A Great Weekend

It's amazing how much a few days will recharge the batteries, even if you're physically fatigued, just because of all of the people you saw, all of the conversations spoken, all of the habits observed and lessons learned.

Thursday I had an unexpected 3-hour long conversation over sushi at local spot Joshu-ya. Friday I had a delicious German dinner over at Schnitzelhausin SOMA with Ryne, Ian, and Karl. I had 2 half-liters of this most delicious beer ever, Oktoberfest, apple cider with a bite. So sweet, so smooth, so easy to get drunk on. I ordered the wiener schnitzel, a platter of fried meat with potatoes and some kind of fruit-flavored sauerkraut. Somehow, my friends and I managed to trek to the Mezzanine to dance crazily to Simian Mobile Disco , which was not the most rational decision, because I had work at 8 AM at the Cal Student Store. After hopping and head-banging to some crazy beats and breakdowns, I hitched a ride home and nabbed 4 hours of sleep.

With the help of a cafe mocha, I got through a busy football day at the Cal Student Store (fans come in on game day, so it's our busy time), and welcomed in Saturday night. Sofia and I went to the Outback Steakhouse in Pinole. She had the New York Strip (juicy and tender), I had the Rack of Lamb (a little too stringy for my tastes), then we both took in the sight of the Chocolate Thunder from Down Under, this massive chocolate cake with a gob of ice cream and a gob of whipped cream stacked on top. Truly a dessert for the gods. We later took in the cool jazz sounds and boardgame vibe over at the Albatross on San Pablo Ave, where we engaged in a little interactive Scrabble.

Sunday, I went to a picnic over near Lake Anza at Tilden Park, where Marlo, Elba, Rebecca and I ate some bean-and-ham sandwiches (sounds weird, tastes great) and played a hilarious game of touch football. Nobody could keep their footing because of the slippery mud, and people just kept on falling. You had to be there. I rushed home, grabbed my roommate's golf clubs for some lessons at the range over at Tilden Golf Course, a little east of Berkeley. Started with the 5-iron, hit ok, went to 7-iron, hit more precisely, transitioned to 6-iron, started to get a feel for the whole backswing thing. Then I went with the driver, and there is something strangely empowering and manly about turning your hips and demanding every erg of energy into that small white sphere, that sheer exhilaration when that metal club meets that dinky thing, and KA-POW...you launch that missile into space. Of course, I was totally incapable of truly harnessing such power; my ball swerved right every time. But still, out of all of the clubs, the driver gave me the greatest satisfaction....accuracy be damned!

This was a deliciously packed four days of movement and action. There comes that question in an interview: "If you had a week to do whatever you wanted, what would you do?" I've already had four of those days. The next three would probably be:

1) Tennis at Wimbledon, followed by watching an Arsenal football match.
2) Rock-climbing, taking in the sunset at the top.
3) Scuba-diving, followed by some more clubbing.

...or something action-packed like that.

I mean, I'm on a roll. Last weekend was Treasure Island Music Festival. This weekend, all sorts of crap. Next weekend is San Francisco LoveFest. Life's good right now.