"Oops!"

I call bullshit.

But then again, it's really no one's business besides Misha's where he prefers to put his penis.

A Little Sunday Humor

A young couple dies on their way to their wedding

On their way to get married, a young Catholic couple were involved in a fatal car accident. The couple found themselves sitting outside the Pearly Gates waiting for St. Peter to process them into Heaven. While waiting they began to wonder; Could they possibly get married in Heaven? When St. Peter arrived they asked him if they could get married in Heaven. St. Peter said, "I don't know. This is the first time anyone has asked. Let me go find out," and he left. The couple sat and waited for an answer…. for a couple of months. While they waited, they discussed the pros and cons. If they were allowed to get married in Heaven, should they get married, what with the eternal aspect of it all? What if it doesn't work? Are we stuck in Heaven together forever? Another month passed. St. Peter finally returned, looking somewhat bedraggled. "Yes," he informed the couple, "You can get married in Heaven." "Great!" said the couple. "But we were just wondering; what if things don't work out? Could we also get a divorce in Heaven?" St. Peter, red-faced with anger, slammed his clipboard on the ground. "What's wrong?" asked the frightened couple. "OH, COME ON!!!" St. Peter shouted. "It took me 3 months to find a priest up here! Do you have ANY idea how long it'll take to find a lawyer?"

What Was There…

Admittedly I experienced San Francisco long after Herb Caen had shuffled off this mortal coil, but nonetheless, SF of the mid 80s thru the end of the century still held the magic of which Caen wrote. Yes, we were surrounded by death in the 90s but that magic still seemed to permeate The City in the face of the abject horror that was decimating our community.

While I have not returned since I left in the spring of 2002, I have a good feeling from those who remain that a lot of that wonder has disappeared, fueled in no part by the ultra-wealthy moving in and taking over every inch of those 49 square miles.

Yeah, there have always been ultra-wealthy in San Francisco, but during my time there they were still ensconced in their mansions and towers on Nob Hill and Russian Hill. The rest of the city was still relatively affordable and I couldn't spend as freely as I'd like, I was able to make decent living and afford a one-bedroom apartment on my own on the $35-45K a year I earned during my tenure there. And parts of the city (while geographically undesirable to me for whatever reason) were quite affordable.

That's no longer true.

Do I miss it? In many ways yes, but in an equal number of ways, no. Will it always have a special place in my heart? Unquestionably, yes.