Love the Wine You're With

The photo to the left got me thinking about all the multiple meanings and while I love the connection to wine, it made me think about all the people in my life.

This last weekend, I went back up to San Francisco for a run put on by the SF Runner's Club. My friend Mike is trying to meet new people so the running club is a great tool.

We were running late after breakfast and in such a hurry to get to the starting line, we left Zeke and Christina who were lagging and told them to meet us there (which we all knew was unrealistic). About 3 miles in, trying to catch up to the club, it dawned on me: we had the only company we needed.

Zeke and Christina ended up doing the run on their own pace, enjoying the scenery and each others company while Mike and I were running a 6:30 pace, barely speaking to each other because we were trying to catch up to a bunch of people who we didn't know. By the end of it, we didn't even feel like meeting the rest of the club for beers and ended up with the people we originally left.

Sometimes the people we have been looking for are right in front of us but we're too busy in our lives trying to find them, we're blind to that realization. One of my pastor's back home taught me "the grass isn't greener on the other side; it's green where you water it."

Being Alone

I love this from "Jim's Daily Awakenings." I took a B-Day (Becca Day) and went to San Onofre for a day of peace and solitude. Read below what Jim has to say about times like these.

In our busy, crowded and loud world, it is increasingly difficult for us to be alone.
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Being alone does not mean being lonely. It is choosing to set ourselves off from the external, superficial noises of life and seeking instead the quiet strength which is found best in solitude.

You don't have to be a monk or a mystic to spend time alone. It can be as simple as a cup of coffee in the backyard at dawn, a neighborhood walk, or an idle lunch hour on a park bench. None of us are too busy for moments like these, and solitude gives us rich rewards. It restores our perspective and sanity.

Most of us fear being alone because we think the demons of memory will rise from the bottom of our guts to haunt us. We fear our aloneness will be more punishment than pleasure. Don't be afraid to be alone. Solitude will give you serenity.

Stinson and Jameson

Michael Voors never fails to show me a good time. Last time we had a weekend of adventure was October 2010.  As soon as I landed, a wave of excitement came over me and when Mike saw me with my surfboard in hand, he  was equally stoked. None of his friends come up with their boards or even a wetsuit so I scored some points. To my happy surprise, I looked down to find a bottle of Jameson and I knew instantly this was going to be a good weekend.


We went to pick up his friend Christina for sushi and it was such a joke because we walked in and the guy told us to put our name on the list (which was empty). After 10 minutes, we decided to walk next door and eat healthy bar food. I was actually really impressed and considering it was bar food, they had the best mac and cheese I've ever had. We had a good time and read each others' Chinese Zodiac while healing Christina's torturous day with Jameson and IPA.

We got to Stinson where Mike showed me a lookout point over his home town. I can't believe it took me almost 5 years to get up there. The roads look like something out of "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and it was so rad driving around. There are no signals, no stop signs (well maybe 1), and the vibe is the most mellow there is. After we had our own dance party in his living room, I passed out and woke up to coffee and a surf.

Cold doesn't describe the water up there especially when I didn't have booties. It was just below 50 but surprisingly, I only got one ice cream headache before my feet went numb and all was well. In fact, I had a blast and even managed to get a barrel. Bolinas is great white territory and prior to paddling out, I was dumb enough to ask Mike if there had been any shark attacks up there...I'll never ask that again, although after I got a barrel, I was so stoked, I didn't even care about sharks. Another great thing about this town is no one cares when you drop in on them. Mike told me I could literally take off on any wave I wanted and no joke, no one cares. Obviously I didn't because I hate when people, especially girls, do that.
Post surf, we headed to the Breakers Cafe and met up with Keith for more Jameson and a killer breakfast. Mike can't walk 5 feet without knowing someone and I loved that. We did that for awhile, then went back to the house and watched a deer get hollowed out by vultures in his backyard.

Mike wanted to show me the town of Bolinas and that was probably the highlight of my trip. We looked out over the channel we'd surfed earlier then headed north to Palomarin. That drive was seriously one of the best I have ever done. The roads are so quiet and the trees are so tall. Combine that with the ocean underneath the cliff below and it's heaven on earth. I could drive for hours anyway, but that drive I could do for a lifetime.
We cruised down to Smiley's and met up with Zeke who is beyond rad. Mike and Zeke drank more PBR and Jameson while I was getting a pool tutor from my friend John who looked like the old guy on Home Alone. He and I talked for a while because he liked how receptive I was and eager to take his pointers. Besides being a ridiculous pool player, he was a very sweet man. Zeke was in sweats and slippers and felt dirty so he headed home and met up with us later, only to show up in the exact same outfit but since he changed his socks, he felt like a new man. Incredible.


After dinner at the Sand Dollar, we headed over the hill back to the city and met up at Zeke's house with him and his brother Kris. From there we went on an adventure in the city bus to The Bitter End which is a mellow bar on Clement. We're all sitting there when we look up to see the hairiest butt crack I've ever seen. The guy was practically in Kris's face and after Mike told the kid to pull his pants up, the kid (literally a kid) tried to fight Mike from OUTSIDE THE BUS.

So we get to the bar, and 2 hours later, we find Orr and the rest of the guys. I love Orr and the first time I met him, I was sleeping when he barged in my room and jumped on top of Reed and I with a HUGE grin on his face. No joke I had no idea who this guy was but fell in love with him instantly. So the real adventure began when we left the bar.
Zeke and I were in search of pizza and we found it at the liquor store across the street. We looked over to find Kris who snuck his beer out of the bar and Michael who of course was lost at that point. Three frozen pizzas, rice pudding, and string cheeses later, we found Michael and sat at the bus stop for about 30 minutes before almost giving in to a cab. So a cab shows up and Zeke makes a great call to give it to some other people at the bus stop. He looked like such the gentleman but really just saw the bus coming and said "I didn't want other people on the bus, how fun will it be to have it all to ourselves?!" Psyche. The bus pulls up and is so packed, we barely fit in the thing.

Let me tell you, the best people watching in San Francisco happens on public transportation after 3am. After a bus ride that seemed to last for hours, we're all getting off the bus when Michael, of course, doesn't hear us because he's so consumed with the Russian girl next to him. We all laughed later sayings we should've left him on the bus just to turn around and find all his friends ditched him. After almost lighting the neighborhood on fire with a Christmas Tree, we made it home safe and hungry. By the time we made the 3 frozen liquor store pizzas, the sun was almost coming up.

We woke up 4 hours later, ate dim sum (note: get the lobster next time) and sat on Ocean Beach watching surfers get pounded one by one with 15 foot sets. I was the only one with my surf stuff and the only one who DIDN'T want to surf. I will probably never surf that beach and I'm completely okay with it. We all decided on my next visit we've got to do a bonfire on the beach instead of going out. When I got to the airport, I was so excited to move my seat to the window and watch the surf below me but I was so tired, I conked out before we even took off. That was a sign of another very successful weekend with Michael Voors. Until next time, my liver will be taking a break from Jameson and PBR.

  
Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.
- Marcel Proust