Friday morning we woke early to get packed and ready for our California trip. I had an appointment with an alarm company to estimate the house after a second break-in at our neighbor’s house; for considerably less than I thought, we’re having the place wired next Tuesday, with the option of adding smoke alarms later. We hopped an American flight to Dallas and made it out to San Francisco by dinnertime, pulling up to the curb out front of the hotel just in time to meet Rob and Karean, who were getting back from a long day in the city. Opting for room service instead of fighting for a reservation outside, we hit the rack early in preparation for drinking with the professionals over the weekend.
Saturday we met up with the other two Baltimore couples and got breakfast across the street, then roamed out in the direction of Chinatown. On our own, Jen and I stumbled across a neighborhood parade complete with dragons, band, and politicians, and not long after that, a funeral procession led by a brass band, New Orleans-style. Walking the length of the area brought us to the famous City Lights bookstore, where we picked up two good design books, and then walked back to meet up with Rob and Karean. Stopping in to the Paul Frank store, we got our monkey on, and then at a Ghirardelli store we got our chocolate on. Then it was back to the hotel to get gussied up for the party.
After a hilly ride out to the Log Cabin, we found a tuxedoed Matt greeting guests and an open bar, making this the first time I’ve sipped wine during the ceremony, which was not a bad way to start. Vows were exchanged, songs were sung, and two of my oldest friends from college were married. Then, there was drinking, dancing, eating, drinking, drinking, and suddenly we were waiting for cabs to the after-party. And waiting, and waiting… My intelligent wife suggested waiting close to the road to be the first foursome picked up, and her intellect paid off—but by then it was too late to party further, and we decided to retire to our hotel bar for a quiet nightcap of cucumber martinis.
Sunday began with breakfast at the hotel restaurant, and continued with a trip to the Exploratorium, a huge science center devoted to hands-on learning for kids and adults. What started out as a fantastic time slowly became overload as the sheer number of exhibits overwhelmed our pickled brains. I left with a headache, and we all decided some hair of the dog was in order, so we got some drinks at the swanky bar across from the hotel and recuperated. Then it was off to the after-wedding barbecue, where Matt and Soph get the award for Thing I’d Never Do The Day After My Wedding: cooking a pile of food for their out-of-town friends. We hung out at their house in the Castro, caught up with everybody, and had a mellow evening before catching a cab back to the hotel to grab some sleep—our shuttle to the airport pulled up at 5:15am.
Leaving San Francisco was hard—not only are a bunch of good people out there, but the city left us feeling energized, cosmopolitan, creative, and recharged. There are a number of differences between S-F and D.C. (I’m not going to mention Baltimore, because it just doesn’t compare) with the greatest one being the respect for history. San Francisco is dripping with old signage, restored houses, and design, while much of the East coast is homogenized. It was hard to leave that funky mixture to come back to McBaltimore.
Hey, I should elaborate a little, lest you think I’m another hater: One of my first loves is the goofy, off-the-wall history of Baltimore, its blue-collar roots, and the hometown vibe it still has. Most people don’t notice these things, or would rather drink a Coors Light at the bar in an Applebee’s rather than brave the smoke at Mrs. Bonnie’s Elvis Shrine, but I love Baltimore for its quirky treasures. There’s just such an international, electric feel to San Francisco that it’s hard to come home.
Success. After buying capacitors locally that were much too big, I ordered some different ones online and got them in yesterday. A little practice with the soldering iron, some delicate work, and…nothing. The Base Station would not wake up. I brought it to work this morning, followed some better directions, and got it to reset, then uploaded new software. It’s now working like a charm next to my desk. Update: The Base Station dropped out after 45 minutes—same problem as before—the case was hot to the touch and the network died. I have more research and testing to do.