how i'm fine

by the time you read this, i'm sure you would have read about our nice 5.6 quake that hit the bay area tonight.

i felt it.

here's my deal:

i got off my train after work, and saw my connecting bus pull away. with this being on the worst line in the city, i knew i had another half hour wait for the next bus to roll on by. so i decided to grab some dinner and catch the start of the warriors game at park chow, which is still my favorite restaurant in the city.

being by myself, i sat at the bar.

i ordered an apple juice (the best apple juice in the world, by the way) and my appetizer and dinner.

i watched the game on the television.

then, my bar stool began to shake.

here's a primer for you: imagine you're sitting on a bar stool. shift your weight from one ass cheek to the other. allow your shoulders to slightly sway back and forth. repeat for about 10-15 seconds.

there you go. that's what it felt like.

everyone was calm, almost laughing.

and, when it ended, everyone clapped.

at which, i said, loud enough for everyone to hear, "don't encourage it". more laughter. +1 steve.

here's the best part of it (at least for me): when it happened, i was watching the aforementioned warriors game that was being played in oakland. andris biedrins was on the foul line. he's a career 45% free throw shooter. that's terrible.

when the quake hit oakland, he sunk both free throws.

so, in essence, this terrible foul shooter only nailed his shots because the target was moving.

now that's a force of nature.

for you non-californians, here's some pertinent earthquake info:
a local news article reporting the quake;
sfist's very human coverage about the bay area's reactions;
an informative piece about aftershocks;
and here's the latest on britney, because i'm sure that will be the lead story anyhow.

how this may or may not be a double feature i'd be intererested in

from sfgate.com.

Coming to a theater near you: As of Friday, the Balboa's marquee will feature "The Rape of Europa" and "Knocked Up."

only in san francisco.

how i've lost a very big part of my san francisco life, and another is slowly slipping away

today i took a bus ride to the inner sunset, and saw, with my very own eyes for the first time, an empty canvas cafe. i did most of my best writing there, and was entertained for hours by terrible stand-up comedy, even worse open mic nights and cliched poetry readings. it never failed to entertain me or inspire me.

i'm gonna miss it terribly.

tonight, i just learned that another place dear to my heart will be closing.

when i first moved to san francisco, i lived in a crazy house. it was so crazy that, for the first time in recorded history, the sanest person who lived there was an actress.

i really didn't want to go home after work, so i would stop in at john barleycorn, a quiet old-fashioned bar on larkin between california and sacramento. it was right off the cable car line, and they poured the finest black and tan this side of ireland. the bartender was a very nice man who was born to tend bar. they had an old wurlitzer jukebox with 50 carefully selected songs from springsteen to chuck berry. the furniture was classic. they had scrabble. and it was quiet enough for me to sit in the corner and write.

i was a regular.

anyways, i've since moved away, and although nowadays i "pick my spots" for my nights of drinking, i still have it in my head to make it back there every so often, although sadly, not often enough, and down myself a black and tan.

i just learned that every so often has to arrive before june.

if you have a moment, check out savethebarleycorn.com. they've got photos of the place, a history of how it was built and, if you are so inclined, a petition to sign to help save it. alhtough, from what i'm gathering, the new landlord seems to be as open minded as our president. still, it can't hurt.

do it for me. i rue the day it closes.

dammit. that's two down. i wonder what will be the next bay area landmark that's gonna tear apart from its precious place in my heart?

oh crap.