When In Doubt, Gamble

Thrilled by the Texas win over Tampa Bay, I went out and acquainted myself with the local Trader Joe's. Though I've walked or drove by it countless times, I somehow did not alert my brain to its existence. So last night I went in just to upload it to my brain.
I didn't buy anything, but was very excited by the prices and selection. Trader Joe's rocks.

On a whim, I stopped into the PB Pub which is right around the corner. I was the youngest person in the place. I ordered a drink and with nothing to do, no one to talk to, I decided to play Hot Spot, the California version of Keno. Three games, three numbers, all related to those in my heart. I picked the right ones for the right time. Won $22. My bet was $6. Almost a three hundred percent profit. Aside from a couple music prizes I was awarded in high school, that's the most money I've ever won. Pleased, I knew that was enough for me, time to head home.

Darkness

It's 7pm and pitch black outside. What a drag. A week from now, it will be that way at 6. See you on the other side, sunshine.

Enjoy Your Monday

Above is the most succinct assessment of the honoree of today's holiday.

10/10/10

Sunday evening in San Diego. 10/10/10. Lately, I don't like the weekends out here. For everyone else, it is a time to head out and cut loose. For me, it becomes I time to withdraw. Since my time in the restaurant business, working the odd schedules, I've never felt that comfortable being out amongst the masses on Saturday nights. Until the past couple of years, I never enjoyed Sundays. Sundays always reminded me of dreading the return to school, another week of discomfort. I finally got past all that.

But now that it is Fall, it is football season. And, out in Southern California, football season is a big deal. Particularly college football, and bars literally become saturated with fans dressed in their school colors, screaming and cheering each movement of the game. It's loud. As someone who could really care less about football, I find it obnoxious. Of course, I have nothing against the fans, it's more the hangers on. There are so many people who don't have allegiance to anything, they are perfectly willing to assume a role of devotion in order to fit in with the crowd. Consequently they are louder and more histrionic than the true fans. In other words, they're annoying.

So, when it comes to the weekend I avoid bars and restaurants. Fortunately this week has brought the opening round of the Major League playoffs which, along with the new furniture, have enabled me to hide away and get lost in baseball. I'm hoping the Rangers can pull out a series win and knock out the Rays, and it's look like it will be Philadelphia and San Francisco over in the National League. If that's the case, let's go Giants.

Today is 10/10/10, one of those interesting calendar anomalies. Don't remember too much about 09/09/09, but that was a week in between some great activities: seeing The Killers and Pet Shop Boys in Boston at the outset and then heading down to Wilkes Barre for Gibby and Melissa's wedding the following weekend. Very good times. I still remember 8/8/88 very clearly. We took a group photo on a magnificently sunny day at Cape Cod Sea Camps in Brewster, I'll never forget the look of the bright blue sky and magnificent sunshine. That was also the date of the first night game at Wrigley Field, an event that was captured in six foot panoramic shot that hung above my bed for many years of my childhood.

Don't have any comparative stories for today. Woke up, stretched, waited for the cable guy, made breakfast, went over to help Tom and Jamie clear out the yard at their new house, went jogging, here we are. But there is no need for today's events to be significant. The numerical symmetry of the calendar is cool enough.

Hope everyone had a great day, and wishing you a restful night before, hopefully, a nice extra day off tomorrow.

Zoo Walk

Out the door at 6:30am this morning, headed for the San Diego Zoo. This marked the first sun rise I have seen since arriving here at the end of June. Yes, it was beautiful, but my eyes were only half open so I can't provide all that much detail about it. Pink, orange, red, glow, lovely...that's all I've got.

All the participants received bib numbers like you would for a marathon. We also got a nice canvas bag (good for groceries) filled with a canine pooper scooper, dog's chew toy, and human's event t-shirt. At least I can use one of the items. Wish I had a dog, but I can barely take care of myself these days.

There was a great collection of volunteers to provide enthusiastic support for the 2 and a half mile walk. Every 40 feet or so, somebody wearing an event shirt and beads was screaming their encouragement to inspire us to keep forging ahead around the perimeter of the zoo. Pretty safe to say that these people aren't there during normal zoo hours. There were also various local musicians spread out along the walk: a blues band, a guy playing guitar, a group of African drummers, and a pre-teenage heavy metal cover band. All of the acts were good. There was also the appearance of a Miss Teen Vista, and Miss Teen some other town in San Diego County. That was a bit odd, I guess to compete you only need to be 16. Weird. I did, however, appreciate the support of the SDSU cheerleaders. Though the whole squad didn't make it out, their presence, and encouragement, was very welcome.

So, in spite of all of these added attractions, most of the animals were still lost in slumber. I don't blame them. However, it was beautiful to see the small herd of elephants waking up against the rising sun. These beautiful, intelligent creatures seemed warmed by early crowd of onlookers. One of the big guys even waved his trunk to the crowd, while the others meandered in the distance. An absolutely beautiful male lion and his lionness were non-plussed by the ensuing throng, laying down comfortably, graceful, appearing almost statuesque in their beauty and stillness. Though they were the inspiration for the walk, the polar bears were still asleep as we all passed by. However, a few of their global cousins were out and about in their own enclosures.

Though I took some time to embrace the presence of these wonderful creatures, for the most part I kept moving. As you all know, I'm not a morning person. Still, I had a smile on my face and the excitement of a child at several moments along the way.
Then, towards the end of the walk, I had a wonderful experience.

Despite all of the people making their way around the zoo, there was a moment where I found myself almost alone. I was the only human along the path, but staring out at me from an alcove in her enclosure was an absolutely majestic Transvaal lionness. Her hypnotic and beautiful eyes locked with mine. The world became still. A profound energy filled my body. We had made contact. Once our connection was made, I smiled and sent out my reverence and positivity. I released my gaze from her enchanting sun like eyes, and could feel almost a physical break as I moved back on my way.

Zoos can be very sad places. The San Diego Zoo is not. It is a wonderful place. The animals are treated so well and given so much room to move. I feel like they are almost like wealthy animals that have moved into luxury condos where everything is provided for them.

There are so many problems in our world today, it is very hard to focus on one cause or the other, especially when so many are fighting just to stay afloat. Yet today was a day of joy and connection; walking alongside children, young and old, delighting in the presence of some of the world's most magnificent creatures. Bearing witness in a zoo is certainly nothing like the wild, but it offers a reminder to those who may never get the chance to go on safari that these animals are a special part of our world, and makes them more likely to fight to keep them a part of it.

As our world gets smaller and humans seek to possess all they desire, more and more animals are displaced. Some magnificent animals such as Siberian tigers, who have no natural predators, are living on the verge of extinction thanks to poaching, as mercenaries seek out to murder animals so that some vainglorious rich asshole can possess an element of nature that they themselves don't have the balls to challenge directly. Sadly, zoos can provide a last refuge for these coveted giants. Let's hope that is not the case, let us not drive any more animals to extinction.

Wine Class

Spent today doing my usual job search, then assembling furniture. Fortunately the latter task was surprisingly easy. Good thing since it is something that I really can't stand. But now things in the apartment are a bit more comfortable.

Didn't venture out until the evening when I attended a wine class focusing on the regions of northwest Spain. The class was held in a Spanish style mansion in Balboa Park, a cultural center of San Diego. The park is home to many museums as well as the San Diego Zoo. The building I was in is known as The Prado and houses a beautiful restaurant. We were tucked away in a small room upstairs with a large oak-wood table and chairs. It felt like we could be discussing an upcoming battle or proposed conquest, very old-world. Instead, we were learning about the wines of Northern Spain.

Our instructor, John Alonge, was terrific. A Frenchman transplanted to San Diego because, as he put it, nowhere else can compete the weather here. John had a tremendous breadth of knowledge and relaxed attitude, he was as much a student as he was an instructor. There was no debate between the group about what we were tasting, simply an outlay of facts regarding each wine's production and history. This is exactly how wine learning should take place. It is about personal experience, shared experience, it is never a lecture and there is no such thing as right or wrong.

There were 9 of us in the class. Other than the heavily tattooed gay man next to me who reeked of marijuana, I was the only one not wearing a wedding ring. We interacted as a class, but there was not much interaction between us. Still, it was a very relaxing and informative evening.

On the way out, I stopped at The Lamplighter to watch some of playoff game. As it is been hailed as "Best Karaoke Bar in San Diego," I was hoping The Lamplighter had a rollicking scene going and could become my new karaoke home. I walked into a place populated with about 7 heavy set, middle-aged, marginally employed guys and two middle aged women with heavy ink and smokers coughs. No karaoke. Quick soda water, one inning of the game, then out the door.

A kid who plays guitar at the Tiki Bar sent a mass-text to let everyone know he was playing at The Australian Pub. I stopped in on my way back and found a dingy bar and slacker crowd being regaled by an AC/DC cover band. All the members were dressed exactly like their famous role models. Have to admit, they were pretty good, and how fitting that they were playing at The Australian Pub. They must be a hit there. The kid who invited me was pretty happy to see me and said I was the only one from the text who had shown up. That's because I haven't been here long enough to be a total flake. I stuck around for a bit and watched him jam out with one of the other acts, then it was off to bed. My last night on the aero-mattress. The queen size bed I'd purchased the day before in Ocean Beach would be arriving in the morning. Please, powers that be, let that new job and promising career begin very soon....

Elephant Walk Info

Here is some more info on this weekend's elephant walk:
http://donate.sandiegozoo.org/site/TR/Walk/WalkontheWildSide2010?px=1944517&pg=personal&fr_id=1130