"The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco."
This quote is often attributed to Mark Twain (although it seems it has yet to be verified). At any rate, it's an apt assessment of the summers in San Francisco.
The last few mornings and evenings have been blanketed by a thick, eerie fog. It's so thick that you can see it creeping its way ever so gradually east from the ocean across the city.
Having spent most of my summers in the hot, humid, mosquito-thriving climate of the Midwest, I nearly froze my ass off last summer after having moved to San Francisco in the winter. It's not that the temperature totally drops. The air gets so damp with the fog that it seeps in and chills you to the bone. It's so damp that when you walk under a tree it feels like rain because the moisture falls in droplets from the leaves.
The fog-filled mornings and evenings require dressing in layers -- a sweater or long-sleeved shirt with a jacket over a T-shirt. If it's windy as well, a neck scarf can be a good idea. In the afternoons, especially downtown, you have to strip off the layers so you don't get overheated and sweat profusely as you walk from place to place, or run to catch your bus or train.
Sometimes in the evenings I dig out my leather gloves, which my fiancé makes fun of and says, "You don't need those. It's not that cold!" Screw that, I'm keeping my hands warm.
When I was a kid, I used to stay outside playing in the snow all winter long. I could while away hours building snow forts and snow houses out of the drifts in my yard. Fresh, untouched snow of course required plopping down to make a snow angel. Or, I'd walk to the local outdoor skating rink that was just a block away, and pretend I was an Olympic figure skater or speed skater. When I finally came inside, I'd have these round, rough pink patches on my cheeks from the cold, and my fingers and toes would drive me insane from the itchiness as they thawed from their nearly frostbitten state.
Nowadays, I'm such a wimp. I turn on my electric heating blanket before I go to bed at night, even in the summer, especially in the summer. Otherwise, I wake up freezing in the middle of the night at 2:00 a.m.
I miss the change of seasons in the Midwest. After the hot, humid summers, you appreciate the colder temperatures of the fall and winter. (Although, I don't miss the -20° windchill.) Then toward the end of winter's deep freeze, you look forward to the spring thaw and the heat of the summer.
A friend once mentioned how recalling when certain events happened can be difficult while living in San Francisco because you often can't relate them to a particular season. It's true. You can't relate that one outing to the hottest day of the summer, or that day spent with family and friends when the snowstorm hit. (The best days of winter in the Midwest are the snow days, when a snowstorm or severe weather shuts down schools and businesses. There's no greater joy, I tell you, than discovering you don't have to go to school or work.)
I do, however, remember one afternoon last summer. My fiancé and I had gone to Ocean Beach on an unusually warm day to lay out and get some sun. The day at the ocean was amazing to me, having grown up with only lakes nearby in the Midwest. But around 3:00 p.m., the fog suddenly rolled in. We, along with the other beach goers, quickly pack up our gear and donned some warmer clothes.
Ahh, summer in San Francisco!
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Anatomy 101
For the longest time I've wondered about this one question from my college anatomy class. How much urine can the bladder hold?
Why, you ask? I remember that question being on a college exam, along with four possible answers that I can't recall now. Since I never really studied for that course, I didn't know the answer so I guessed. To this day, I don't know if I answered it correctly or what was the correct answer.
I just did some searching online, and a common volume found on various Web sites for a healthy bladder is 2 cups, which is approximately 473 mL. Seems like it could hold more than that so I continued my research.
Other references list the volume of a human bladder to be 500—1,000 mL.
All in all, there doesn't seem to be one correct answer. So now I'm wondering what the possible answers were on that damn test.
I believe I got a "B" in that class, pretty good considering I guessed on all of the exams -- "Oh, that sounds about right," "That seems to make sense," or "Answer B." (Always choose answer B when guessing.)
After high school, I really couldn't have cared less about my college classes, which is sort of suprising considering I was such a nerd in high school. I'd cram for tests even when I knew the material backward and forward. Hell, I even tutored others students on some subjects. Honor society, academic bowl, math team, yearbook ... I did all the geeky activities.
Everything seemed to come so easy, too. In college, I'd procrastinate when it came to writing papers. After pulling an all-nighter to crank out a 10-page paper full of B.S., I'd get the paper back with an "A" on it. (Guess being able to write half-decent sentences makes crap sound brilliant.)
I think I stressed myself out too much in high school. Toward the end of my senior year, I had a sort of quarter-life crisis -- so burnt out that I considered not going on to college. And it's not as if my parents were pressuring me. They actually told me I didn't have to go to college. I know they meant well, but sometimes I wonder where I would be today if they had pushed me.
Of course I continued on to higher learning. In fact, one of the best choices I ever made was to attend a large city university that had a fairly diverse student population.
But my college years centered more on learning who I was than how much I could memorize for an exam. I focused on experiencing life and not just studying for it. College was more about meeting new people outside of that core group of kids you've known since kindergarten. It was about trying to figure out what I wanted to do in life. I'm still unsure of the answer to that one, but I know it's not a multiple-choice answer. You could say I'm still taking Life 101.
Why, you ask? I remember that question being on a college exam, along with four possible answers that I can't recall now. Since I never really studied for that course, I didn't know the answer so I guessed. To this day, I don't know if I answered it correctly or what was the correct answer.
I just did some searching online, and a common volume found on various Web sites for a healthy bladder is 2 cups, which is approximately 473 mL. Seems like it could hold more than that so I continued my research.
Other references list the volume of a human bladder to be 500—1,000 mL.
All in all, there doesn't seem to be one correct answer. So now I'm wondering what the possible answers were on that damn test.
I believe I got a "B" in that class, pretty good considering I guessed on all of the exams -- "Oh, that sounds about right," "That seems to make sense," or "Answer B." (Always choose answer B when guessing.)
After high school, I really couldn't have cared less about my college classes, which is sort of suprising considering I was such a nerd in high school. I'd cram for tests even when I knew the material backward and forward. Hell, I even tutored others students on some subjects. Honor society, academic bowl, math team, yearbook ... I did all the geeky activities.
Everything seemed to come so easy, too. In college, I'd procrastinate when it came to writing papers. After pulling an all-nighter to crank out a 10-page paper full of B.S., I'd get the paper back with an "A" on it. (Guess being able to write half-decent sentences makes crap sound brilliant.)
I think I stressed myself out too much in high school. Toward the end of my senior year, I had a sort of quarter-life crisis -- so burnt out that I considered not going on to college. And it's not as if my parents were pressuring me. They actually told me I didn't have to go to college. I know they meant well, but sometimes I wonder where I would be today if they had pushed me.
Of course I continued on to higher learning. In fact, one of the best choices I ever made was to attend a large city university that had a fairly diverse student population.
But my college years centered more on learning who I was than how much I could memorize for an exam. I focused on experiencing life and not just studying for it. College was more about meeting new people outside of that core group of kids you've known since kindergarten. It was about trying to figure out what I wanted to do in life. I'm still unsure of the answer to that one, but I know it's not a multiple-choice answer. You could say I'm still taking Life 101.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
I wish I had a fairy godmother
She could wave her little magic wand and find me the perfect wedding dress. You know, a little flourish and ta dah! I'd be dressed in the loveliest gown. Well, without the midnight deadline.
Alas, no Cinderella transformation for me.
For the past few months, I've been searching for a wedding dress. (Yes, even though I am The Hyphenator! and busy saving copy, I am getting married soon. Sorry, all you male punctuation enforcers. Yes, The Hyphenator is getting hitched in Hawaii. Hmm, I should change my name to The Amazing Alliterator!)
I'm getting married on the beach, so I'm looking for a dress that doesn't weigh a half ton. You know, one that doesn't have intricate lace, beading and sequins, tons of layers and crinoline, a big poufy skirt and a long train. But I'm not going to be frolicking in the surf (although I will be wearing flip flops), so I figure I can have a traditional wedding dress -- just one that's more simple in design.
I thought I had the dress narrowed down to two choices, but after trying them on a second time and having digital pictures taken of me in them, I decided I looked more like a dressed-up troll and not a princess or soon-to-be blushing bride.
One was a gorgeous, Nicole Miller strapless silk gown with buttons running down the back that almost had me crying while I tried it on, and it wasn't from the price ($1,400). I've always had a sort of vision in my mind of how I wanted my wedding dress to be: silk, clean lines, elegant, no lace, and no beading. The Nicole Miller dress came pretty close to the picture in my head.
I first saw the dress in the store and tried on a sample that was surprisingly close to my size. Later I found online photos of it on the designer's Web site. The dress looked like a silk sack on the model, but I figured the model was your typical stick figure. I thought that I had filled it out nicely.
After a week or two of dreamily thinking of the dress and debating on whether I really wanted to spend that much on a wedding dress, I decided I better try it on again and this time take digital pictures to show my mom and my "Best Woman," both of whom live in the Midwest. Show them that, despite the price tag, it was gorgeous. Good thing I did.
The dress was still stunning on second viewing, but unfortunately the style just wasn't stunning on me. Well, at least one good thing is that I won't be dropping $1,260 for it. (My Best Woman referred me to the Rush's Bridal Web site. They offer free price quotes on wedding and bridesmaid dresses. I could have ordered the dress for $140 less and no sales tax.)
The second dress was also lovely -- and more moderately priced at $650. This one was an empire-waisted chiffon dress with elegant beading in a floral/vine pattern on the v-neck bodice and the hem of the skirt. It came with a matching beaded, detachable train. I found this one at a bridal shop while in search of a different dress, but the sample dress was a couple of sizes too large so I couldn't quite get a good sense of how it would look on me. I found pictures of it online as well, and eventually found a store that had a sample of the dress in my size.
Same story: I tried it on again, making sure to take some pictures this time. Same thought: "I look like a troll." I never really fell in love with this one. I thought it was lovely, but that was all. I didn't have that "Oooh, this is the one!" kind of moment.
So I've started searching all over again.
I've concluded that the above scenarios with the two dresses could have been easily avoided, along with some needless anxiety, if I had done the following:
1. Brought my camera on the first visit.
2. Brought someone with me shopping.
3. Tried to find a store with a sample close to my size.
4. Not listened to sales ladies, who probably get a big, fat commission.
What annoys me is that I find all these lovely dresses online on wedding and designers' Web sites, but I have a hard time finding bridal stores that carry samples of the particular styles I want. One of my next moves is to drive to a shop an hour away in hopes of finding some of the dresses I've seen online.
My wedding is about eight months away. Where is my fairy godmother when I need her?!
Alas, no Cinderella transformation for me.
For the past few months, I've been searching for a wedding dress. (Yes, even though I am The Hyphenator! and busy saving copy, I am getting married soon. Sorry, all you male punctuation enforcers. Yes, The Hyphenator is getting hitched in Hawaii. Hmm, I should change my name to The Amazing Alliterator!)
I'm getting married on the beach, so I'm looking for a dress that doesn't weigh a half ton. You know, one that doesn't have intricate lace, beading and sequins, tons of layers and crinoline, a big poufy skirt and a long train. But I'm not going to be frolicking in the surf (although I will be wearing flip flops), so I figure I can have a traditional wedding dress -- just one that's more simple in design.
I thought I had the dress narrowed down to two choices, but after trying them on a second time and having digital pictures taken of me in them, I decided I looked more like a dressed-up troll and not a princess or soon-to-be blushing bride.
One was a gorgeous, Nicole Miller strapless silk gown with buttons running down the back that almost had me crying while I tried it on, and it wasn't from the price ($1,400). I've always had a sort of vision in my mind of how I wanted my wedding dress to be: silk, clean lines, elegant, no lace, and no beading. The Nicole Miller dress came pretty close to the picture in my head.
I first saw the dress in the store and tried on a sample that was surprisingly close to my size. Later I found online photos of it on the designer's Web site. The dress looked like a silk sack on the model, but I figured the model was your typical stick figure. I thought that I had filled it out nicely.
After a week or two of dreamily thinking of the dress and debating on whether I really wanted to spend that much on a wedding dress, I decided I better try it on again and this time take digital pictures to show my mom and my "Best Woman," both of whom live in the Midwest. Show them that, despite the price tag, it was gorgeous. Good thing I did.
The dress was still stunning on second viewing, but unfortunately the style just wasn't stunning on me. Well, at least one good thing is that I won't be dropping $1,260 for it. (My Best Woman referred me to the Rush's Bridal Web site. They offer free price quotes on wedding and bridesmaid dresses. I could have ordered the dress for $140 less and no sales tax.)
The second dress was also lovely -- and more moderately priced at $650. This one was an empire-waisted chiffon dress with elegant beading in a floral/vine pattern on the v-neck bodice and the hem of the skirt. It came with a matching beaded, detachable train. I found this one at a bridal shop while in search of a different dress, but the sample dress was a couple of sizes too large so I couldn't quite get a good sense of how it would look on me. I found pictures of it online as well, and eventually found a store that had a sample of the dress in my size.
Same story: I tried it on again, making sure to take some pictures this time. Same thought: "I look like a troll." I never really fell in love with this one. I thought it was lovely, but that was all. I didn't have that "Oooh, this is the one!" kind of moment.
So I've started searching all over again.
I've concluded that the above scenarios with the two dresses could have been easily avoided, along with some needless anxiety, if I had done the following:
1. Brought my camera on the first visit.
2. Brought someone with me shopping.
3. Tried to find a store with a sample close to my size.
4. Not listened to sales ladies, who probably get a big, fat commission.
What annoys me is that I find all these lovely dresses online on wedding and designers' Web sites, but I have a hard time finding bridal stores that carry samples of the particular styles I want. One of my next moves is to drive to a shop an hour away in hopes of finding some of the dresses I've seen online.
My wedding is about eight months away. Where is my fairy godmother when I need her?!
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Girls' school burned down in Afghanistan
An article on sfgate.com today ...
"Armed Men Set Afghan Girls' School on Fire"
"'Why did they only burn the girls' school? Why not the boys' school next door?' asked a 12-year-old student who only gave her first name, Farida."
How do you even begin to explain to young girls that there are some people who believe girls and women shouldn't be educated and why they think this way?
And an Associated Press article from Tuesday ...
"Lions reportedly chase off abductors, guard girl til police find her"
"A 12-year-old girl who was abducted and beaten by men trying to force her into a marriage was found being guarded by three lions who apparently had chased off her captors, a policeman said Tuesday."
Animals continue to amaze me -- they appear to have more sense than grown men.
"Armed Men Set Afghan Girls' School on Fire"
"'Why did they only burn the girls' school? Why not the boys' school next door?' asked a 12-year-old student who only gave her first name, Farida."
How do you even begin to explain to young girls that there are some people who believe girls and women shouldn't be educated and why they think this way?
And an Associated Press article from Tuesday ...
"Lions reportedly chase off abductors, guard girl til police find her"
"A 12-year-old girl who was abducted and beaten by men trying to force her into a marriage was found being guarded by three lions who apparently had chased off her captors, a policeman said Tuesday."
Animals continue to amaze me -- they appear to have more sense than grown men.
Blog, H, blog!
A brand-spankin' new blog!
I swore that if I solved the Ripley's IQ Game I would start a blog to prove that I did it. My co-worker had sent me a link to the puzzle, and I had forwarded it to my friend Ji-in. Being the ultimate nerd (I'm not worthy!), she solved it and I was determined to solve the damn thing, too. And I did it!
And after some peer pressure, I am now writing my own blog -- a spin-off blog, you could say. Like "Mary Tyler Moore" and "Rhoda," "Cheers" and "Frasier," "Friends" and "Joey," and ... oh, you get the point. Let's just hope this blog survives longer than "Joey."
Stay tuned, folks!
(And J, stop mentally editing my post. Although, yes, I am The Hyphenator, the enforcer of punctuation, it is 12:30 a.m. and I'm not working!)
I swore that if I solved the Ripley's IQ Game I would start a blog to prove that I did it. My co-worker had sent me a link to the puzzle, and I had forwarded it to my friend Ji-in. Being the ultimate nerd (I'm not worthy!), she solved it and I was determined to solve the damn thing, too. And I did it!
And after some peer pressure, I am now writing my own blog -- a spin-off blog, you could say. Like "Mary Tyler Moore" and "Rhoda," "Cheers" and "Frasier," "Friends" and "Joey," and ... oh, you get the point. Let's just hope this blog survives longer than "Joey."
Stay tuned, folks!
(And J, stop mentally editing my post. Although, yes, I am The Hyphenator, the enforcer of punctuation, it is 12:30 a.m. and I'm not working!)
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