After a couple of intense days catching up and making progress with my freelance work, I welcomed another trip to SF, albeit on the lottery-seat airline, Southwest. Tonight Norman Solomon and Reese Ehrlich spoke about their new book “Target Iraq: What the News Media Isn’t Telling You”. Somewhat troubling was the Q&A session that followed – most people weren’t so much asking questions as they were promoting their own organizations. I realize that some non-profits struggle, but I thought that the session should be about asking questions, not long diatribes of quotes that the audience already knew. An elderly woman (whose first protest was in 1939) spoke about the need to bring the message to not just the converted, but the mainstream. Bingo! My thesis. I talked to her afterwards. She asked if I was single, because she has a 25-year-old daughter, though a New Yorker. When I told her I was 32, she said, “You’re almost old enough for me!” We chuckled about that. Norman and I are talk about an email dialogue about my graduate school options.I skedaddled down to the Digital Movie House to see “Nothing so Strange”, a faux documentary about the assassination about Bill Gates and the official inquiry that follows, and is subsequently discredited by a conspiracy theorist group filled with infighting. Apparently the director had an obsession with the Kennedy assassination and wanted to direct his energy to a more healthy endeavor – in this case, independent film. Bill Gates’ official statement about the movie: “I find it disappointing that anyone would want to make a movie like this.”
Taxicab confessions: Wars then and now
Today I wander as a tourist downtown. On the way to the airport, I stop for a shoeshine, performed by an elderly black gentleman named Randolph. We talked about the coming war with Iraq, and he tells me about his family history with war: his grandfather was in World War I, father in World War II, he was in the Korean War, and his son was in Desert Storm. His son just resigned his commission (voluntarily) after eight years of service. The timing was not coincidental – his son is opposed to the war and what it stands for. I only mention that my father was in Vietnam and his father was in World War II, and that I felt fortunate not to have to be a part of any conflict, but was much more interested in hearing his perspective. It was a nice way to leave this city until I visit next Thursday.
Sakani to ’em!
Sakani! What a fiery orator, and co-author of “Taking It Personally”. She reminds me of why I cherish the weekends at New College – lively discussions accentuated with a variety of fascinating speakers. Tonight I hung out with Laura and a gaggle of her friends at a bar in Noe Valley called the Dubliner, but the real fun was when we all went out to a bar in the Castro called Lucky 13 – it reminded me as a collage of several bars that exist in Seattle, like the Tractor Tavern, Molly Maguire’s, the Comet Tavern. I loved the vibe, and they had a great jukebox. If I take up drinking as a hobby again, that’s where I’d want to practice. And it’s right down the street from the Mint.
NLRB at RNM
I connected with several students today – Natasha, Yusef, Gerald and Jeremiah – over lunch at a Pakistani restaurant. That felt good, and those connections made me really feel a part of the city, almost as a resident, and no longer as a stranger. The afternoon found me nodding off during the last hour (sorry).Diana and I have dinner at a totally-out-of-place-in-the-Haight restaurant called RNM, a French and American fusion establishment. I eventually got into a conversation with a couple sitting next to us – it turns out that the guy sitting next to me works for the National Labor Relations Board – and talked about the rise and fall and present status of the labor/union movement. I didn’t expect that.
Going Coastal
Nicole, my partner in the cleanse, and I had “real” (and by real, I mean not) food for breakfast at the Ccoastal Kitchen. I had the goat cheese rhumba, with spinach and eggs and cilantro, and some tea. Not the healthiest breakfast, but a little gift to myself since I stuck religiously to the cleanse for two weeks.Diana and I were going to have dinner this weekend at Platanos in the Mission, but just found out that the chef there was killed a couple of blocks from there last night. I think that’d be kind of creepy to eat somewhere when the body’s not even cold yet.
Day 14
So today is Day 14 of the cleanse. Man, oh, man, if I wasn’t going to San Francisco this weekend, I’d continue to do it. A hydrotherapist I worked with has been on a raw foods diet for the past two years, and looks extraordinarily healthy. She told me that she covered her stove with a board and uses it for extra counter space. I don’t think I could go that far.So now it’s time to think about new ways of doing things. I am, quite internally, starting from scratch, and giving new thought as to what I want to put in my body, and what sort of exercise I want to do in order to achieve my perceived ideal weight (according to the Body Mass Index) of 175. I’m almost there, at 184.
What Would Jesus Drive?
A day to catch up with friends all over the place. I’ve booked two weekends in SF for February as there’s a protest march on February 16th I really want to be a part of. I’m thinking of volunteering for it. I’m also getting revved up about the possibilities that my thesis can offer, especially after watching a recent Bill Moyers special about hydrogen cars. It offered a spotlight on Arianna Huffington’s “When you drive an SUV, you fund terrorists” commercial campaign, and an evangelical association’s “What Would Jesus Drive?” campaign. This ties in with my thesis, and makes excellent background material. They’re shaping a visual language for certain mainstream elements. I think the WWJD campaign is more effective, though, because it doesn’t attack people personally.
Gerald Collier
I got to go out tonight. Gerald Collier — a former bartender at my old watering hole – played at Molly’s tonight. He has an alt-country sort of feel to his music, and probably the most pleasant voice I’ve ever heard. He’s one of the friendliest people I’ve ever met in this city, and has the sort of inner peace that attracts people to him. After trying out what a national scale feels like, he’s found happiness in a local existence, where his conversation and musical talents don’t need to be watered down via a media company.
The shuttle Columbia exploded on re-entry – Yow.
I’m on Day 10 of the cleanse. There was great temptation tonight, however, as Molly’s makes really good Irish food, and the smell of mashed potatoes and shepherd’s pie was permeating the establishment.