Although everyone thinks I’m nuts, I love colder weather. I don’t like icey sidewalks or streets, but I like cold. One reason why is chili. Big old pot on the stove, simmering all day. Yep. That was my Sunday. Yummmmmmmm. Goes well with Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout.

Also, seasoned up six more duck legs for confit. I’ll cure them until Tuesday (keep it down, down) and then bake them in some fat.

As I said earlier, my cameraphone is deader than Caesar. Cingular’s shipping me a new one. Let’s hope I see it before the new year.

Don’t you go hurricanin’ on my travel plans!

Bitch.

Despite having had little to say thus far about CFP, I’ve been mentioned on a couple CFP-related Web logs, to my surprise. I’m mentioned at cfp2002.blogspot.com and also on David Singer’s blog. I chatted at some length this morning with Mr. Singer. He has a list of CFP-related blogs that you should see if you wanna know more. I’ve skimmed some of these, and they look great. Those of you who’ve talked to me about attending next year should read all these Web logs, to a feel for the CFP culture–and believe me, there’s a definite CFP culture.

This evening, I’m off to James Sime’s Tiki party, somewhere in Oakland. James runs Comics and Da-Kind and he’s hosting a party associated with Wonder Con. Tomorrow evening is Comic Relief’s 15th Anniversary party. Unless it rains, I probably won’t be at Wonder Con itself. There’s simply too much cool stuff in San Francisco to warrant spending all day inside.

I need to figure out where the hell this Tiki party is, get directions, and suss out how to get to Oakland on BART. Otherwise, I’m feeling wistful already about my time in SF winding down. I leave Sunday morning and I’m already beginning to miss it here. Le sigh….

We have one functional Internet kiosk now in the hostel, so this’ll probably be my last Blog entry before I leave. I probably won’t have much email access either.

John Perry Barlow, who co-founded EFF and who also wrote lyrics for the Grateful Dead, was in attendance. Dude entered like a rockstar, with rockstar wife and rockstar clothes.

We heard today from California Attorney General Bill Lockyer, a genuinely warm and witty man who’s support for privacy issues is commendable. Very cool speech on his part.

More later.

I got up to Alcatraz yesterday. I was actually rather surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The prison itself was interesting, but I really loved two things about the experience: the ranger-led tour and the island itself. The National Parks ranger who led the tour was funny and knowledgeable about the island and its history. I haven’t enjoyed a guided tour this much since seeing the Tower of London back in December. The other big surprise was just how beautiful the grounds of Alcatraz Island are! The Parks Service is letting the grounds go wild, and the range of flowers, trees, and other vegetation was stunning. You’d expect the Rock to be gray, not arrayed in many colors and shapes and scents.

Don’t be turned off by Alcatraz. The island gets a lot of tourists, yes, but if you book an early tour, it’s not so bad, and it’s well worth seeing.

I continued my busman’s holiday, as Rory Root phrases it, with a trip to Comics and Da-Kind on Noriega Street. I walked in, browed a bit, and finally introduced myself to the proprieters, James Sime and his girlfriend Kristen. James grinned widely, stood up, offered his hand, and said, “Michael! I heard you were in town! It’s nice to finally meet you!” Goddamn. I feel like a rockstar.

James has a very cool shop, with overstuffed sofas for lounging, beautifully displayed Silver Age comics on the walls, a diverse and wide-ranging selection of comics from every genre, and even a stocked bar for the parties he throws his customers. Avengers artist Kieron Dwyer is among his customers and brings in finished art from the book for James to show off. And show it off James did. I was able to see pencilled and inked pages for an issue of Avengers that won’t be on sale for a couple months yet. Very cool.

James gave me a pass to yesterday evening’s free showing of a new 3D IMAX film, shot aboard the International Space Station. Altthough the line to get in was long, the wait was worth it. The movie is beautifully filmed and the 3D effects are used fabulously. Seeing the ISS in orbit over the Earth was stunning, especially in 3D. Also, highly recommended, if you have a chance to check it out.

I cable-carred up to Fisherman’s Wharf this morning to reserve a ticket for Alcatraz tomorrow. I got to ride on the side again, which always makes me feel like a little kid. It’s amazing that in a world that’s so safety-oriented, you can still hang off the side of a San Francisco cable car as it climbs a steep hill.

Next, I headed over to Columbus Street in North Beach, selected a charming little cafe, and sat outside with a scone and a double latte and read for about two hours. That was very relaxing, and with all the people about on a Sunday morning, it was quite enjoyable as well. Overall, I’m really charmed by how friendly people here tend to be.

Next, I walked. And walked. And walked. I first hiked up to Telegraph Hill and photographed the surroundings. That might be one of the few places in San Francisco where you can look in one direction and see the Bay Bridge and look in the other and see Golden Gate. Gorgeous views. I was a little annoyed at all the people who drove up the hill instead of climbing it and I was even MORE annoyed at the couple who were all smoochy-smoochy over in the corner.

As much fun as it is to travel, I get depressed sometimes that I spend so much of every day alone.

Next, I hiked down Telegraph Hill, over to Lombard Street, and up to the curvy road you see in everyone’s SF pictures. Don’t be surprised: You’ll see it in mine, too.

Then, more walking. From Lombard, I strolled down to Market Street. I dunno how long that is, but it took me about an hour, so probably three miles at my pace. To my surprise and delight, the Farmers Market was happening today, so I grabbed a nice little picnic lunch.

From there, I found the Cartoon Art Museum. Today was the last day of the Calvin and Hobbes Sunday comics display, a presentation for which Bill Watterson hand-picked Sunday strips. I was fascinated to see his original art, having been such a huge fan of his work for so long. In some cases you could still see his pencils under the inks. You could also see where he’d whited-out and redrawn certain things.

For someone increasingly interested in how comics are created, to look so closely at the work of a proven master was fascinating and one of the highlights of my trip.

Next, I headed out to the Castro and Mission Districts. Very cool. I loved all the great little shops in each and I really wish I had more time to really explore. I’m reminded again, though, of what a depressing monoculture Indiana really is.

I had an early and wonderful dinner at Bagdad Cafe in the Castro. What a charming place. I took a window seat and was so mesmerized by people-watching that when the server brought my meal, I was startled. And I have to say, that place has the best French fries I’ve ever eaten. I’m not joking. They were perfectly crisp, a lovely golden-brown, and they tasted so good. Most French fries, to my taste, are bland. Not these. There was such a deep, rich, and complex earthy flavor to these, like a really fine roasted potato. I can’t explain, but I was very happy.

It’s been a quiet day: sipping latte and reading this morning, visiting Telegraph Hill and the twisty Lombard Street, browsing the galleries at the Cartoon Art Museum, and exploring Mission and Castro. I’m back earlier than normal, so I’m going to write for a bit and then read. I’ve had such a satisfying day.

I awoke early again today. Being exhausted by 8:30 usually means calling it a day, heading back to the hostel, doing email and Web log, and then reading for an hour or so before bed. Which then means waking up about 7. Gives me an early start, I guess, so I won’t complain.

I found a lovely little greasy spoon around the corner and down a block or two from the hostel. Instead of a couple danishes and a posh latte this morning, I had bacon, eggs, huge hotcakes, and bottomless coffee–all for about five bucks.

My arteries have filed a restraining order against my stomach.

After breakfast, I roamed through Chinatown, looking at kitschy souvenir shops and browing book and video stores. Perusing Chinese softcore is interesting, with titles like Samurai Voyeur.

After Chinatown, I made my way to SFMOMA, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which is fabulous. The collection is first-rate and fascinating, and with a student discount, the price was just right.

Then, Berkeley. Y’know, as beautiful as IU-Bloomington is, UC-Berkeley is even prettier. The trees are older and larger, for starters. (You’d be amazed how many trees at IU are only a hundred years or so old.) And the women. Oh god.

I then stopped at Comic Relief, one of the country’s best comic bookstores, two blocks from the Berkeley campus. Rory Root, the owner and proprietor, runs a shop that looks more like a bookstore than any comic shop you’ve ever seen. He stocks primarily graphic novels, those collections of comics into book form that you can find at any good Borders. Rory and I talked for nearly three hours about comics retailing, Berkeley and the Bay Area, and various other topics. But mostly about comics. Good man, that Rory, and it’s cool to have a new friend.

Three hours, we talked, and we met for the first time today. Isn’t that amazing?

Well, that’s enough for tonight. It amuses me how many people here look at me like I’m a mutant just because I can touchtype. I see them hunt and peck and then they just stop and stare at my hands as I write.

After they finished freshening up and getting ready for bed, they switched off the light. I fell back into a deep sleep almost immediately.

This morning, I cast about for a local breakfast eatery. Because I’m in a neighborhood filled to the gills with Asian restaurants, the first place I found suitable for breakfast was Starbucks. Lovely. I travel across three-quarters of the country to breakfast at Starbucks. Well, when you’re really hungry, what are you gonna do?

I bounced onto the cable car after breakfast and, after transferring, was back at Fisherman’s Wharf. I left that tourist Gehenna as quickly as my feet would carry me and headed west, along the beach. I followed a scenic trail that led me to Fort Mason and eventually to Golden Gate Bridge. I don’t have words to describe how lovely the morning was, so I hope my photos do it something like justice. Walking to the bridge was such a relaxing and enjoyable experience. Everyone seemed so happy, just in general. I received more smiles from pretty women this morning than I did in the previous three months in Bloomington. Perhaps they were squinting into the sun….

I eventually made my way up to the bridge and crossed over and back. By this time, a thick fog had covered the area, so the view wasn’t quite what I’d hoped, but I won’t complain. I snapped a picture of the San Francisco skyline arising from the mists like some modern Brigadoon, but I don’t know how well it’ll turn out.

I briefly and insanely considered walking back into town, but my feet groaned too much to allow me to do that, so I took a bus back to Fisherman’s Wharf. I lunched at a seafood restaurant in Ghirardelli Square, and then had dessert in the soda fountain. I shouldn’t admit to a soul how large, decadent, and expensive that sundae was, but damn was it good.

I wanted to take a cable car out of the area, but the line to get on the damn thing was literally a hundred or so people long, so I settled for a mundane bus. I meandered over to Golden Gate Park and wandered through there a bit, before heading into Haight Street. I thought Haight was a little disappointing. Sure, there’s some great shops there. I browsed through a vinyl fetishists store (ahem–that’s LPs and 45s, Amanda, not YOUR vinyl) and went into a wonderful place with zines and comics and Tarot and coolass books. Oh man, the damage I could have done to my bank account….

But overall, the scene wasn’t much of a scene. Attire was tame–not as tame as Indiana, of course, but much tamer than I expected. One group of kids did entirely misunderstand me, though, which was funny. I walked past them but in the split second before doing so, noticed a Free Winona shirt in a shop window. As I turned back to look at the shirts more closely, I heard one kid say Oink. I didn’t pay any attention and then one sniffed the air and said, “Smells like pork.” I turned back and passed them again, and the same kid said, “Oh yeah. Definitely pork.” Very odd. I’m sure I don’t fit in there, but I hardly think I looked like a cop. Perhaps they were squinting into the sun….

I’m shamefacedly living a cliche here, I must admit. After buying Howl last night, I bought a copy today of Tales from the City. What’s next? Tony Bennett’s Greatest Hits? I think it’s interesting, though, to read the literature of a place before or during a visit. You learn more about the culture and history of a city that way, I think, and it puts you in the mood to explore.

That’s all for now. I’ve had an odd evening as well, but I’m not sure how much detail to share with the class. Perhaps this is a story to roll out after a few drinks.