Well, we have some 365 catch-up to take care of before getting onto my very real tales of San Francisco, so let’s get to it.

142/365

There really isn’t a whole lot of commentary for this one. I was doing some reading on the TEFL and teaching abroad, and in the books, all of the illustrations were really creepy. All I can say is that I can draw better than that, which means I could probably make a living at it if this artist could.

Or, it means that all the people who teach abroad look like crazy witch trolls. In which case I fit in perfectly.

143/365

Dying my hair at 11:30 on Thursday. This was right after I set my alarm for 4:30. But there’s a whole long story about how I had an overdue hair appointment with my regular stylist in Vancouver, about how I missed it because I thought I lost my phone, and how I got in a last minute cut at Regis, and how I had to do the color myself (it was seriously about 2 inches of grow-out overdue). So that’s why I sacrificed a little sleep to get this shit done.

Originally I was going to wait until my hair was dry to take a picture of it, a la similar to the cover of The Girl Who Played With Fire, but my patience wasn’t happening that night.

144/365

The next day, I caught my 6:30 plane to San Francisco! I felt exceptionally awesome, since I navigated BART by myself to make it to Schuyler’s area of residence is South San Francisco, which is a long way from the Oakland airport. After he ate some breakfast, we headed out to the city.

We started in the financial district downtown. After he took care of some business with the Norwegian consulate, and I’d gotten another dose of coffee, we started walking. A lot. This picture is from Columbus Street, where I got gum stuck on my shoe. We then walked up a very large hill to get to Coit tower, then walked down a riduculous series of stairs, then to Fisherman’s wharf, then Fort Mason, then back to Fisherman’s Wharf, where we caught a bus through Chinatown, caught the BART down to 16th and Mission and ate probably the best crepes in the whole damn world.

Altogether, a lot of walking, and I was wearing the cheapest, worst shoes I could have possibly worn. But I kept up damn well, and I think walking is really the best way to see San Francisco. So many awesome shops and restaurants, and of course spectacular people watching – it’s something I’m really good at doing, and I love it. Definitely a good day, despite my sunburnt nose and three blisters.

My wonderful guide and host, Schuyler.

Waiting at the Norwegian consulate in the financial district.

Along Columbus Street.

This is the hill up to Coit Tower that made me realize how fantastically out of shape I am.

“And that’s San Francisco.” Schuyler’s a super good tour guide.

That’s Coit Tower, after we’d walked down from it.

Sea Lions at Fisherman’s Wharf. I’m not sure what the big deal is, since they all smell terrible.

145/365

The next day, we headed up to Berkeley to wander around the campus. We started out at a bar that Schuyler said looked strikingly similar to a bar in Seattle, but it was kind of a disappointment since all of the beer was a touch on the bitter side. But, it provided a nice, early day buzz as we walked through Berkeley, rambling on about writing and school and travelling and things. It was in Berkeley that I found that Isabel Allende book that I wrote about in my last post.

The campus itself was really freaking awesome, but the reason I’ve avoided going to college campuses in the past few years is because they make me itch. They make me itch to go back to school, to have classes and quizzes, and reading to do. And Berkeley wasn’t any kind of exception. It may have made the itch much worse.

After we’d tired of Berkeley a bit, we caught the BART to Civic Center and wandered around looking for some food. A nice stranger pointed up in the direction of an awesome gyro joint, where gyros were ingested quickly. Then we caught a bus over to Golden Gate Park. More wandering, watching a freestyle yo-yo contest with awesome techno music, a small nap on the park. The weather was freaking fantastic.

Then we headed back to 16th and Mission via bus and shared a pitcher of beer at Zeitgeist. We plotted for the world domination of our college writing group, the Monkey Faces, starting with a five-year reunion in 2012.

We caught the BART, and then walked the two miles from the BART to his house. My feet, at this point, were completely thrashed, even though I was wearing my expensive shoes.

Where we took a rest at UC Berkeley.

Civic Center, City Hall

Where we took a wonderful little nap in Golden Gate Park.

Party at the park! Looked like fun.

146/365

Finally, time to go home. All in all, it was a great trip. It was good to get out of the PNW for a bit, clear my head, get some direction, and catch up with an old friend.

But as always happens, I’m also glad to be home.