I'm still alive...

First off, I want to reassure you all that I will get through all the comments on my site sometime very soon. You know me, if you've commented (and assuming Typepad's notification e-mails work properly), I will reply personally. I also plan to get through the 1,780,345 posts, give or take, that have accumulated in Bloglines. I may not comment on every single one of them, but I will read them. So long as I don't go batty in the process, that is.

I think today's post is going to be spent sharing with you some of the notes I wrote out in my Moleskine while in S.F.


This conversation happened while cruising through the Presidio grounds on Sunday, July 30...

Me: "So what is this building?"

Security Guard: "I really can't say."

Me: "Is this Lucas' film department?"

S.G.: "I'm really not at liberty to say. But you can get more information at w-w-w-dot-lucas..."

Me: "lucasfilm-dot-com?"

S.G.: "Yeah, that's it."

Me: "So you cannot confirm that this is George Lucas' new film department that has been publicly reported to be on Presidio grounds, yet we can get more information about it from LUCAS' own Web site?"

S.G.: "I really can't say."

Me: "Yeah, okay."

I shit you not.


I feel I must now take to heart a lesson we have relearned during this vacation... never take electronic devices with us on trips to California.

Two years ago, while visiting friends in Venice, our digicam bit the dust while cruising through Malibu. That day, we made an emergency trip to an L.A.-based Best Buy to purchase a new one. It was money we never anticipated spending while on vacation.

Now, here we are, two years later, in Daly City, spending a little extra cash on a portable DVD player to replace the one that just died the other day. Oh yeah, we're at Best Buy... again.

The only benefit to this electronic meltdown is the fact that we have an active service plan this time around. So, after Katie spent a half hour on the phone, she got the warranty information from the store.

Next trip, I think we'll be recalling movies from memory, sketching our "photographs," and singing aloud to each other for entertainment's sake.


In the words of Pearl Jam, "I'm still alive"... but I'm having trouble finding a way to prove it to all of you.

My plan was to log on to Typepad while my brother was in meetings and Katie and Jen were shopping at Westfield San Francisco Centre today.

I had my cell phone, a moment of freedom, and a desire to blog.

I went to the Dell kiosk in the mall to log in... however, they had all but the Dell site blocked out using an admin password.

No problem. I trekked the block and a half to the Apple Store. But those fuckers threw up a block as well!

WTF?!?! I've logged in to Typepad and both my e-mail providers from both the Chicago flagship and Schaumburg Apple Stores in recent months. Why this? Why now?

So you'll be receiving this message a bit later than I had initially planned.

Like nearly a week later.

And you can blame Dell and Apple.


The United States are melting as we speak.

For the last couple of weeks, Chicago has been enduring a heatwave of epic proportions. And, if there is any truth to Al Roker's reports on Today, the same goes for the rest of the country.

People are withering to toothpicks on the Hawaiian islands, several of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska have disappeared from existence due to polar melting, people in Florida are finding the occasional shark and gator attacks to be an acceptable risk when cooling off in the ocean and local swamps, and we endured a sauna in the jetway at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. It's not pretty.

Yet, for some reason, we just found ourselves buying a sweatshirt for Katie here in S.F. Not only because it was nice, but because she needed it. It's actually kinda cold here. This must be the only place in the country that is not currently finding its citizenry kayaking through streets flooded with perspiration (nice mental image, eh?).

I love San Francisco.

Previous Post

Return to me...

Aug 6
Hey all. Just wanted to drop you a note that we are back and we are alive. Actually, we got back really early yesterday, but I was too tired to post any sort of message to beat out the prepost...
Next Post

Days and days...

Aug 8
So would you all like to read the day-by-day of our activities out in S.F.? It's a pretty sordid laundry list of activities. You've been warned. Oh heck, I'll spice it up with a few photos since I've got the...

Comments

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SJ

Good notes! It's almost like we were there. Except for the cool weather part. I can't even remember what being chilly felt like. :>(

So, BlogHer 2007 is going to be in Chicago. Can I stay at your house?

Bre

I'll happily blame Dell for anything you've got! Want me to blame them for your portable DVD player breaking too? I'm sure they had a hand in it somehow!

jacquie

I need to start doing that again on vacation!

I want an ipod!!!!!

Karl

Heh, funny about the Lucas thing with the guard. And I think that Best Buy has an anti-electronics field placed in key areas of California. The field kills random electronic devices so you're forced to go to Best Buy and buy new stuff.

ms. sizzle

you'd think that security guard was confused and thought he was working for the white house or something. weird!

Dustin

What? Lucas Films has it's new studios on a military base?? You know your government is FUBAR when...

Kevin

SJ, I'm quickly forgetting what the cold was like. I want to go back. So you'll actually be going to BlogHer?

Bre, blame away!

Jacquie, just don't take the iPod to California.

Karl, a tech conspiracy, I tells ya!

Sizzle, I think he was too dumb even for that.

Dustin, they need all the positive PR they can score. Remember Wag the Dog?

SJ

Assuming I find employment again, you betcha! After reading everybody's BlogHer tales and looking at the pics on Flickr, I don't want to miss the fun next year.

Kevcago 2007, anybody?

Elaine

The funny (and stupid) things people say! Glad you had a good vacation.

Dagny

The heatwave ended in SF right before you arrived. Oh, and that Lucas conversation? LOL. I know the Presidio well and could have pointed out the Letterman site for you. (Before Lucas acquired the site, it was the Letterman Hospital.)

claire

Dude, I'm sorry to hear about the Apple store. It was still new when I was going there to check my email. Sucks.

Presidio guard made me laugh. Typical.

Kevin

SJ, Kevcago? Nah, the only attendees would be the crickets chirping to break the silence.

Elaine, they certainly do say stupid things.

Dagny, it was Letterman Hospital. No question about it. Just ridiculous that he couldn't confirm nor deny it. Weird.

Claire, what sucks is that they are the only one to block me out like that. I just used the Apple Store in Schaumburg a month ago (not even) and was able to. So I doubt it was a new decision. Probably just based on problems at their store. Bastages.

Hilly

I love SF for that very reason; while everyone is melting, you get to buy a sweatshirt, wahooo.

I am glad you are home and won't remark on the Apple store at all, ahem ;).

BA

You'd think LucasArts was in D.C. with the neither can confirm nor deny treatment! Sounds like a great time.

Kevin

Hilly, yeah, don't even start on Apple. For all the good they do, they can TARFU it once and get away with it in my book. Doesn't mean I won't bitch...

BA, you'd think. And you're not the first to make the U.S. gov't parallel, either.

sandra

VERY elusive, that security guard...

ChickyBabe

Technically, the security guard was not telling you anything he's not supposed to. I'd say he was covering his @ss!

Kevin

Sandra, more like the potential victim of a random bitchslapping.

ChickyBabe, since you put it that way, it does make you wonder if maybe he gave out an inordinate amount of information to a previous visitor and is now making up for it by giving out absolutely nothing to cover his ass. Hmmm...

Juno888

Hmmmm.. thats great idea kevin...

kapgar

I'm assuming you're referring to my opting for prehistorical technology? If so, thanks.

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