San Francisco, Baby!

When you don't get to spend a lot of time in your own back yard, it's exciting when you can actually stop by for a visit. This is especially true if your back yard happens to be San Francisco. It was a quick visit, and Allison had to be down in Santa Clara and up in Folsom for much of it, but it was nonetheless great for both of us to splice in a little time with friends. Asia is a fantastic adventure for us, but there's something irreplacably wonderful about the Bay, and so many of the people we love, and of course, the burritos at La Taqueria on 25th and Mission.

You often hear that people aren't having families these days in the Bay Area, especially in SF. Well, our friends seem to be doing everything in their power to buck that trend. Our visit was a veritable BabyFest, with plenty of older kids in the mix, too. On Saturday, slammed with jet lag but persevering spirit in tact, we got to visit with Jonn and Max and their crew, Hannah and Hugo -- I got some dynamite horse drawings from Hannah, a burgeoning artist like her parents. We then made a pilgrimage to Millbrae to see Rick and Lauralyn's new baby, the adorable Braedon, who is about six weeks old and already crazy about his Uncle David and Aunt Allison. Then it was dinner with Erik, Anastasia, and Zane the Wonder Baby, a strapping young man who may be the happiest baby in the entire Greater Noe Valley Metropolitan Region, and that's saying something. See what I mean about BabyFest?

On Monday I got to stop by Capuchino High School and visit with many of my colleagues and students -- the old place looks great! Wish I could have visited with everyone... Stayed in the usual stomping grounds in the Mission, with Marija (thankyouthankyouthankyou!), drinking better coffee than they have anywhere in China, buying too many books, and soaking up the neighborhood vibe. Got to have dinner with Jane, and Julia and Sophie, too, and had a visit with Lynn and Jeff and (shockingly) baby Jason.

Most people who know me know I'm a baseball fan, but something about living in Hong Kong has made me freakishly obsessed with checking MLB scores this season. Maybe the game is my umbilical cord to a familiar world. Anyway, I went to two games on this trip, both to see teams with less than zero post-season chances, and I LOVED it. In Oakland I watched the A's get clobbered by the Mariners and worshipped at the altar of Ichiro. This guy is the Coolest Man on the Planet, a combination of Babe Ruth, Bruce Lee, and Barishnikov; I would pay to watch him in the on-deck circle. He got two hits and walked twice, another day at the office. I've admitted to my wife that I have a man-crush on Ichiro, and may seek counseling. On the other side of the Bay I watched (along with my great friend and baseball buddy Jane Lambert) my beloved Giants fall feebly to the Reds, as Barry sat out. The next day it came out that he'd spent the game being told by Peter McGowan that he was done as a Giant. I know Barry has a terrible reputation -- but he was, at one time, the best player in the world, and he was all ours. So long Barry, and thanks for all the years.

I ran all over town while we were home (by which I mean I actually ran all over town), and we got to walk at Lands End , one of our favorite spots in the world, let alone the City. We meet up with friends for drinks on the roof at Medjool, but had to run inside for cover from the rain -- I thought it was supposed to Fall (meaning Summer, of course) in San Franciso! Still had a blast, though, and baby Zane was a riot.

After a Last Supper at Trattoria Contadina in North Beach (like visiting family for me), we caught the red-eye back to Hong Kong, where we are currently renewing our commitment to jet-lag. Hopefully we'll be in town for a few weeks, before Singapore and Maylaysia in October.

Now I have to get busy writing! What, did you think I was just some blog-writing dilettante? Please don't answer that ...