sailing date / a video.

Last weekend we went on a date that was really great. It included arcade games at Musée Mécanique, donuts, visiting the sea lions, and sailing on the bay. I'm excited to share this little movie of our evening...

             Filmed using the 8mm app for the iPhone, edited on Final Cut Pro X

             Music: Instrumental rendition of Dangling Conversation by Paul Simon

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a sailing date.

We went sailing on the bay over the weekend and had a wonderful time. The excursion was a genius birthday gift from Caroline back in April and we've been saving it all these months. The next few weeks will be busy ones, so we decided to finally pull the trigger and schedule the sail, which was great fun! Our vessel was a 41 foot mono-hull sailboat (according to Finn) and we sailed around the bay for an hour and a half while the sun went down. The boat was small enough that a strong gust of wind would really lean us to the side, which made us slide around and laugh. My favorite detail was the experience of seeing the colors progress in the sky and how they changed the look of the water little by little. The whole evening was a treat.

It was a truly great date. One of our best, I'd say. Once we scheduled our sail, we decided to make a whole night of it and tacked on several other fun activities to the already awesome sailing. We played arcade games at Musée Mécanique beforehand, ate donuts from Trish's, watched the sea lions, stopped for sushi on the walk back, and watched a movie at home. If there were a competition for good dates, this one would certainly medal. Thank you Caroline for knowing me well and giving a great gift. We loved it.

Better documentation to come in the next week...

(Our excursion was with San Francisco Sailing Company. If you go, take gloves!) 

. . .

sailor songs.

On the first Saturday night of every month, you can sing sailor songs and drink hot cider aboard a three-mast tall ship from the 1880s. Awesome, right? The evening is called "Chantey Sing" and is hosted on the Balclutha at the Hyde Street Pier. For several great reasons (a) cider, b) a rad ship, c) singing history-rich awesome songs, d) it's free), we were excited to check it out. So the first Saturday of this month, we went and convinced our SF friends to join. We all met for dinner first at Bodega Bistro and to get us in the spirit, I brought pirate and shark tattoos for everyone to wear. We applied them at the dinner table, dunking napkins in our glasses of water. Everyone was tatted up and looking great by the time we left the restaurant.

Carly is a classy pirate.

Jess, Finn, Bashir, Al, Me, and Carly is behind the camera. These are our best friends here!

We arrived to Hyde St. Pier not knowing what to expect as the vague online description only read, "8 pm to midnight, wear warm clothing and bring a mug for hot cider". 

Photo compliments of Mrs. Carly Mask.

Carly also took this great picture of Ghiradelli Square from the boat. Everything looked so pretty all lit up.

Behold the Balclutha! 

What We Envisioned:

I think we all imagined some version of a rowdy pirate celebration where everyone, huddled together on the upper deck, would be clinging mugs and swaying together, singing jolly tunes that would be projected for everyone to see. I feel that Pirates of the Caribbean and Muppet Treasure Island can be held responsible for my inaccurate expectations.

What Actually Happened:

In reality, the event was held below deck in a seated semi-circle formation that had the somber feel of a clandestine church service. There was no projection of lyrics and no handouts, which made singing along difficult for us. By the time we caught on to the chorus, the song had ended. Most people knew the words and some participants even led songs! We were very out of place. Laughter resulted in glares from the regulars and I didn't get to cling glasses with a single stranger. Also, the cider was not free flowing out of busted barrels (again with the slightly unrealistic expectations) but served only once by a grouchy lady. 

We tried to hide in the back. 

Of course, we still had a really fun night together. After 6 or 7 songs were sung to which none of us knew the lyrics, we quietly exited and went to a different part of the boat where we could talk and laugh sans glares. We must have sat there for 2 hours sharing funny stories from childhood. I'm thankful for the friends we've made here, they have the x-factor we love in people which is the ability to make weird things fun.

. . .

saturday at the america's cup.

The America's Cup is still in town so Finn and I spent Saturday afternoon at Marina Green watching more of the races. We had an awesome front-and-center view, just at the water's edge (and just behind some 60-somethings who were sneaking wine and really enjoying themselves). The excitement of seeing the races so close-up joined with helicopters overhead, cheering people, a hilarious British commentator, and a curious sea lion who kept popping up close to where we stood all made for a very fun afternoon. 

The day ended with a Dr. Dog show, where, while waiting for their set to begin, we appropriately befriended an actual dog. He was a portly little gentleman named Gus who, being partial to a good head scratch, hung out with us for about 20 minutes. Look at that face! I loved that little guy. The show was fun though we ended up dipping out early so we could hang out and eat pizza at home, TMNT style. 

. . .

first day back in town / tired legs.

Waking up in San Francisco after 3 weeks of absence seemed to have put a little gusto in my energy for today's activities. I woke up wanting to get out and see parts of the city I missed. Resultantly, I have been all over town today. And it's not over yet! I'm off to dinner in a few hours & Noe Valley after that.

My wanderings for today:

A) Left my building and began a morning run north to Fisherman's Wharf (B).

B) Waved to the sea lions then ran along the Embarcadero until I reached the Ferry Building (C).

C) Ran by the produce vendors of the Ferry Building then turned on to Market and finished my run somewhere between C & D. 

D) Called Caroline, walked home to E, put on warmer clothes & more deodorant. Neglected showering.

E) Left for Fe's apartment (F) to meet her new cat, Mister Jack.

F) Met jack, caught up with Fe, had lunch.

H) Fe and I took the bus/walked to H (Marina Green) to watch the opening day's events for the America's Cup, a huge worldwide sailing competition. Admission was free today & we were all layered up, prepared to enjoy the races despite the chilly SF weather. It was fun!

(After H) We walked a ways then took the bus home.

Watching all the boats jet around the bay was fun - they go so fast. I hope to take Finn to watch a few more races before the event is over. I think I'd enjoy it more with him explaining all they're doing. My favorite part today was when one boat capsized (sorry New Zealand, it was entertaining). It's been a great day so far and I've still got dinner & Finn's return to look forward to. I'm resting my legs in the meantime.

. . .

my sailing gent.

Today Finn is out sailing with some Belgian fellows. It makes me happy to know he's on the water, doing something he loves. I'm hoping he'll smell like the ocean and have a good story when he gets home. 

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