The 13th

So, Let's see...Wednesday - did not drink. Worked and made chicken Marsala with Jeff. It was excellent. Learned 1) Pan sauce is very easy and 2) Cook's Illustrated has very good articles.

Thursday - did not drink. Worked, went to Limon Rotisserie which oddly, in my favor, just received its liquor license but is in the two week waiting period and could not serve alcohol. The four of us : Jeff, Travis, Renato and I dined on Peruvian cuisine and enjoyed each others' company. Then we went to the Inner Mission bar. Nato and I have water while Travis and Jeff had beer. The bar was ok, better than I thought it would be since I had never been. It has stadium seats for easy pool table viewing which is very cool and odd :) The water was nearly tepid which was gross and they did not carry any sparkling or bottled water - also a bad point. Nato got very sleepy which was adorable and we all went home. All in all a gold star evening.

Friday - I did not drink. Went to work and then went to the movies with Heather. We saw Vicky Christina Barcelona. I initially want to give it 3 out of 5 stars because the characters were quite fascinating and the film was good. The topic was love and thus too large of a topic to conquer fully. But when I really think about it the movie was about what love means to two specific people Vicky and Christina and one point in time in their lives - the time the spend in Barcelona. In conquering that subject, I give Woody Allen 5 stars. It was very interesting as a time and place perspective on love and clearly the only way the topic of love can really be dissected. It does seem to suggest that these women will continue to view love in the same way, but I think that is the superficial dialogue of the orator and not the truth the movie reveals. Love is amorphous and evolves and never settles, like a house on its foundation. The way it stands and where it stands are necessarily bound to change and grow, like a child to an adult, rather than a house with its additions and remolding, but usually remaining vastly the same form, unless completely obliterated. Though Woody may believe the film shows the exact opposite to be true...I am not sure. Apparently, not drinking has turned me into a film critic.

Then I went home and had steak with Jeff and Felix who drank some wine. I did not drink. We played some wii and discussed Palin for quite some time. This Republican charade that their party stands for the everyman and the democrats stand for the elite is bullshit and superficial at best. Sue me - I don't want an inexperienced governor of Alaska that believes in creationism and only got her passport in the last month or so to run the United States of America. I don't think that is elitist. I think it is smart. Being informed and qualified are good things not those ideas held only by people who went to college or Ivy leaguers. When did the American dream equal - have good hair, get to be VP? I thought it was about hard work, good decisions, and yes intelligent progressive thinking.

The President deals with the lives of hundred of millions of people and a budget with trillion of dollars of debt. This is in no way similar to running Alaska. Alaskans receive checks for oil money every year. This year it will be $2000 - $4000 per citizen. If that does not scream of private interest in drilling for more oil...what does. I am tired of oil running this country into the ground with the help of the Republicans and their lies. I want a change, I want some hope. I want to know that when my country spends $800 billion dollars it means more than a war in a country very far away, the loss of many lives and the potential rights to some more fossil fuel. Mostly, I want to know why more people are not outraged with the choice of Palin. She seems nice and all as a person - on the surface - and has the right to all her opinions; but when it comes down to running to country, I do not want to elect a man that has more money than I could ever imagine who is 90% like Bush and a women who could be my neighbor, if I didn't live in San Francisco. It is great to have neighbors, but I want the smartest person in the room running my country and I don't think that is elite, just an every woman kind of thought. Reality TV is all fine and dandy but this is REAL real life and Really our future. I am fed up with the last decade with the country and feel very sad that this could continue. 9/11 and Bush took a lot away from me and I want it back. I want to be proud of my country and I want to world to cheer for us. I am very damn sure that oil, war and crazy Alaskans are not the platform that I can support.

Saturday - It is only half way through..but I have not had a drink. BTW the scale seems to be stuck, I may have to buy a new one because surely I am due a pound or two in the negative column.