ilivehere:sf

I participated in this project.  Because if there's one thing that inspires me, it's living in this city.  And reading the stories of other people who live here and are similarly inspired.

Julie, the photographer and creator of the project/site, is having a gallery show in November that will feature 100 of the portraits taken over the course of the project.  From what she told me, it sounds like it'll be awesome.  I can't wait to meet more of the participants.

Know-It-All Pencils

Sam gave us these (and a few other awesome things) as a thank you for letting her stay here this summer.

I didn't know pencils could be so pleasing.

Neighborhood Haul

Succulents and flowers and plants of all types love Bernal Heights.  They're all so ubiquitous that a person doesn't feel bad snipping a few cuttings for herself now and then.

One such mission was conducted a few nights ago.  I personally went to bed, but my minions fanned out into the streets to procure some cuttings and THIS is what I woke up to the next morning.  Amazing!  [Everything but the sunflowers came from our streets.]

Now I just need to find permanent homes for all of them :)

Adventures of a Chair

This is what happens when you lug a wooden beach chair into the BART station, through the mall to get takeout, up to Union Square to see an outdoor movie, and then back onto BART.

{Sam at the Glen Park BART station}

{Me at Powell Station}

I mean, if you've got a chair with you, why not take a load off while waiting for your train?

The outdoor movie was Dirty Dancing, by the way.  The St. Francis looked beautiful behind the movie screen.  I fought for our right to sit in our chairs, getting into a tussle with a girl who claimed we were blocking her family's view even though we were there first and they deliberately seated themselves behind us.  

After the movie we were punch drunk.  Maybe it was the (totally overpriced) Ghiradelli hot chocolate...but just the sight of these chairs cracked us up.

{Sam on BART but sitting in her own chair} 

There's just something so hilarious about that.  Maybe you had to be there...

Pink Slips

If I could, I would hand them out like candy to the people who designed the following monstrosity, the people who physically created it, and the people who decided that it should grace the rooms of Motel 6s everywhere (or at least in Thousand Oaks, CA).

I'm all for bright colors, but 80s-era red trucks and sixes splashed all over the place?  Not okay.  Especially not for a motel bedspread.  Isn't bedding supposed to be restful?

On a positive note, after shunning that thing and casting it onto the floor, I had a good laugh. Thanks for making me chuckle, ludicrous bedspread.

Happenings

{Cole at Laura and Stephen's wedding with her trusty koala}

{A (not very good) shot of the backyard wedding--everything about it was lovely!}

We've got some fun things planned for the next few weeks, so as long as I can make time to blog, I think I'll have things to say.

Saint...Kevin?

Cortland Avenue, the main street running through our neighborhood, is home to a Catholic church called St. Kevin's.  I've been walking past it for a few months now wondering whether there really was a St. Kevin.  It just sounds...odd.  As strange as "St. Todd" or "St. Owen" --  both of which make me think of a surfer dude saint.  {For all I know, they could be lesser-known saints too.}

{St. Kevin's, built in 1924}

Anyway, I was poking around on a San Francisco history site (one of my favorite pastimes) and I discovered that St. Kevin is a legitimate saint.  It's not really a surprise, since I doubt the Catholic church would allow just ANY name to be slapped onto a church.  According to an official St. Kevin of Ireland web page, "Kevin appears to have been more comfortable among fauna and flora than with humans, yet he developed such a devoted following that he was eventually compelled to found [a] monastery at Glendalough in order to accommodate them." 

Now when the "Obscure Catholic Saints" category surfaces on Jeopardy, you'll be able to sweep your TV competitors.

Asking Myself...

if I could in good conscience actually wipe my hands on what have to be the cutest tea towels in the ENTIRE WORLD.

The husband and wife team at To Dry For cooks these up.  I'm partial to these French/nautical ones, but I would take anything in their shop.  It's all awesome.

On a completely unrelated note, since when are you required to produce a resume when applying for a coffee shop job?  I just watched a (non-Starbucks) barista tell a guy who inquired about the 'help wanted' sign in the window that he needs to bring in a resume.  I'm glad I never had to describe my coffee shop skills on a resume--what would you say?  "Proficient at expediting the pastry case," "superior milk steamer," and "masterful grasp of espresso lingo"?