We've had a few chances to explore the bay area and once again be reminded of the diversity and the access to so many activites. A few weekends ago, we went to the Blue Grass Festival in Golden Gate park. Many performers were there for this free concert. Just in the few hours we were there, we saw Gillian Welch, Earl Scruggs, and Emmylou Harris.
Rusty decided to brave the crowds and head toward another stage to see Michelle Shocked, who knew she was now doing Bluegrass. It was a terrific day of music, wine and new friends (including some obnoxious guy from Tennessee forcing crappy bourbon on everyone and hitting on every woman under 40 in the area- charming and cute in a belching and farting ex-frat boy kinda way). We bought an Aussie wine in honor of our Sheila across the pond. 
The wine didn't have a kangaroo or koala on the label but did boast a typical Aussie slangword. Despite the lack of an adorable marketing animal on the label, the wine managed to hold up on this temperate fall day. Work for me has been intense and leaves little time for much else. I knew transitioning to a new place would be difficult but I feel like a first year principal again. This district expects lots of paperwork (not my favorite part of the job). The district office is so much smaller than my last one and offers very little in the way of actual support. I am starting to appreciate the talents of the staff and their dedication to the school and students of Castro Valley. They are a good staff but have yet to move into the great range. Despite my current job dissatisfaction, I know this will change.The newness will subside. I feel as if the school year is whizzing by. I am looking forward to actual breaks. There are many things I'll miss about year-round but the exhausting nature of the school calendar will not be missed.
Other activities and projects include the fence in the front yard. I'd like to say we tore down the previous fence but really the wood was very rotted and fell apart easily. The new fence is very sturdy because Rusty, of course, had to cement the posts below the frost line (hmmmm...engineers are always fun to work with, more than one project a month would certainly result in divorce and any more than that holds the potential for homicide - I can't predict much but I can predict Rusty will use the comment section for rebuttal).
In preparation for a potential trip down under to visit our "fag-princess" (yes, we all know we mean 'hag', but why piss her off even more), Rusty and I have been working toward diver certification. We are both currently certified but decided to recertify as it has been awhile since last diving. We have already done the coursework (on-line, awesome) and have completed the pool skills. We will go to Monterey for our certification dive in November. We are taking our diver certification from a shop in Burlingame on the 'nins (short for peninsula) from a dive shop that also doubles as a site to be certified in fire arms...huh? It is reminiscent of the Drive-in theatre in Durham that also doubles as a gun shop. Wow, these two things seems oddly paired, diving and fire arms - usually only coupled in James Bond movies. There you have it, one example of the incongruous nature of California in general. Wonderfully accepting to a fault and often to the point of little dedication to any sets of principles and values. Scathing criticism? A little but there is much to love here as well.
Our goal of course is to dive the Australian barrier reef next summer, and then drink ourselves into a stupor with burly miners in MacKay...I'm pretty sure these goals are attainable. We are currently looking into flights and as soon as we create an itinerary will forward it on in hopes that friends can join us - don't worry, like everyone, we can't afford the time nor the cost but are going to go anyhow.
Visitors are always welcome here in the East Bay. Recently Eugene, a Green Year Round fifth grade teacher, called and we met for dinner in San Fransisco. He's a great guy and we had fun reminiscing about my old school - although Eugene is horrible at relaying all of the current gossip, it seems I knew more about the sordid lives of the teachers than him, but there you have it...
Wayne has been visiting from NC. We celebrated the Saturday before Halloween in the Castro. In year's past, the streets have been closed off and the revellers have partied all night. Due to Gang shootings last year, the city did not allow the Castro to close the streets and the revellers remained in the bars, restaurants and on the sidewalks. Still fun to see interesting costumes.
Caroleena recently sent out a request for a list of ten...there were several options, including bad habits, things one loves, etc.
I think I will create a list of ten things I really like in the Bay area to entice potential visitors:
1. The Tonga Room, Fairmont Hotel, SF - Big drinks, rain storm every twenty minutes and Don Ho style music after 7PM, live the fifties once again.
2. Beach Blanket Babylon, Club Fuggazi, SF - Caberet for tourists, but excellent none the less. Big hats, crazy costumes, terrific singing and dancing.
3. The views from our house. Pretty!
4. Sonoma - wine country, although filled with tourists, very relaxing and beautiful.
5. Madjul Bar and Restaurant - Appetizers and drinks in the roof top patio can't compare. On a summer afternoon, one can watch the fog spilling over the Twin Peaks in a grand display of natural elegance.
6. Foster's Bighorn, Rio Vista - www.fostersbighorn.com - this bar has one of the most remarkable collections of taxidermied animals. I have never been, but do appreciate that this place exists. Thanks to Jamie (Rusty's Gen-xer, red neck coworker from Virginia we certainly count as a friend) for letting us know that this road side bar is an afternoon's drive away. I know I'm going to get a lecture and reprimand for including this on my list, especially from Caroleena and Khristi, but I couldn't resist.
7. Ginger's Trois - a favorite bar of Rusty's in the downtown area - the strongest drinks on the planet served by the owners who have to close the bar by 11PM because they are really drunk and prone to arguing with each other.
8. Food, food, food - you name it, we can get it - excepting of course a good ham biscuit!
9. Standing Room Only at the Opera. World class Opera for $10.
10. More people come here than ever came to visit in Raleigh...
Not a particularly insightful list, but still things I would like to share.
OK, one last list, I haven't let anyone know what I've been listing to on the ol' Ipod. Many of these songs have been on commercials for different products but we live in a commercial culture - that doesn't lesson my enjoyment of the music:
Feist - "1,2,3,4", "Mushaboom", "Secret Heart", "My Man, My Moon" - she makes me happy, she reminds me of the women in the vocal section in the record store- the "1, 2, 3, 4" video is the only video I hae ever downloaded onto my computer, so check it out.
Matchbook Twenty - "How Far We've Come" - a bit of an anthem for me right now, provides an opportuntiy for reflecting on my current state of affairs.
Regina Spektor - "Music Box" - Odd and a a little disconcerting, but not to the level of Med Byrd type of challenging.
M. Craft - "Dragonfly" - if I weren't so German this song would bring tears to my eyes. Beautiful guitar playing and haunting melodies...this song leaves me wanting and wistful.
Well, my friends, October has almost fallen by the way-side. I've been reminded by several friends of long standing that this isn't the first time I've gone through transitions in my life and that time resolves much anxiety and stress. So, thanks to those friends that have seen me join the Army, come out, go through family strife, meet my partner, move to a foreign land (NC), change jobs, and come full circle to the Bay Area. The reminder that things are only temporarily in flux has been reassuring. Friends, enjoy the fall and Halloween, feel free to send fall photos and to comment on this lengthy missive.
