Under Your Charms

I’m sure this is blasphemy to many of you, but I can’t imagine why – after this past Saturday’s slate of epic college football games – anyone would rather spend their weekend watching pro football. It’s incredibly rare, save for maybe a January playoff weekend, that the NFL matches the week in/week out excitement of college football. There were no fewer than 6 incredible I-can’t-believe-what’s-happening finishes that transpired on our college campuses over the course of 7-8 hours on Saturday afternoon. The marquee game - Notre Dame v. USC in South Bend - turned out to be even greater than the hype that preceded it. Not to mention Michigan’s stunning last second touchdown over Penn State or Wisconsin’s unfathomable comeback and last second TD at Minnesota. Sports fans everywhere were treated to a day that they will likely never forget. (And yes, I did pass up a day trip to Healdsburg, but the wine and Indian Summer will be there for me next weekend, I’m sure.)

****************

I finally went to see 24 Hours on Craigslist at the Red Vic on Saturday night and it was well worth the wait. It’s been making its way through the smaller festival circuit for over a year now and has finally made its way back home. The documentary focuses on a day in the life of CL - specifically, the lives of several eccentric Bay Area folks who use the cultish website for everything from personal ads to selling / buying merchandise to finding jobs. It’s the characters and their bizarre/funny searches that make the movie so intriguing. It'll be out on DVD in the early spring so throw it on your queue now.

****************

After 16 years of what I’ve now come to accept as typical San Francisco-style politics, the re-designed / re-built deYoung Museum finally opened its doors to the public on Saturday morning. Thanks to the spendy gala opening party on Friday night, the museum was able to stay open all weekend (yep, you could visit it Saturday night at 3am) … gratis. There were performances on almost every hour all weekend long, including some well known local DJs late Saturday night. A few of us went over to the park to see if we could get in, but the line snaked down MLK Dr. for what seemed to be no less than 7 city blocks. Friends had waited 2+ hrs and ended up leaving frustrated at 1:30am with absolutely no hope of seeing the main entrance, let alone the performance. Regardless of the lines, GG Park was hopping! There was the quintessential SF sense of community and that’s what had everyone pumped, I think. Apart from Bay to Breakers, I’ve never seen that many people and cars in the park, especially at night. It seemed as if everyone from SF in their 20s and 30s was at the park at some point that night. I think the city is dying for cool events like this, especially after hours. In any event, many critics are already proclaiming the building to be an architectural icon which will serve as the symbol of a rebirth of sorts of the city.

****************

Ok, so who else saw that Sunday’s NY Times had a piece – below the fold, but still - on drinking games and how marketers are jumping into the fray with things such as tournaments and a myriad of products and accessories. Who knew that “Beirut” would make such a splash (sorry, couldn’t help that one)? Not that I’m averse to reading these article, but The Times continues to surprise me with their content as of late. Last time I checked, it’s not summer anymore guys.

****************

There are a handful of epic weather days in SF each year which I’ll write about here ad nausea (so quit ya bitchin’) and Sunday was one of them. High 70s and not a cloud in the sky. Yep, this is our summer! After meandering around the deYoung grounds a bit (still unbelievably crowded. People stampeded when they hear the word *free* … even if it was followed by the word *beating*.) and checking out the turtles catching some rays over at Stowe Lake, we headed over to Medjool’s rooftop for a stunning view of the city and the rising full (almost) moon at dusk. Great Sunday evening scene. What a way to wind down the weekend.

So, Joel landed up in SF (for work) Monday night and is going to be here for the next few days. We went over to Azul for a benefit that a friend had organized and then down to the Mission to Medjool for dinner. Yep, I know, two nights in a row. I’m not going to be able to stop myself - especially while this weather lasts - from abusing that place!