Not to far Away

Golden Gate Freebies

Alice 97.3 throws and annual free concert @ the Polo fields in Golden gate Park. Another great day in the city.

ORACLE 2009 @ TREASURE ISLAND

Props to Larry Ellison for throwing the most kick ass party of the year for the Oracle 2009 Annual Conference held here in San Francisco. This private event was only for registered conference professionals, which I am not, but luckily I have friends in the industry. Playing were Aerosmith, The Wailers, Roger Daltry from The Who and Three Dogg Night. Outstanding line up and more thumbs up for Larry. Also includes free liquor, food, rides, games and shuttle services. Awesome!

Puzzle Me Silly

This master piece was painted on an eight foot fence. Full of life and a twisted, but pleasant theme, this one has some character. I did notice that this painting was present over one year ago and has been untouched by other artists and taggers.

Stick Em' Up!

Mission Street San Francisco.

You can find Calden Lane (i think? might be camden lane?) at 17th Street and Mission in SF. The alley way is decorated with an abundance of murals representing the local community and San Francisco Art Academy students.

Baker Beach San francisco

Spring time on a Sunday afternoon.

Ripley's Believe It or Not

Welcome to the Bizarre and weird world of Ripley at San Francisco's Fisherman's Warf District. Me and my buddy went one Saturday night, we were just chillin in da hood. I had never been so it was very exciting for me. Check out the disco mirror room, we had fun staging our body shots.
http://sanfrancisco.ripleys.com/

San Francisco LovEvolution : A Dance Music Parade & Festival

Get ready to get wild cause this party is freakin huge! I think this might have been the 6th annual and definitely the biggest ever. Bad economy or not, the love was flowing. Although this is an event for all ages I would keep the kids at home (an early introduction to the San Francisco party seen might have a lasting impression). You will see anything from naked bodies, the girl next door dressed like a stripper, the burning man social club, furry things, and I could go on forever. A parade starts from 2nd and Market with 25 of the city's most electrifying party floats featuring top dj's. I tried to find the Spundae float with DJ Dan and Donauld Glaude, but got lost in the hullabaloo. Its not so often you have the opportunity to experience such a exotic event. This event must be attended at least once! Happens the first weekend of October. See you there next year.

Andrew's 32nd Birthday Cake

Thanks for the cake! D-Licious. Grandpa, Johnny, Marlene, Cindy and Sandy.

Stinson Beach California

Took a drive to Stinson on the 4th of July. Aubrey and I met Amanda and the gang. Yes, we made it back to the city for fireworks.

Fillmore Jazz Festival San Francisco, CA

Jazz Jazz Jazz! Multiple stages of live bands, tons of food and plenty of beer. This annual event lasts two days and is perfect for your summer time calendar. Held every July in the Fillmore District.

www.fillmorejazzfestival.com

Van Damme State Park CA

Redwoods towering over the campsite

A half dozen fresh Abalone

Day one: About to enter the water

Aerial view Northern California Coastline near Mendocino

Wow! This place is sweet! Located 3 miles south of Mendocino, CA (known for it massive cannabis cultivation) Dan Damme campgrounds is one of the dopest sites in the area. The campground is known for its easy beach access to the Pacific's best Abalone and scuba dive spots. Almost every camp site is filled with divers, zodiacs and drying wet suits. At night you hear the pounding abbs in preparation to be eaten. Almost even better than the beach is the enormous Redwood Coast Forrest. To top it off is the relaxing downtown of Mendocino. Definitely a good place to shop for some local jam and berries or and ice cold beer. I think this is the beginning of an annual.

www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=433

Def cab for Cutie Concert @ Greek Theatre

We had a blast at the Def Cab show. Berkley and the Greek are awesome. We hit Jupiter for pizza and beers and then off to the frat house for some tubes. There was not any kegs flowing at the frat this time.

FISHING IN THE BAY

I took video of everybody catching their fishes from my digital Canon power shot. This happens to be my first video which I am very proud of:) you might have to tilt your head to watch it so stretch your neck now! Aubrey, it happened to be his 33rd birthday led the charter with a total of 4 catches. In total we caught a baby Shark, a monster Stingray, one Halibut and a few Stripers. We had an awesome time and dinnered a two day fish feast.

2009 Borrego SUV

BEST-IN-CLASS! Mom and Dads new mini SUV. Great choice! Hopefully I'll get to drive it soon.

PRIDE

San Francisco and its huge gay community go all out each year for the famous Pride Parade through the streets of SF. I only made it to the civic center events on Saturday and missed the major festivities on Sunday. Next year I'll make sure to go on the right day.

Wente Vineyards - Livermore, CA

A few weeks back I had been house sitting in at my good friends dog kennel/house in Livermore Valley California. Pictured is myself hauling ass through down a PG&E fire road through the Wente Vineyards. I actually went to high school with Karl Wente the new owner of the Wente Family business. I hope he doesn't catch me tearing through the grapes. Ha-ha!

Bay Views from the Berkeley Hills

This is the clock tower that I stood next to while lifted by a crane in a man basket 350 ft high. What a view

ICER AIR @ AT&T Park

This event is pretty damn cool! The jump or should I say "rocket launcher" throws the crazy snowboarders and ski hundreds of feet. The all day event also has motor cross, skate ramps, BMX, beer gardens and lots of good retail vendors. I'm not sure if they are doing it again this summer, but its worth keeping an eye on.

350 Feet!

I recently had a thrilling man basket ride 350 feet in the air at UC Berkeley. The crane was hoisting bags on cement for the refurbishing or cosmetic work on a large clock tower in the middle of campus. I wasn't as nervous as I anticipated, but it was definitely a no look down situation. The views of the Bay were spectacular.

Stern Grove Concert in the Park

Where has this set of free concert been hiding? actually its at its some 78 year anniversary. This place is awesome! I am sad to say i had no idea this place even existed? I saw Los Nubians perform and am going back to check out Lyrics Born on July 26th. The amphitheatre is one of the sickest outdoor settings I have seen yet.

Andrew and Aubrey

My brother

Amanda's Super Cool Roof Deck

Always a fantastic view!

Alice 97.3 Concert @ Golden Gate Park

Another annual event @ Golden Gate Park. Couldn't really tell you who played, but I did hear some of the sounds on the radio. Or maybe they were cover bands to radio music? who knows, as you can tell I wasn't rushing over to buy a cd or anything. The polo fields venue at Golden Gate Park is always cool. There are some huge concert here such as Outside Lands in August. Simply a fun day in the park, you can take the bus or ride your bike, play Frisbee or drink beer!

I'm On A Boat Bitch

Ahhh yeahhhh! we had some top notch catches and good times on the Bays own Happy Days fishing charter. Our new friends treated us just right on a full days fishing trip. It was Aubs 33rd birthday and we had a crew of six. We caught some strippers, halibut, sting rays a shark and a buzz. ha-ha!

Transformer II Reveng of the Fallen

This movie ROCKS! I have been committed to seeing this movie forever and finally went to the Metreon by myself to catch it. No IMAX this time, but I think I'm gonna go back again. The sequel definitely topped this first one and I hope theres more to follow. I just might have to go online to shop some Transformer gear. If you haven't seen this already I recommend you go now!

A Little Coit Tower

Almost to the top of my favorite walk to the top of Coit Tower and back. We all need a little exercise everyone in a while. The hike has a round trip of about 15 minutes and does a great job of working the calves and lower back because of the consistent incline. The views are spectacular and there are numerous entry/exit points of the tower.

Fillmore Jazz Festival

This annual event stirs up some sweet jazzy muse with a two day festival. Definitely has a good vibe and the restaurants sell to go beers and cocktails which is always a bonus compared to the restrictions of a "beer garden". We had some good chow eating mini cup cakes, catfish and an Indian nan wrap with Tikki Masala. There was great music and bands everywhere!

Bay To Breakers 2009

Bay To Breakers May 17, 2009

The city's annual #1 Drunken 12K race is bursting with energy year after year. It's race fanatics and outrageous fans are 100% dedicated to making sure this event is good times. You can see anything from floating barge kegs with naked people to your mothers book club all running for a fun.
Restrictions (updated March 10, 2009)
For every one's safety and enjoyment, race organizers and the San Francisco Police Department will enforce City ordinances regarding alcohol. Kegs and glass bottles will be removed from the racecourse. Anyone publicly drinking or displaying public drunkenness on or along the racecourse will be subject to fines and prosecution. Participants with floats and wheeled objects must be registered and enter the race via the Start area. Floats or wheeled objects may not be used to transport or store alcohol. Floats may not be motorized. Oversized costumes and floats must enter the Start area via designated entry points at Folsom/Spear and Folsom/Main. Additionally no grocery carts, pets, roller blades, skateboards, bicycles, or plastic bags for warm-ups are allowed on the course; it is strongly recommended that you leave your headphones at home.

Groundation @ Slims

Groundation is truly a gifted reggae band that will straight lift your soul through music and rhythm. I have always been a big fan of the lead singer Todd Stafford, even when he gave me my first guitar lesson in 1991. That's right, same high school. Todd has since dedicated himself to reggae music and his powerful and massive stage presence will truly educate you with some hardcore rasta music. You can catch them locally in the Bay or catch up to them in all parts of the world.

The Grateful Dead

The Grateful Dead have rocked the Bay Area once again playing at Shoreline Amphitheater May 10, 2009. As Dave, Rita, Colin and myself cruised the never ending grass lands of the Shoreline parking lots we drank Corona's and people watched. The streets were filled with dirty hippies and the smell of sweet greens. The Dead played amazing sets and the most ripper song was performed with special guest Warren Hayes called "gimme sheltor" originally performed by The Rolling Stones. It was sick!

Sexy Sea Slugs

A brightly colored sea slug known as Chromodoris bullocki is photographed in Indonesia's Lembeh Strait. It uses gills on its back to breathe. These things are cool. Yet another hard to keep fish, but also one too cool to pass up. Sometimes the slug will climb high up on the walls and then detacthes itself to a free fall across the tanks current.

Green Psychedelic Mandarin Goby

The Green Psychedelic Mandarin Goby is a small bottom dwelling fish that will scower the live rock and also bury itself in the sands. The vivid psychedelic colors make this fish a favorite by all. Its surroundings need lots of floor space and tons of hiding spots in the rocks to graze for meaty foods and other living

Giants vs. A's pre season April 2

Aubrey and I hit the Giants vs. A's pre-season game on April 2nd, 2009. The giants dominated with a 7-4 win over Oakland. At&T park has to be the most luxurious ball parks in town. It couldn't be more impressive with its sick as view, local restaurant food stands and every seat in the house is a good one. If your in town its a must see!

http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=sf

Pink Anemone

Meet Pink - the pink Anemone. I like this guy and have had it for several months now. Which is good because I haven't had the best luck with anything besides fish and shrimps. Imaged is one of the clown fish that has come and gone, but definitely a fish that loved the anemone. Sometimes the clown fish don't connect and some times they are inseparable with each other. I have to hand feed a piece of large Krill or small shrimp at least once a week. The long tentacles have poisonous toxins that the clown fish are amune too, but I think the anemone can over medicate the fish and paralyze to death. That's my theory because I have been through 5-6 clown fish since I bought the Pinkster? (can you see Mya in the background?)

Picasso Trigger Fish

Meet Mya. Her fish name is (Rhinecanthus aculeatus), but we'll just refer to her as a Picasso Trigger Fish. I had named her Mya because she resembles the Myan Goddesses or Gods seen in books or museums. Even though Mya is one of the smaller fish in the tank, her queen stature is noticed by all. The over sized bold face and toga body is filled with with vivid color schemes of gold and gems. Triggers are known to be very aggressive and will actually bite humans. Some species of trigger fish are also known to make a snarl sound if removed from the water? That sounds neat, by my fish will stay in the water.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Tia and Pete and their search for that exclusive pot of gold on St. Patrick's Day. Good luck guys!

F*ck Off!

Have you seen Green Street Hooligans? This kid rocks! I bet his father is right beside him flipping the bird too. I just might have to plan a trip somewheres just to experience a professional rugby game.

Champaign Brunch on the Hornblower, SF

The Hornblower is awesome! I took my Mom and Dad on the champagne brunch cruise for my Moms 57th birthday. It was abeautiful day and we actually walked from my apartment in North Beach down to Pier 3 which took about 25 minutes. It was far from a tourist attraction and was about 75% local birthday parties celebrating with the delicious brunch. And I have to add that they keep your complimentary Mimosa glass full! The cruise is highly recommended.

Blue Damsel Fish

The Blue Damsel. When I restocked my fish tank I bought three of these as well as three Yellow Tail Blue Damsels to create some small schools of fish. I have always focuses on just a select few fish and wanted to change it up a bit. Damsel fish as the cheapest and hardiest fish available and often referred as the goldfish of freshwater tanks. Definitely a fish that can help break in your tank. I'll have to name the one that survived.

Red Tail Wrasse

My newest addition has been named "Slap Stick". A Hawaiian Red Tail Wrasse (also know as Psychedelic Wrasse), has a black body covered with varying sized white dots. The tail is white with a red band at the end and males have more vivid color tone. Slap Stick will hopefully find comfort in his new environment. Red Tails are know to bury themselves in deep sand and can often try to jump out of the tank. As a matter of fact, Slap Stick has been disappearing and cannot be found for days at a time. I hope he's alright?

Yellow Tang

We call this fish Lou Lou. She's a Yellow Hawaiian Tang from you guessed it! Hawaii. Yellow tangs are good community fish that habitat around reefs and are often found in depts of 100 feet or more. Lou Lou is a herbivor that will often scrap the tank for algae and other particles. I enjoy watching Lou Lou swin along side the other fish. She makes it seems so much like a play ground.

13 ft python eats 6 ft alligator

Biologists are now worried that the nonnative Burmese Python will disrupt the food chain in Florida's Everglades National Parks. The alligator has dominated the wetlands for centuries and the new competition seems to be the predecessor. This 13 foot python tried to swallow the live 6 foot alligator and it appears that the snake either busted a gut? or the gator made one last chance on life and clawed his way out from inside the belly. Either way, they both died trying. Around 100 pythons are captured each year in the Everglades.

Moray Eel or Alien?

Scientist have discovered that moray eels have a second set of jaws that help them swallow food. After the front jaws bite, the rear jaws slides forward and grabs the food. As the main jaws open, the rear jaws retract forcing the food down the pipes. This cool feature and the eels ugly smile could very well be the source of inspiration for many horror and sci-fi movies. Their snake like bodies and vacant star truly suggest alien origin. Remember the Aliens movie starring Singorney Weaver, where the mother alien had the second set of jaws pop out of the already terrifying set of chompers.

WARHOL LIVE

I never really understood who Andy Warhol was and always thought of him as some freak from the 70's who shared the same name as I. I guess I did catch a glimpse of him in the movie The Doors starring Val Kilmer. Anyways, I recommend the exhibit. The art seems remedial, but does bring together the pop culture with style through a wide variety of artists, paintings, music, films, illustrations and sounds. The venue at The De Young Museum is also a special field trip on its own.

http://www.warhollivesf.org/index.asp

Matt Davis Trial

This should be on America's top MUST HIKE destinations. Man did we catch one of the most sunny days in January. The deployed crew of Steve, Alahna, Dave, Greg and myself set foot mid after noon and completed the 4.3 mile down hill hike in about 3 hours. The trial was extremely diverse with bridges, tree canopy's, steep 45 degree hill sides and open plains with ocean and S.F. city views. The trial ends at the town of Stinson Beach where we all bought tall cans of beer and hit the beach for an hour. Stinson Beach is known for its large Great White Shark population and a few lucky swimmers get bitten each year.

Colby Darling

Meet the young stud Colby Darling. Son of San Francisco resident Scott Darling of the Hayes Valley neighborhood. Colby is a 9 month old pure breed brown Doberman Pincher. I have hiked a few times with Scott and Colby.

Just a heads up to check whether dogs are allowed or not at all state parks. California is know to NOT permit dogs (even on a leash) at most state ran recreation spots.