Chris McIntyre

Honestly, who learns to ride a motorcycle in San Francisco, CA…quite possibly the hilliest city in the world? Well I for some reason decided to. After a few hours of riding through my neighborhood which requires me to go up and down STEEP hills and learn how to operate the hand and foot breaks, clutch and throttle at the same time while not rolling down the hill backwards, killing the bike or lurching into the car in front of me.

Needless to say, Im tired, my muscles are all sore, and my head hurts from thinking. It was fun to get out and about on the bike, but it was a killer day. I did get a new helmet though, one that fits, that i can see out of, and that according to the salesman people will be able to see me in. I ride a black bike, with a black jacket and dark jeans. This helmet should make me seen by other drivers, I hear.

Life in San Francisco…never a dull moment. On my way to the office today I was taking my usual route, listening to podcasts, and generally minding my own business. When I came up to a moajor intersection, I was forced to stop at the corner and wait on traffic and was disgusted yet pleased with what I saw.

On the corner, directly in front me, sat to pigeons fighting for what looked like food. As I leaned in a little bit closer I realized what the food really was….a finger nail! Those fuckers were eating fingernails! Someone had either lost or SEVERELY trimmed their nail and dropped it on the street…much to those pigeons delite.

I was seriously grossed-out at the site of 2 pigeons going at that finger nail like it was their last chance for survival. Well, at least I know the next time I clip my nails, they will not be wasted. I can simply toss them out the window for those flying rats to naw on.

I started the hunt for a motorcycle a long time ago. I have desired to own one for years, but could never afford one (especially in the midwest where they dont sell anything of any quality at a decent price). Low and behold, this beauty popped up on craigslist.com for a very low price. I am happy to announce, I now own it. The gentleman drove it up to me from Santa Cruz and even threw in a free helmet!

In any case, this is the photo that was listed on craigslist. I just got it today and plan on polishing it up (getting my motorcycle permit) and riding it a whole bunch. When i get it all cleaned up, I will post new photos to flickr. (ps. woot.)

I wish I would have had my camera this morning when I was walking to work. As I passed the Sony Metreon and the Convention Center today I saw the strangest site. As a walked through a nicely manacured garden with trees, bushes and water fountains I was welcomed with a hypodermic needle that had been stabbed into a tree. I had just been thinking to myself how pleasant the walk had been…the crisp air, the clean sidewalks…and then, the needles.

San Francisco is a beautiful city!

Today, as we do most days, we were walking down the (podcast) alley on the way to get some lunch. But today was a unique day for us. About 2/3 of the way down the alley, a cross-eyed asian man (or lady, I didn’t really see any distingushing features) started yelling at us and pointing at a trash can. He was yelling, “It smells like dead baby…come look now!” and continued to try and drag us down the alley to see and smell the trash can. Needless to say we ran past him but he was feverishly dragging the trash can down the alley behind us. I did see some flies swarming over the top of it as we ran by, but refused to look in. Fuck that.