The Wingman Cometh

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

 

The Wingman has come… came… and now gone. Yes, the time here was brief & seemed to fly by even faster… but I’m REALLY glad that he was able to come out, visit & just relax and kick it for a few days during an otherwise extremely stressful time. So I’ll sum up the long weekend that was… and maybe even throw in a few photos… though Facebook is probably were most of the good ones are (i.e. pictures with ME!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!)

 

Wednesday – I worked until the early afternoon, then I met up with the Wingman in Chinatown where he was doing some shopping… and then we visited Rogue Ales Public House for some fine beverages & burgers. I feel like I’ve elaborated on Rogue enough… but that’s some good stuff. We then went back to my place since he had walked a half-marathon during the day… and watched Netflix & HuluPlus the rest of the night and basically doing our own Mystery Science Theatre  3000 routine.

 

Thursday was Thanksgiving so we went to Izzy’s aunt’s for dinner… but first, a few hours of football & we brought our patented homebrews to share with everybody. The response was unanimous that our beer was REALLY good… and some felt that our Pumpkin Ale was probably the best beer that they’ve ever tasted. Granted, these were mostly ladies in their sixties & above… but that also means that they have a lot of drinking experience. We were expecting some harsh criticism from the aunts… but they both LOVED them… so we left them a few to thank them for dinner. The food selection was also great… not nearly the artery-clogging array that I’m used to but still pretty good. It wasn’t vegan and it wasn’t deep fried… so a nice middle ground. Thank you ladies!

 

Afterwards, we headed back to my place to watch movies including “Blanconieves” which is a Spanish silent film retelling of “Snow White” that came out last year… which apparently was the “Let’s have every studio do a version of Snow White” year of Hollywood. The premise was the story of the girl raised by her evil stepmother, etc from the famous Disney version… but set in 1920’s Spain… and involves Bullfighting… which was why we watched. That’s right… bullfighting dwarves. I know what you’re thinking… and it sounds like a horrible movie… but it was actually VERY well done… and I REALLY enjoyed it. I highly recommend that you check it out. It’s a very well done silent film. Granted, there are a few surprising deviations from the original tale… but it’s well worth it… and did I mention the bullfighting? And hot Spanish chicks? Check it out!

 

Blackout Friday – While others woke up early or started the night before to get some “deals”, we decided to sleep in a bit, then head over to Izzy’s side of the bay in El Cerrito to check out Clothing Broker. You may remember this as the place that caters more to the African-American demographic when it comes to suits & other fine clothing… but it’s about the only place in town that can accommodate the giant proportions of myself & the Wingman… and their prices are about a quarter of any of those Men’s Wearhouse or Joseph A. Bank sale prices. I found some nice dress shirts & ties since I had recently bought a few suits there, but the Wingman got to try on the selection as well. We also stopped by Coit Tower to give him an overview of the city... but it was closed for renovations.

 

Afterwards, we visited the Albany Taproom for some refreshments, then Nation’s for a lunch consisting of burgers & pie, then to Elevation 66 Brewery for some more refreshments, stopped by Speakeasy Ales & Lagers for more beverages & some links courtesy of The Missing Link, and then finished off the night back at my place with a pizza from Café Avellino’s (Lombard Special) while watching movies. Oh, we also ordered some Ho’s Thursday night. Ho’s of course being the decent Chinese place that delivers to my place in the Presidio.

 

Saturday – We went out to the Farmers Market at the Ferry Building to get some fresh produce & fine cheeses… and then yeah, was pretty lazy the rest of the day. We also checked out the Christmas decorations at the Hyatt Regency...

 

Dizzy had to work & we’d been walking a lot the past few days… so the Wingman & I chilled and watched yet more movies like the classic “Revenge of the Nerds” and Hulu original series like “The Wrong Mans” & “The Awesomes”.

 

One of the shows we watched was a short-lived TV series from a few years back called “The Cape” starring David Lyons, Keith David, Martin Klebba, Vinnie Jones & Summer Glau. Apparently it only lasted 10 episodes before getting pulled from the air due to a lack of viewership. A cop (Lyons) is framed as a criminal mastermind named Chess and after an explosion during a trap is thought to be dead as he goes into hiding… and tries to clear his name & save the city. How does he do this? He is saved by the Carnival of Crime (David, Klebba & others) and they nurse him back to health… and train him to use a cape made entirely out of spider silk to become a superhero from a comic that the cop’s son reads called oddly enough… The Cape. Feel free to read that again. Criminal carnies teach him to be a superhero… including giving him a special cape made out of spider silk. Okay, it’s not the greatest premise in the world… but you’ve read comics, right? Anyway, there’s the REAL Chess who’s still orchestrating evil plots to take over the city and/or world… and the Cape must clear his name so that he can save his family… but he also gets to meet them from time to time as The Cape… and they don’t seem to recognize him despite he’s not using a goofy “Dark Knight voice” or anything like that… and he basically has a Zorro mask. So I can see why it didn’t last long… and the dialogue & story isn’t exactly gripping… but at the same time, I’ve seen a LOT worse on TV. Oh & Summer Glau stars as the Oracle… er, I mean Orwell who is helping The Cape on his quest by looking up information & providing assistance in a pinch where The Cape can’t be seen. Okay, it’s kind of a ripoff of Batman in many ways… but hey, don’t let that stop you from checking it out on Hulu or something like I did. It’s okay.

 

Sunday – We watched football and finally drank Adam Carolla’s signature beverage Mangria in a delightful concoction known as “The Bro’se” which consists of his standard Mangria red… and his new delightful white peach flavor. It was dangerously good… but be warned, it’s 20% alcohol so it’ll sneak up on you… and headaches are a possibility, especially if you’ve been drinking mostly beer & mead the past few days. Dizzy also amazed us with some incredible sandwiches consisting of local goods… Boudin sourdough bread, hickory smoked bacon, Big Bay Bleu Cheese & various dates from the Farmer’s Market… BEHOLD!!!

 

After football, we quickly headed over to Sutro Baths to show the Wingman before his flight… and we got there just at sunset…

 

Then it was off to the airport so the Wingman could return home to Utah, just in time for yet another cold spell & winter storm warning. Sorry bro… but we’re glad that you got to come visit if only for a long weekend. You’re more than welcome back any time!!!

 

That’ll do it for tonight… More fun stuff coming up soon. Have a great day everybody!!!

Zoo, Sutro & MACHETE

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

 

Thursday night, Dizzy & I went to a special screening of “Machete Kills” starring Danny Trejo, Sofia Vergara, Alexa Vega, Mel Gibson, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, and introducing Carlos Estevez (Charlie Sheen). For those who haven’t seen the original… or fake trailer in “Grindhouse” that started it all… basically Machete (Trejo) is a legendary Mexican federale who in the original, was thrown out of Mexico after the cartels killed his family & he stumbled into an assassination on a senator turned into a setup… and long story short, he’s now a leader of an underground revolution along the U.S.-Mexico border. In this sequel, now a mysterious group has killed the woman he loves (Alba) and he’s on a vengeful quest… while also hired by the President himself (Estevez) top go into the heart of Mexico and kill another revolutionary with a split personality… and a few nukes… but things are not what they seem… and Machete has to cut his way back to America & through a few thousand bad guys to get the truth… and exact revenge… but will it be even too much for Machete to bear? Spoiler alert: There’s a preview for the 3^rd chapter in the trilogy before the movie even starts. Still, the movie is GREAT fun if you’re into those super-cheesy action movies from the 80’s, there’s a lot of eye candy, decapitation, one-liners, and just a great time. It’s basically up there with “Gravity” as my favorite movie of the year so far… but for obviously completely different reasons.

 

Also, after the movie, Machete himself Danny Trejo came out & had a little Q&A session with us… and I got to ask him a questions. “Given your past (check Wikipedia), how does it fell to be a leading man in Hollywood?” Technically it’s true… even though I had to explain to my coworkers who he was repeatedly when they asked me who he was & what he has been in. His response: “I’m just waiting for somebody to pinch me, it’s a dream, man!” Basically he seems like a cool dude who grew up in the gangs of LA back in the 70’s but then turned his life around in late 80’s and has been going good ever since.

 

 

Saturday night, Dizzy had homework to do, so while she was doing that we watched a few documentaries. First was “Through the Exit Door” which comes from a director named Banksy, whose a pretty infamous graffiti / street artist all over the globe. The movie starts out with an eccentric French shopkeeper in LA named Thierry Guetta, who basically videotapes everything around him… and has for many years. Well, he finds himself intrigued by street artists like Shepard Fairey & seeks them out to film them & document their art’s creation from conception to execution in the night like a kind of art ninja or international cat burglar… but leaving behind street art instead of stealing jewels. Then the world is introduced to the art of the ever-mysterious Banksy (tagged the West Bank Wall, etc) and Thierry seeks him out. Banksy admires his passion & lets him into his world… but then discovers that Thierry is… a little out there… when he makes this 90-minute flash-fest of his footage… so Banksy offers to help him out with his ROOMS OF FILM & suggests that Thierry go out & make some of his own art. What follows is… pretty f**king hilarious. The documentary in general is very interesting & I enjoyed it immensely… and watching it with an artist looking to make money in the field… and myself being a bit of a cynic of the whole art community… made it all the more enjoyable to see eccentric people doing crazy sh*t. Very intriguing movie though. I highly recommend it.

 

Next up was “Room 237” which is a 2012 documentary about some of the fanatics & their wide-ranging and interesting interpretations of the Stanley Kubrick film “The Shining”. Now, I’ve seen “The Shining” twice in my life… and it’s a very intriguing, unsettling horror film based on the novel by Stephen King (even though the movie is definitely Kubrick’s take on it in many ways). I enjoy it… and it’s quite iconic. The theories & ideas presented in the movie range from the interesting & philosophical… to some things that may just be some unlikely editing errors… but they’re all rooted in the basis of those interviewed seeing Stanley Kubrick as an extremely intelligent man & gifted director… and depending on the person interviewed, either they felt that Stanley was bored while making this movie & just wanted to mess with people… or he was implying that he was the director that filmed & orchestrated the moon landing in 1969. In either case, this movie is also an interesting look into the minds of various people who may or may not be eccentric, like “Exit Through the Gift Shop” but I definitely wouldn’t watch it if you haven’t already seen “The Shining” once or twice. Otherwise it’d just be pointless… but there are some interesting topic points that you can kind of judge for yourself. Again, I’m a little cynical… but I do believe that Stanley Kubrick was a genius director & a master of unsettling an audience to get them immersed into his films… and it seems to have works on these interviewees to the Nth degree.

 

Sunday morning, we headed out to the San Francisco Zoo to see the animals. Dizzy hadn’t been since she was a young’un & I hadn’t been in over a year since the kiddies came to visit last year… so it was going to be fun. Here are the pictures…

 

STOP!!! Hammer-kop...

Is it racist?

Now you know where to find them... South America...

Next stop was the abandoned Sutro Baths of Ocean Beach. The Baths were the world’s largest indoor swimming pool complex when built towards the end of the 19^th century… but burned down in 1966 and was abandoned afterwards. Today, the ruins are located near the legendary Cliff House restaurant but can be examined firsthand… but be careful, there’s a lot of steep paths and… the water is pretty nasty if you were to fall in. However, since it was a beautiful sunny day, it was pretty amazing to think that 50 years ago this was a pretty prestigious water complex. Enjoy!!!

 

Ooooh... a cave adventure...

Back in its heyday...

After the Baths, we went to a private tour of Speakeasy Ales & Lagers in the “Dog Patch” area of town. The guide Tyler gave us a wonderful quick 20-minute glimpse around the facilities… and of course, we picked his brains a little bit about the process. Their size is still fairly small, just a few thousand barrels per year… but they specialize in lagers (cold fermented) and have, in my opinion, a pretty solid “noir” look to their labels, marketing, and just the overall appeal with the Prohibition/Speakeasy theme… and most importantly, the beer is pretty darn good. We sampled a few & relaxed in their lounge area, which was fairly small, but intimate & great for the space allowed and designed appropriately. I recommend checking it out if you get the chance.

 

This is what blow-off looks like on a larger scale...

Dream – So, I had a little bit of a crazy dream that I though I’d share with you. I was unloading a bunch of boxes into a one-bedroom apartment, pretty standard, nothing to special about it, living area was the whole kitchen/living room all together with a small corner bathroom & a back door leading to the bedroom. I’m just about finished unloading all of the boxes& moving the furniture in… when a lady in a blazer walks up with a young couple and a sleeping baby in a stroller. They look in the door and the realtor lady says, “Excuse me, what are you doing?” “I’m… moving in…”

 

“This family is moving in. Did you register with the leasing office?” Of course since it was a dream & I had no memory of doing this… I immediately felt into a feeling of “Oh God, I don’t believe I did… then why the hell would I be moving all of my stuff? I hate moving… why would I do it willy nilly? Oh f**k me, I’m going to have to move again… and these guys are going to have to wait for me because it’s dark outside and… oh crap…” Anyway, the realtor lady ran off… and I was there with the young couple and the baby was just sleeping away. “Sorry for the confusion, I ugh… I’m not sure what’s going on but I thought that this was my new apartment.” I talked to the guy & got to know them a little bit while the mom took her baby into the bedroom to set her down.

 

Long story short, they didn’t have a whole lot of furniture, basically just the bed, the stroller & a crib… so they said it was no issue really if I had to crash there for the night. Then I noticed that there were bunk beds that I guess came with the apartment, so I asked “Hey, it may actually take a few days for me to find an apartment if everything’s out of whack… what if I helped out with rent for this month & we can share the furniture, y’all can use my pots & pans & stuff… and I’ll just crash on this bunk bed out here since I guess you three won’t be sleeping on it. I’m usually working all day anyway & when I’m not, I’ll be looking for a place. Would that be cool?” “Sure, I don’t see why not…” and that was about the time the dream ended with… my alarm going off for an early day at work.

 

Anyway, that should do it for today. Big day coming up this weekend with our first batch of homebrewed Irish Ale ready for tasting… as well as volunteering with Meals on Wheels & a Pokémon Tournament! Wish us luck! Have a great day everybody!!!