Radio Songs

Via KALX, 90.7 FM, out of Berkeley, California:

• Douala, French Cameroon-born saxophonist and songwriter Manu Dibango's "New Bell", from his 1972 album Soul Makossa on the Atlantic Records (US) label. Audio 🎶 🎷

Makers Market at Santana Row (2023-06-10)

Got coffees at Blue Bottle at Santana Row in San Jose.

Wandered through the outdoor Makers Market and noted these vendors:

• Malisa Suchanya (Oakland, California)
• Kindred Caramels (purchased Espresso caramels; multiple locations though our bag indicates based out of Campbell, California)
• CutiePop! (Met Sam Imholte and purchased bubble with slip of original artwork--got the llama in party mode with sunglasses 🙂)
• Crochet From J (Met Justine; purchased a crotched, heart-shaped succulent)
• Krafttee (Sunnyvale, California)

Dipsea Trail part two

On Thursday June 1 we hiked the Dipsea Trail. We started in Mill Valley. We last hiked it in June 2010. Things that went better this time: hiking gear, weekday (less traffic), weather was cooler. Overall a lovely time. Calf muscles took a few days to recover. We stopped several times along the way to rest. California Conservation Corps personnel were maintaining vegetation and replacing steps. We stopped at Muir Woods for lunch of hummus sandwiches, fruit, and a brownie. A pair of chipmunks scampered about looking for crumbs. Dawn purchased a lightweight, light green, long sleeved shirt. Visited the Cathedral Grove. They returned to a natural state the trail where I proposed ❤️ At Stinson Beach we got ice cream and a smoothie, then relaxed on the beach. A man left a bundle of roses in the surf. One boy asked me if I knew how to do the rainbow soccer ball trick after I helped return their ball, but regrettably I didn't (turns out it's something of a trick maneuver to gain a positional advantage). We caught the shuttle back at about 4 p.m. The driver groaned when we mentioned the Dipsea Race coming up the next weekend, but was super helpful in letting us off at the top of the Dipsea stairs above Mill Valley, saving us a lot of time in returning to Old Mill Park. He also didn't charge the $2/person fee for any passengers ☺️ Counting the 1+ mile descent, we really ended up doing slightly more than a "single Dipsea" (1.15x Dip?), but far short of a double Dip, or even a Quad Dip reported by one ultra runner (28+ miles). This trail is ranked Difficult, mostly due to ~2,000 feet elevation gains. The SF Bay was a bit foggy so not as clear as last time, but the cool air was welcomed. We retired to the Mountain Home Inn afterward for the first time to clean up and celebrate. 

39th Annual Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival (2023-04-29)

bao by andrea - Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival, Memorial Park, 4/29-4/30 2023

Arrived around noon. Parked at De Anza lot for free. Petted a few Shiba Inu dogs and admired a number of Akita dogs.

Purchased a few food items:

• 1 x Combo 5 pieces regular takoyaki and 5 pieces kimchi takoyaki (Takoyaki Yamachan)
• 1 x Spam musubi (Boy Scouts Troop 87)
• 1 x Coffee Milk Tea w/honey boba, and 1 x Amor Classic Milk Tea with honey boba and Strawberry Popping Boba (Amor Cafe and Tea)

Vendors:

• Snippet Studios
• Home of bearguette
• potatoillustrates
• Pastel art
• Crochet Whispers (also Instagram)
• Purchased a crotched sunflower from either this vendor or another--the one we purchased from used venmo Yining Ma
• Neko-Oi
• Purchased a Mikan cat keychain
• 6 Degrees of Hapa
• Clothing
• Shichishima Ceramics (also Instagram)
  
• Addi Miyako
• Derptiles
• "Skonk the blue-tongued skink!" 🙂
• Stitches By Tiff
• She sells kits and handmade crafts
• OldRiverDesignCo
• bao by Andrea
• Drawings of cats, some edgy

56th Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival (2023-04-16, San Francisco)

Parked near Larkin & Sutter. Crostini & Java for breakfast: French Lavender Latte, 16-ounce black House coffee, and avocado toast (whole wheat, avocado, honey vinaigrette). Wind was a bit brisk and cool enough I decided to bring my wool gloves, but it warmed up enough to not need them. Mostly clear blue skies--a beautiful day.

Watched the Grand Parade of the 56th annual Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival in San Francisco from in front of The Carlisle at 1450 Post Street. 

Young students from the Rosa Parks Elementary School Japanese Bilingual Bicultural Program (JBBP) played and waited with chaperones. Later, they joined the parade when the older students passed.

The Daihatsu HiJet Fire Engine (also known as Kiri the Japanese Fire Truck, aka teenytinyfiretruck) played music and drove past us. We heard the "San Francisco Godzilla Alert" The alert: "This is San Francisco self-defense fire brigade. There have been confirmed Godzilla sightings in the city. For your safey and the safety of others, please leave Godzilla alone. Thank you 🦖" (note: it is preceded by electronic tones and the same message in Japanese).

Other notable parade participants:

• Scouts carrying large and small Daruma doll floats (looked like papier-mâché)--they spun and tilted them successfully
• Shiba Inu Fanciers of Northern California (SFNC)
• Cosplay
• Musicians (varied)
• Swordsmanship demonstrations

After what looked like the final float, we walked to Webster Street for event food. A few vendors had sold out, so we failed to get another bag of Sakura popcorn from the Rosa Parks Elementary School vendor stall. It was very crowded. While waiting by the beer tent, San Francisco Taru Mikoshi Ren carried their Mikoshi, or portable Shinto shrine, past us. 🌟 

The parade ended, event staff hastily re-opened the streets and attendees thronged the vendors. Unlike the previous weekend, it was very competitive to find food options. We managed to get a complimentary Pocari Sweat. 

Escaped the crush of people onto Sutter Avenue and re-entered the festival on Buchanan Street. Unlike previous years, no vendor stalls in place (same as last weekend). 

Finding food options on Buchanan Street and the Japan Center mall no less crowded, we decided to make an early exit and head home.  

Japantown San Jose Walk 2023-04-15

Walked through and around Japantown San Jose. 

Dropped off carload of electronic waste at the San Jose Buddhist Church Education Building parking lot. Drove up, opened car doors and Boy Scouts from Troop 611 San Jose Betsuin unloaded the boxes and carried them to the nearby A&J Electronics Recycling E-Waste collection area, where staff palletized, wrapped, and loaded it onto a panel truck.

Japantown San Jose:

• Roy's Station Coffee & Teas: Iced latte and hot drip coffee, fruit galette, mushroom empanada, and two spam musubi
• Kogura Company: Two boxes of Girl Scout cookies (1 x Thin Mints, 1 x Adventurefuls)
• Moment Japantown: Bought Super Fluffy Red Panda Large plush
• Zonkey Toys: Looked around for the first time; great selection of plants and curated toys
• Nikkei Traditions: Looked around and admired the spam musubi time savers, movies, etc.
• Classic Loot: Looked around only

Ended our adventure over at Strawberry Park Shopping Center: 

• Clover Bakery & Cafe: Deep-fried yakisoba pan, deep-fried piroshki with ground beef, and two onigiri (1 x bonito flakes, 1 x kimchi)
• Mochi-ya Ren: Matcha Soft Serve cup, Strawberry Panna Cotta
• Mitsuwa Marketplace grocery store: Walked around

56th Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival (2023, San Francisco)

We arrived a bit past noon. Watched taiko drumming on the main stage. Bought a purple 2023 festival tee shirt. Ate street vendor fare: "soko"-yaki (takoyaki style balls but with beef instead of octopus); imagawayaki pastry; spam musubi; Sakura popcorn; and Sapporo sake.

Purchased a few bags of goods:

• Nippon-Ya: Harajuku mochi chocolate, seasonal strawberry Ichigo mochi, cherry flavored mochi Sakura dango, and green tea sponge cake
• Daikoku by Shiki: Replacement bowl and plate
• Misaky Tokyo vendor table: Sakura flower crystal sweet treat Japanese delicacy (seaweed but tastes like chewy rock candy 🤩)
• Kinokuniya San Francisco: book "The Art of the Wind Rises" by Hayao Miyazaki, and a GUND Pusheen Breakfast Surprise Plush Series #19, 3” (we got "Cereal")

Also bought Injeolmi Croissant, iced matcha latte, and iced yuja tea from Jina Bakes Bakery Cafe. While eating the injeolmi croissant, I laughed and blew roasted soy bean powder all over us 🙃 Thankfully Dawn was relatively nonplussed.

Walked upstairs to NEW PEOPLE 2nd floor late in the day. The 1st floor was still a tea shop but the store at the landing was shuttered. 

Got Rickrolled by Slam Effect Band on the Webster Street Stage 👍🏼

This weekend, the vendor stalls we usually saw next to Soko Hardware were missing. This was the first year we visited on the first weekend of festivities, so maybe next weekend more will appear (?) 

While transitioning, we watched the 2023 Queen and Court procession as they posed for a photo with a sponsor of the event. 

The Daihatsu HiJet Fire Engine (also known as Kiri the Japanese Fire Truck, aka teenytinyfiretruck) played music and drove past us while we ate our spam musubi and imagawayaki. 😎 🚒 🎵

Overall a pleasant event day!

Vendors we liked:

https://www.cuddlypotatoes.com/

https://shop.ukiyoeheroes.com/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck_WAFuv7Kj/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

https://www.instagram.com/thejedhenry/

https://www.instagram.com/fogcats/

https://www.instagram.com/yanchako.co/

https://bakadreams.com/

https://www.etsy.com/shop/CoralXpression

https://www.instagram.com/coralxpression/

https://www.aliexpress.com/i/2255801007402499.html?gatewayAdapt=4itemAdapt

Books List - 2023

 Ordered by most recently listened to, first.

Audiobooks 

1. Queued:
1. All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries) (2017) - Martha Wells
2. Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole (2022) - Susan Cain
3. Conundrum (1974) - Jan Morris
4. Atomic Habits (2018) - James Clear
5. Come As You Are - Emily Nagasaki
6. Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere (2023) - Maria Bamford
7. Angela Davis: An Autobiography (1974) - Angela Davis
8. Making It So: A Memoir (2023) - Patrick Stewart
2. Finding Me (2022) - Viola Davis
   
3. The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times (2022) - Michelle Obama
   
4. The Princess Diarist (2016) - Carrie Fisher
1. This was the 2nd time listening (first listen was in 2017)
2. We still miss you Carrie
   
5. Cry of the Kalihari (2019) - Delia & Mark Owens
6. Bad Feminist (2014) - Roxane Gay
7. Meaty (2018) - Samantha Irby
8. Wow, No Thank You.: Essays (2020) - Samantha Irby
9. Quietly Hostile (2023) - Samantha Irby
10. We Are Never Meeting in Real Life (2017)  - Samantha Irby
11. The Late Americans (2023) - Brandon Taylor
12. The Menopause Manifesto: Own Your Health with Facts and Feminism (2021) - Dr. Jen Gunter
1. DASH Diet
2. High fiber cereals: Kashi Go Original cereal, Kellogg's All Bran, and Post Foods Uncle Sam
13. The Mimicking of Known Successes (2023) - Malka Older
14. This Is All Your Fault (2020) - Aminah Mae Safi, with narration by Kyla Garcia
1. Light summer fare
2. Jo pockets a gun to later return, but we never hear about it again 🤔 Violation (intentional?) of Chekhov's gun?
3. Someone mentioned this seems similar to movie Empire Records
15. Africatown: America's Last Slave Ship and the Community It Created (2023) - Nick Tabor
1. "Promises are like pie crust...made to be broken"
16. Resistance: A Songwriter's Story of Hope, Change, and Courage (2020) - Tori Amos
17. Calypso (2018) - David Sedaris
1. KAPITAL clothing (Japan)
18. Happy-Go-Lucky (2022) - David Sedaris
1. Two candles worth buying: 1) Cire Trudon, and 2) Diptyque 
19. From Cradle to Stage: Stories from the Mothers Who Rocked and Raised Rock Stars (2017) - Virginia Hanlon Grohl
20. Victory City (2023) - Salman Rushdie
1. Deeply impressed by its breadth and depth
2. Pampa Kampana
21. The World's Worst Assistant (2022) - Sona Movsesian
1. Pochacco (ポチャッコ, Pochakko) represents Sona's favorite Sanrio character
   
22. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (1970) - Judy Blume
23. Crying in H Mart: A Memoir (2021) - Michelle Zauner
1. The "H" in "H Mart" stands for Han Ah Reum (한아름), a Korean phrase meaning "one arm full of groceries". This phrase translates more literally to "spreading both arms to cover" or "armful". (via: Wikipedia)
2. Grandmother's last words to her: "You used to be such a chickenshit," she said. "You never let me wipe your asshole." (note, previously in the text: "But I was chiefly afraid of one particular weapon she proudly brandished--the ddongchim. Ddongchim literally means poop needle. It involves clasping your hands in the shape of a gun, index fingers pressed together to create a needle used to penetrate an unsuspecting anus. As horrifying as it sounds, it's a common cultural thing, something akin to a Korean wedgie and not some unique form of sexual assault. Nevertheless, it scared the shit out of me.")
3. Mother's last word: "Pain"'
4. Korean beauty standards: Double eyelid, small face
5. Pronunciation of Willamette (wil-AM-it)
6. Descriptions of food and reference to Maangchi)
24. Spare (2023) - Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
1. "Wales" nickname
25. Room to Dream (2018) - David Lynch and Kristine McKenna 
1. "David likes dead plants"
2. "And Dave...I am blessed with good reception" - Paul, an elderly cashier Lynch loved at a drugstore coffee shop on Cherry Street
3. Ate lots of grilled cheese or egg salad sandwich or tuna salad sandwiches
4. Wore three neckties
5. Favorite wine: Chateau Lynch-Bages
6. Sparky the dog
7. Called Kyle MacLachlan "Kale"
8. Jenny Lynch: "...the thing he does with his lip when he's talking out loud...."
9. Three subjects triggered him to speak uncharacteristically passionately: 1) Tree deforestation (angry, swearing); 2) High School (angry, swearing); Transcendental Meditation (proselytizing, earnest). First two: jarring; snaps from mellow reminiscing to intense. Third was fine, just awkward.
26. The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music (2021) - Dave Grohl
1. Champagne & KFC post-show 
2. "...[Y]ou are only as happy as your unhappiest child"
3. "To really see America...drive it mile by mile"
4. Coincidences chained together to give Grohl an arc into rock and roll stardom...he was willing and able to take all of them as they happened (to be fair, living in strangers houses on a $10/day per diem) 
27. Filthy Animals (2022) - Brandon Taylor

1. Madison, Wisconsin stories
2. Well crafted interactions

Using the Libby app (via Overdrive).

E-Books

1. Gender Queer: A Memoir (2019) - Maia Kobabe
2. A Fish Has No Word For Water: A punk homeless San Francisco memoir (2022) - Violet Blue
1. "I came to learn that people show you who they really are when they believe they can behave without consequence"
2. Blue Front Cafe
3. "At that moment, I thought that trauma only exposes who you have always been"
4. "... religion radically decentered him from the necessary human mechanisms of accountability and empathy. Those who are hated are always more human than those who hate them."
5. "My mother abandoned me because I was a witness."
6. "I felt lighter, but also more in my own skin. I had made a marker for the night's trauma, planted a flag to show I'd been there and conquered it, and stepped through. Goodbye old me. Goodbye scared little girl: I was sending her away to live in her new home; the stories of the past."
7. "I looked at the carrot in my hand. I admonished it, 'No more!'"
8. "People occasionally checked in on my carrot, and I appreciated that. We were both well, thank you."
9. "We were all homeless. Walking the ruins of San Francisco's dreams."
10. "A fish has no word for water, I guess." - Rogue
11. "Like, with my mom, I think she's so wrapped up in how ashamed she is about drugs and sex, and stuff she's done, and how trapped she is in all these lies, she's always in these relationships where guys beat on her and yell at her. I think she thinks she deserves it."
12. "Ashley didn't judge me, and I thought that we all try so hard to make family what we wish it could be, and it wasn't fair that we only got what we could steal from life in moments like this."
13. "Ashley was actually telling me that inflicting pain was about powerlessness."
14. "I had recently been reading about navigation by triangulation. How do you know where to go when you don't know where you are?"
15. "I was in a very familiar place called trauma...."
16. "I could ask, and ask, and ask why trauma happens to me. Or I could use it as information to help me decide how to get through all of this, better. I chose the latter."
17. Typo: "Youth's meagre clinic"
18. "If callers encounter silence, they'll always tell you who they are first in one way or another."
19. "Privacy is better than pornography when you're homeless."
20. "I had come to understand that in moments of insanity there are really only two things: Survival, and who we become during these moments."
21. Stray Toasters
22. "When people die, they really take a piece of you with them. It would be several years and many more ...."
23. "For my generation, an AIDS test was like the San Francisco version of patriotism."
24. "I figured out that you can't heal in the same environment that made you sick."
25. "I was learning to get used to the fact that out here in the wasteland of homeless kids, sometimes people just disappeared. But I'd never be able to accept it. You never knew if it was the last time you'd see someone."
26. "...surrounded by people we joked were only moving toward death a bit more comfortably and slower than we were."
27. "I'm good at running from cops, telling frilly stories, making loud Kung Fu noises during serious fist fights, palming black eyeliner, falling on my face when I run up stairs, and insulting people in Spanish."
28. "Bitch, this is a palace! I'm gonna wash my twat in your sink!" - Jess
29. San Francisco's art collective Survival Research Laboratories

Print

1. Slouching Towards Neverland: 20 years of Writing About San Francisco (2022) - Stuart Schuffman, better known as Broke-Ass Stuart

Suggestions

Previously

Previously (2022), Note: No books list 2021, Previously (2020), Previously (2019), Previously (2018), Previously (2017)

Kevin Voted Today

VOTER-NOMINATED OFFICES

STATE

Governor

Gavin Newsom

Lieutenant Governor

Eleni Kounalakis

Secretary of State

Shirley N. Weber

Controller

Malia M. Cohen

Treasurer

Fiona Ma

Attorney General

Rob Bonta

Insurance Commissioner

Ricardo Lira

Member, State Board of Equalization, District 2

Sally J. Lieber

United States Senator (Full term & Partial/Unexpired term)

Alex Padilla

United States Representative

Anna G. Eshoo

Member of the State Assembly, District 23

Marc Berman

NONPARTISAN OFFICES

JUDICIAL

Chief Justice: Patricia Guerrero

Yes

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court: Goodwin Liu

Yes

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court: Martin J. Jenkins

Yes

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court: Joshua P. Groban

Yes

Administrative Presiding Justice, Court of Appeal, Sixth District: Mary J. Greenwood

Yes

Associate Justice, Court of Appeal, Sixth District: Charles E. Wilson II

Yes

Associate Justice, Court of Appeal, Sixth District: Cynthia C. Lie

Yes

SCHOOL

Superintendent of Public Instruction

Tony K. Thurmond

Fremont Union High School District: Governing Board Member

Naomi Nakano-Matsumoto

Rosa Kim

Stanley Kou

Cupertino Union School District: Governing Board Member

Ava Chiao

Satheesh Madhathil

Jerry Liu

COUNTY

Sheriff

Kevin Jensen

CITY

City of Los Altos: Member, City Council

Pete Dailey

Neysa Fligor

DISTRICT

Santa Clara Valley Water District: Director, District 7

Rebecca Eisenberg

MEASURES SUBMITTED TO THE VOTERS

STATE

PROP 1: REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM

Yes

PROP 26: IN-PERSON SPORTS BETTING IN TRIBAL CASINOS

Yes

PROP 27: ONLINE SPORTS BETTING

No

PROP 28: FUNDING ARTS AND MUSIC EDUCATION

Yes

PROP 29: KIDNEY DIALYSIS CLINICS REQUIREMENTS

Yes

PROP 30: INCOME TAX ON MILLIONAIRES FOR ELECTRIC CARS

Yes

PROP 31: YES OR NO TO BANNING FLAVORED TOBACCO PRODUCTS

Yes

REFERENCES

Los Alto City Council:

https://www.losaltosonline.com/elections/trio-of-candidates-seek-two-spots-on-la-council-in-november-election/article_4f23b7a0-441b-11ed-a5cb-bf57c0dda6ef.html

Cupertino USD:

https://www.losaltosonline.com/opinion/editorial-chiao-liu-madhathil-for-cusd-board/article_50fb6b7a-2e06-11ed-98a6-0b9427350145.html

Fremont UHSD:

https://web.archive.org/web/20221027201916/http://www.sunnyvaledems.org/

Santa Clara Valley Water District
https://www.mv-voice.com/news/2022/10/13/santa-clara-valley-water-district-candidates-focus-on-a-sustainable-water-future

https://brokeassstuart.com/2022/10/13/the-november-2022-bas-voter-guide/

Books List - 2022

Ordered by most recently listened to, first.

Audiobooks 

1. iWoz: From Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It (2006) - Steve Wozniak with Gina Smith
2. The Art of Making Memories (2019) - Meik Wiking
3. The Little Book of Lykke (2017) - Meik Wiking
4. The Little Book of Hygge (2017) - Meik Wiking
5. Educated (2018) - Tara Westover 
6. Allow Me to Retort (2022) - Elie Mystal
7. Ghost in the Wires (2011) - Kevin Mitnick
8. A Promised Land (2020) - Barack Obama
1. "The thing about getting old, Bar,” Toot had told me, “is that you’re the same person inside.” I remember her eyes studying me.... “You’re trapped in this doggone contraption that starts falling apart. But it’s still you. You understand?” I did now.
2. Struck me how he described life at the White House vs. what his successor chose
3. Fired up, ready to go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AhRqg0ADbk 
9. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life (2016) - Mark Manson 
10. How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing (2022) - KC Davis
1. This House is a Safe House and I Am Safe In It - poster
2. Inner bullies

Using the Libby app (via Overdrive).

E-Books

1. None

Print

1. 
   

Suggestions

Previously

Note: No books list 2021

Previously (2020), Previously (2019), Previously (2018), Previously (2017)

Local hauler

Dig it Hauling

889 3549

Just noting for my own future reference.

Kevin Voted Today

VOTER-NOMINATED OFFICES

STATE

Governor

Gavin Newsom

Lieutenant Governor

Eleni Kounalakis

Secretary of State

Shirley N. Weber

Controller

Ron Galperin

Treasurer

Fiona Ma

Attorney General

Rob Bonta

Insurance Commissioner

Nathalie Hrizi

Member, State Board of Equalization, District 2

Sally J. Lieber

United States Senator

Alex Padilla

United States Representative

Jimmy Panetta

NONPARTISAN OFFICES

SCHOOL

Superintendent of Public Instruction

Tony K. Thurmond

County Superintendent of Schools

Faris M. Sabbah

COUNTY

Supervisor, 3rd District

Justin Cummings

Assessor-Recorder

Sheri Thomas

Auditor-Controller -Treasurer-Tax Collector

Edith Driscoll

County Clerk

Tricia Webber

District Attorney-Public Administrator

Jeff Rosell

Sheriff-Coroner

Jim Hart

MEASURES SUBMITTED TO THE VOTERS

COUNTY

Measure B — Transient Occupancy Tax

Yes

Measure C — County Disposable Cup Tax

Yes

Measure D — General Plan Amendment - Greenway Initiative

No

CITY

Measure E — At-Large Directly Elected Mayor, Six Council Districts, and Nominating Elections

No

Measure F — Half-Cent Sales Tax Increase

Yes

04/23/2022 San Francisco Golden Gate Park Day Trip

Celebrated Dawn's birthday Saturday. Left home around 10:00 a.m. Stopped for to-go coffee, scone, and morning bun at Companion Bakeshop Westside Santa Cruz. Weather: sunny, blue skies, comfortably warm. Dressed in light sweaters and tee shirt and pants. Drove up Highway 1. Cut across at Half Moon Bay to 280 North--was distracted a bit by music and had a few hiccups getting to the northbound onramp.

Saw the Flintstone House. Reconnected with Highway 1 near Daly City. Waze directed us away from congested traffic, so we tracked Highway 1 in parallel on 15th/16th/17th for a stretch, passing Stern Grove. Reconnected to 19th/Highway 1 at some point and entered Golden Gate Park. Dropped off the car at the Music Concourse Parking Garage (Underground). 

Emerged by the de Young Museum. Walked short distance to the Japanese Tea Garden. Purchased tickets via the mobile app. Waited in line with others. At the ticketing window, the attendant looked up our tickets digitally using our name and waved us through. 

We've visited once before. The pagoda was enclosed in a white, opaque protective plastic barrier. Originally "constructed for the Panama-Pacific Exposition in 1915 and brought to the Garden at the fair’s conclusion. Built as an indoor structure, it has not fared well outdoors."

Koi fish kept to the shadows of bridges and overhanging grasses. The atmosphere was relatively calm but touristy.  At the tea house, we ordered matcha with a wagashi (traditional Japanese confection) of mochi and red bean paste, as well as an order of dango which came with two types: 1) Goma (black sesame); and 2) Anko (red bean). The tea house also sells mitarashi dango (sweet soy sauce syrup). We also bought warabimochi, another wagashi confection, "made from warabiko (bracken starch) and covered or dipped in kinako (sweet toasted soybean flour). It differs from true mochi made from glutinous rice."

Mochinut SF location was next--"a donut that originated from Hawaii which is a combination of American doughnuts and Japanese mochi." We ordered five types of donuts--one of every type they had available in the display case: 1) Churro; 2) Smore (with graham cracker and marshmallow on top); 3) Strawberry Cheesecake (with three popped popcorn kernels on top); 4) Strawberry Funnel; and 5) Ube. We also ordered a Potato Half & Half hot dog (half mozzarella stick, half hot dog, with French fry bits on the outside), and a mango Izzy drink. The Mochinut location looked a bit tired. Food was decent. Donuts were the best; don't think we'd order the hot dog again.

Across the street, we noticed a block-long wait to get into Pineapple King Bakery.

We spent the rest of our afternoon walking back across Golden Gate Park. Decided to skip the San Francisco Botanical Garden due to time. Other sights: 6th Avenue Skate Park, Conservatory of Flowers, Golden Gate Park Tennis Courts (playing pickle ball, looked like), San Francisco Lawn Bowling Club, Sharon Art Studio, Koret Playground, Carousel, Big Rec baseball fields--where we watched drunk teams playing kickball with red cups in hand, and a small dog chase crows. We stopped at the SkyStar Wheel and got a frozen fruit bar and strawberry mint tea while Dawn's knee took a rest. 

That was it--12,000 steps roughly. Uneventful drive home--did note driving over the SLAC (Stanford Linear Accelerator Center). 

The Book of Boba Fett Run

 Watched The Book of Boba Fett:

• 2021-12-29: Chapter 1: Stranger in a Strange Land
• 2022-01-05: Chapter 2: The Tribes of Tatooine
• 2022-01-12: Chapter 3: The Streets of Mos Espa
• 2022-01-19: Chapter 4: The Gathering Storm
• 2022-01-26: Chapter 5: Return of the Mandalorian
• 2022-02-02: Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger
• 2022-02-09: Chapter 7: In The Name of Honor

Peacemaker Run

Started a run of Peacemaker (TV series).

Season One (2022)

1. 2022-01-19: A Whole New Whirled
2. 2022-01-19: Best Friends, For Never
3. 2022-01-19: Better Goff Dead
4. 2022-01-20: The Choad Less Traveled
5. 2022-01-27: Monkey Dory
6. 2022-02-04: Murn After Reading
7. 2022-02-10: Stop Dragon My Heart Around
8. 2022-02-17: It's Cow or Never

Hawkeye (2021 TV series) Run

Watching Hawkeye (2021 TV series):

1. 2021-11-24: Never Meet Your Heroes
2. 2021-11-24: Hide and Seek
3. 2021-12-01: Echoes
4. 2021-12-08: Partners, Am I Right?
5. 2021-12-15: Ronin
6. 2021-12-22: So This Is Christmas?

Cowboy Bebop (2021 TV series) Run

 Watched Cowboy Bebop (2021 TV series):

1. 2021-11-19: Cowboy Gospel
2. 2021-11-19: Venus Pop
3. 2021-11-19: Dog Star Swing
4. 2021-11-19: Callisto Soul
5. 2021-11-19: Darkside Tango
6. 2021-11-19: Binary Two-Step
7. 2021-11-20: Galileo Hustle
8. 2021-11-20: Sad Clown A-Go-Go
9. 2021-11-20: Blue Crow Waltz
10. 2021-11-20: Supernova Symphony

Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045

Watching Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045: 

Season 1 (2020):

1. 2021-11-14: NO NOISE NO LIFE - Sustainable War
2. 2021-11-14: AT YOUR OWN RISK - Divided by a Wall
3. 2021-11-15: MAVERICK - Missing In Action
4. 2021-11-15: SACRIFICIAL PAWN - Emissary from the Divide
5. 2021-11-15: PATRICK HUGE - Gift from God
6. 2021-11-15: DISCLOSURE - Quantized Gospel
7. 2021-11-16: PIE IN THE SKY - First Bank Robbery
8. 2021-11-18: ASSEMBLE - What Came About as a Result of Togusa's Death
9. 2021-11-21: IDENTITY THEFT - The Lonely Struggle
10. 2021-11-22: NET PEOPLE - What Led to the Hate Mob
11. 2021-11-23: EDGELORD - Revolution of the 14-Year-Olds
12. 2021-11-23: NOSTALGIA - All Will Become N.

Dental Procedure (Gum Graft)

Thursday, 11/5, I had a dental gum graft procedure on the anterior part of my lower front four teeth.

Arrived and was immediately scanned for temperature check and taken to a room. Associate doctor (AD) had full sleeve tattoos on both arms (Dawn mentioned one was a Sesame Street theme). She took my blood pressure with a cuff attached to a new piece of machinery. All was well. They have a new doctor at this practice who preferred to use the modern equipment, and the AD had to remember how to turn the cuff from automatic to manual, so it wouldn't beep throughout the entire procedure. The other doctor apparently leaves it on automatic mode. 

The AD asked how my day was going and I mentioned my struggles with getting a Lyft rideshare to the office--I had a ride scheduled, but something was inexplicably wrong with the app-based payment process, and so my appointment was canceled with no warning and I ended up driving myself. The original plan was for Dawn to come with and we'd both take a rideshare roundtrip. What actually happened: I drove there and Dawn volunteered to drive back. Dr. Browning came in and said he had tweaked his back. They attached the IV drop to my right arm and started the twilight anesthesia drip. 

The procedure lasted about 45 minutes, I think. During this time my consciousness was like waking up in the middle of the night and falling back asleep. I briefly recall lightly snoring, and was alert enough to realize it was inappropriate and checked it. That's all I recall vividly.

The AD had described the aftereffects as feeling drunk, and that's not too far off, but not quite right. For me, drunkenness feels much worse. I felt mentally ~80% and physically ~90%--just mildly uncoordinated and unfocused. It was a bit of a struggle to guide myself--I was aware I knew enough to get into the passenger seat, but my brain was not quite prepared for dealing with the rest of my body reacting somewhat clumsily. The AD carefully guided me to the waiting car, and explicitly told me to duck my head while getting in, which I was grateful for--I might not have remembered to duck. 🙂

Dawn drove us home successfully 💜 

Since Thursday, I've rested and eaten carefully. This is my third dental gum graft, but the first under twilight sedation. The first two were with a different doctor, under local anesthetic. I chose to go with a new doctor as the old doctor no longer accepted my insurance. And the new doctor turned out to also do cosmetic touchups as well, which was great. 

Compared to earlier gum grafts, this one uses a custom upper palette shield to protect the source of the graft tissue, which is wonderful. Pain seems quite minimal. I took ibuprofen and acetaminophen a few times as instructed, but could have done without. Also taking amoxicillin three times daily. Eating all sorts of soft foods guilt-free 😇 Cozy Shack: chocolate pudding, rice pudding, tapioca. 

Cowboy Bebop Run

Re-watching Cowboy Bebop (1998):

1. 2021-10-27: Asteroid Blues
2. 2021-10-30: Stray Dog Strut
3. 2021-10-31: Honky Tonk Women
4. 2021-10-31: Gateway Shuffle
5. 2021-10-31: Ballad of Fallen Angels
6. 2021-10-31: Sympathy for the Devil
7. 2021-10-31: Heavy Metal Queen
8. 2021-10-31: Waltz for Venus
9. 2021-10-31: Jamming with Edward
10. 2021-10-31: Ganymede Elegy
11. 2021-11-08: Toys in the Attic (Heavy Rock of the Dark Night)
12. 2021-11-08: Jupiter Jazz (Part 1)
13. 2021-11-09: Jupiter Jazz (Part 2)
14. 2021-11-10: Bohemian Rhapsody
15. 2021-11-10: My Funny Valentine
16. 2021-11-11: Black Dog Serenade
17. 2021-11-11: Mushroom Samba
18. 2021-11-12: Speak Like a Child
19. 2021-11-12: Wild Horses
20. 2021-11-12: Pierrot le Fou (Requiem for a Clown)
21. 2021-11-12: Boogie Woogie Feng Shui
22. 2021-11-12: Cowboy Funk
23. 2021-11-12: Brain Scratch
24. 2021-11-12: Hard Luck Woman
25. 2021-11-12: The Real Folk Blues (Part 1)
26. 2021-11-12: The Real Folk Blues (Part 2)