Our friends know the details now. Our car was stolen on Sunday, as we watched the Cherry Blossom parade in San Francisco's Japantown with digitalsidhe and feyandstrange .. After contacting various agencies and people, the San Francisco police let us know that they had found our car (major, MAJOR props to the policeman who helped us out). Unfortunately they notified us of this right after Feyandstrange had driven us back to San Jose. After we arrived back in San Francisco, we found out our car had been taken to the city impound lot, and furthermore there was something like a $430.00 bill for towing and storage, with $50.00 added every day. More props to the police lot attended who pointed out that our insurance company could not only pay the bill, but also send someone to retrieve the car. Then going well beyond the call of duty Feyandstrange drove us back home. I mean wow. I have awesome friends, but this is seriously one of the most awesome things I have ever personally seen someone do.  Thank you seems so incredibly mild for how I feel.

So, on the upside:
The game on Saturday: it was great to be back in our 4E game, and I like my mage's gradual increase in effectiveness.
The Cherry Blossom festival: a hell of a lot of fun, from children in kimonos, to a large variety of pretty princesses, to enthusiastic kodo drummers. It was totally worth the 50 mile walk (uphill both ways) from the apartment to the parade route.
Excellent Japanese food.
Excellent company
Feyandstrange and digitalsidhe being completely, totally awesome.
Finding out our car was found.
Getting my taxes completed, and for about $2000 dollars less than I thought it would cost on Friday.

Downside:
My considering how out of shape I am that a mere walk of fifty miles uphill both ways should wind me so badly.
My replicating San Francisco weather: freezing than warm than freezing than warm...and the lowlands (feet) being warm while the upper areas (ears) get wind chilled.
Coming back to realize that white car was not OUR car.
Being pretty much useless in the evening, not even remembering any of the important numbers.
Staggering around downtown SanFran, needing the help of my cane around 3:00 AM on Monday.
A massive bill from SanFran towing.
Contemplating the almost certain loss of a valued knife, and several library books. Hardbacks no less.
Having to take the train up to SanFran tomorrow to get our car back (

But all in all, we have a lot to be grateful for, especially our friends. And for one last note:

PARK IN THE PARKING GARAGES NOT THE STREET!

I say again!


HAPPY BIRTHDAY fintach !!!

I hope you've been having a marvelous time- you deserve it!

Wotta party. A great start to the holiday season. There was a lot less cookie making and a lot more alcohol, but hey, it was a toot.

Random thoughts:

I found a bowl of leftover chocolate sauce and ground graham crackers that had been intended to coat white chocolate and lemon treats. On impulse, I mixed the two together, rolled it out on wax paper, and froze it. I found out that it really needed to be cut before it froze, but the result was quite tasty. I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to duplicate it- (ingredients? Measures? What's that?) but I did like the result.

Evil Dead the Musical turned out to be much better written and more funny than I thought it would be. It turned the problem of combining the first two Evil Dead movies into an opportunity for self-referential humor, and combined a variety of musical styles into the revue. The quality of singing was mixed, but the person they selected for Ash had the appearance down. And of course there were the one-liners from the movies. It was an excellent play to see with lots of sugar and alcohol.

Overall it was a grand time, as it always is when we gather a large bunch of friends for a party. I'm lucky to know so many wonderful people.

Now if you'll excuse me, I think I need about a gallon of the hair of the dog.

Many happy birthday returns for llamabitchyo! Have a great natal day, and best wishes for the coming year!

At first I thought my official birthday party would turn out to be a small intimate dinner, with maybe 6 people. It ended up as a fun dinner with 14 people, at Tsunami, the restaurant that has the tasty food and slow service. I actually didn't mind the slowness, because it gave me some extra time with my friends in a big noisy group. I had sushi and tonkatsu for the first time in ages, and was given a beautiful pair of tea cups with integral tea filters, along with mint tea. But the best gift of all was being with my friends- I am very thankful I now live up here and have gotten to know so many wonderful people. It's a constant gift, and one a birthday is the perfect time to remember.

So thank you all, my birthday week was terrific!

Too tired to go to his birthday party, so I have been sitting here, drinking martinis in his honor, and remembering. Maybe later I'll go scrape the skin off my hands.

To a friend I wish was still here.

Happy birthday, Alex!

Mea Culpa devonapple  - I blame the hot weather for my not checking my calendar. And I'm all the more embarrassed, because you're right up there as far as people I want to wish a happy birthday to!

In any case, I hope you had an incredible day of birth commemoration, with more fun and pleasure than you could handle.  And hell, why let it stop? I wish you to have more fun and pleasure than you can handle for the rest of the summer! On me!*



*Offer not available in some states, counties or planetary systems. Call for locations. Ends 1/10/1232. Excludes taxes and service plan charges. May require two-year agreement, up to $36 activation fee, up to $200 early termination fee, credit approval and deposit. May require a ride over to your place if drunk. Additional terms restrictions and fuzzy handcuffs apply. Neither the participating provider or user is responsible for any misuse or unintended consequences of use of more fun and pleasure than you can handle. The more fun and pleasure than you can handle is provided "as-is" and no warranty is given or implied as to its accuracy, currency, completeness, or appropriateness for your use. The more fun and pleasure than you can handle may be used for informational, non-commercial purposes only. Strange People may update or make changes to the more fun and pleasure than you can handle provided by this server at any time without notice; however, my cats make no commitment to update the more fun and pleasure than you can handle contained herein. Since the data on the more fun and pleasure than you can handle in the central databases are continually being updated, it is advisable to refresh the more fun and pleasure than you can handle at least once a year after its receipt. Questions concerning more fun and pleasure than you can handle should be directed to somebody else. void where prohibited- but only in case of a dire emergency.

Well well well, so it's the birthday of the famous, no notorious, camino_volare . Well, as one worldly man of the world to another, I have to say that on this occasion, that we've reached the age where a certain maturity descends on us, whether we will it or no. So unlike the cruder well-wishing of our compatriots, I would like to wish you a birthday as full as dignity and grace as you, being a gentleman of mature means, so very well deserve.

The vat of jello, the bouncy castle and the 20 Norwegian co-eds are on order.

Happy (belated) Birthday jadecat9! I'm hoping this birthday, and the ones to come is a wonder!

...and now I must sleep on a tree branch for a week.

I'm actually not used to eating a lot, especially fatty foods. As part of our weight management program, we've been eating smaller portions, with less meat, and even in parties I generally just nibble.

But today, with going out to watch the Sharks game with some friends at a restaurant- an affair that turned into a restaurant and a pub, I ate, and ate and ate. And I ate bad stuff: tortilla chips; cheese fries; a couple slices of pan pizza; a pulled pork sandwich. We're talking a massive carb and protein load, so when Sandy and I got home, we both immediately crashed and took naps, the same way we might after a night of drinking.

I have places to go, and people to give rides to tonight. And four hours later I still feel bloated and a little woozy. And of course, the Sharks lost. Thus the wages of sin.