a0 Some of the finer ones said, \u201cGroutful Dead\u201d, \u201cJump and Grout\u201d and \u201cThe Grout Wall of China\u201d.\u00a0 I will never feel bad about myself again.<\/p>\n
Also, a powerful piece of advice I can give you is to not bring the type of pen that stores a large reservoir of ink in its chamber on to a plane.\u00a0 It appears the change of pressure causes the pen to explode onto your journal, hands and pants.\u00a0 Very annoying.\u00a0 So there I am, eating Terra Blue Chips with blue ink on my hands and pants, trying to wash it off with blue liquid hand cleaner on a Jet Blue airplane.\u00a0 The irony failed to amuse me.<\/p>\n
When I arrived in Boston, I was greeted by the loud diesel engine of Thomas\u2019 big Dodge pickup truck.\u00a0 Sitting within its limits made me feel intensely masculine.\u00a0 As Thomas drove, I reviewed the past weeks events.<\/p>\n
Before going home, Thomas and I drove to our friends Derik and Mary Ann\u2019s.\u00a0 Our purpose was to move an exercise bike from their South End apartment to the Back Bay where the original owner of the bike resided.\u00a0 I was told the bike did not work so that is why we were to move it back to the original owner.\u00a0 We then were asked to instead bring the bike to Thomas\u2019 basement in South Boston for temporary storage because perhaps the bike worked now or something to that effect.\u00a0 I really don\u2019t know.\u00a0 I know there was a woman involved in the process which could have accounted for the sudden shift of plans but since I am such a nonsexist and open-minded lad, I can\u2019t really say for sure.\u00a0 Besides, Derik isn\u2019t a woman anyways.\u00a0 Booyah!!<\/p>\n
When I finally made it home, I watched \u201cPoint of No Return\u201d and \u201cPee Wee\u2019s Big Adventure\u201d.\u00a0 A fitting end to such a ravenous journey.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
November 3, 2004 And so it came to be that a man named Thomas found himself driving me to the airport.\u00a0 Only four days had passed since my return from the South but my thirst for travel still pursued me.\u00a0 As we pulled to the curb, Thomas and I said our goodbyes in hushed tones.\u00a0 … <\/p>\n