ryanpedia

Independence recap

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Hayward) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 04:10:00 +0000

July 4 was full of Americana, except for being "hella" cold. But we dealed.

First, Ana, Katie & I went to a Giants/Dodgers baseball game.

And that night, we all headed to Katie's house to watch fireworks from her roof. But things didn't work out as planned....

Bike Rides Summer '08

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Hayward) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 04:04:00 +0000

I've put together a Google map highlighting bike routes of summer '08. I bought my first real road bike a couple months ago and am now getting into it with the summer weather. Pederson my roommate is a biking semi-pro so he's going to keep me in line. We just got back from a 13.29 mile ride which is actually SHORT for a bike ride but it was so hilly I am beat. San Francisco's hills are killer.

View Larger Map

Sebas' BDay Video

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Hayward) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:29:00 +0000

My roomie Sebastian worked with our roommate/video producer extraordinaire Andrew to produce this video for his mother's birthday. Guess whose bedroom is featured in it? Yes, it would be mine.

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Hayward) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:05:00 +0000

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Hayward) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:37:00 +0000

I definitely had a spring slump on my blog and left my 2 to 3 loyal readers hanging out to dry. It's hard to summarize 3 months, so here's a top 4!, in no particular order.

1. Pederson (my roommate) made a cute video about our "family" a.k.a. the members of our apartment and Pederson's girlfriend. The footage is from our family trip to Mendocino, a tiny & beautiful coastal town 3 hours north of SF. It was a bit like Planet of the Apes; this impossibly quaint, yuppy-looking town but crawling with hippies who seemed to have locked away the natives. Pederson bought a video camera so he can tap into the video editing talents that have always been locked inside, crying for release. Anyway, here's the video:

2. Me, the roomies, and the other "kids" in my program went to China and Japan for a couple weeks. Me & the roomies also spent a few days chilling in Bangkok beforehand. Here is a shot of us jumping at the Forbidden City. I believe it's inspired by a series of photos in a national magazine (Time?) featuring well known figures jumping.

3. We have a water feature. Yes, a WATER FEATURE in our own backyard. It's one of those do-it-yourself ponds that you can build with a kit from Home Depot. It even has a waterfall, with a mostly invisible pump that takes water back to the top. We got a bunch of other plants, lights, patio furniture, and a fire pit for hosting garden parties a la Great Gatsby. Not quite that extravagant though, yet. Behold!

4. So this isn't really one of the 5 most interesting things that's happened to me recently but it's top of mind: tonight I was running and near the end I stepped onto a packet of BBQ sauce. It exploded all over my leg which made for an awkward last half mile. On the good side though, I have finally discovered a great 5 mile route that doesn't require me to climb mini-Everests that SF is all about. I like to do medium-distance runs but the hills aren't really my style for these. Going up into Haight, down through Castro, back into the eastern part of Mission and then back up near Dolores Park is definitely the way to go. The photo uploader thingie isn't working now so I will add the shot of my defiled leg, soon.

In other news, tomorrow begins same-sex marriage in California. At 5:01 pm Gavin Newsom, the mayor, will conduct the first and last marriage of the day, specially set up for two old school lesbian activists in their 80s It's neat to experience history, especially when it's good history. Not to be coastal-centric but with CA, MA, and essentially NY all in the bag, it's getting to be so that most of the gays are going to be marriage-enabled soon enough. My friend Talia (straight and Jewish) was telling her parents that gay marriage was starting Monday. Her dad's response: "Good, gay people deserve to have the same problems as us." Here's hoping so! :)

Adios for now.

Hawaii and LA, etc.

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Hayward) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:30:00 +0000

So I haven't yet written out the last 7 days of my Japan trip (such a chore, ya know? ) So let's imagine I did, and then movie on to Hawaii and other adventures, leaving off at the end of the Japan trip:

So after saying goodbye to Charlie’s host family in Kariya and then to Charlie in Nagoya, I hopped on my plane from Nagoya, Japan to Hawaii where I was to meet roommates Jeff and Sebastian. We all arrived on different flights (Jeff and Sebas came from separate flights out of SFO) and then met up for an inter-island flight to Kauai.

In Kauai, we had a generally leisurely time as there really wasn’t much to do during the day or night that didn’t involve some combination of sun, hot tubs, billiards, or alcohol. We went on a mini group hike near the Waimea Canyon (the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific”) and I went on my own 8-mile hike along a coastal trail which led to a beautiful 300-foot waterfall.

The first two nights we spent at the Sheraton Kauai, on the island’s south shore. This was a nice place, but we were dumbfounded when we arrived at the Princeville Resort for our last two nights. Set against the backdrop of mountains, set in a cliff and overlooking a secluded bay, the view of the entire scenery was like nothing I’ve seen before. Jeff had wanted us to stay here since it has one of the “five best sunsets in the world” (whatever that means) and it didn’t disappoint. Check the video here:

After relaxing at the Princeville, we flew back to Oahu for one night in Honolulu on Waikiki Beach. From what I’d heard I was expecting it to be more tacky, with mini golf courses and wax museums, but it wasn’t like that at all. We saw John Lovitz on the beach and heard his signature voice. The next morning we flew back to San Francisco and Hawaii was over.

Completing the month of travel craziness were a two-day Google product team trip to Tahoe and then a full company trip to Disneyland for the two days the following week. Google rented out the two Disney parks in Anaheim the second night that we were there, and good times were had by all. The crew and I also had flown down to LA and stayed in a hotel in Santa Monica the weekend before the trip officially began. It was the first time I spent any real time in LA (photos are all on facebook). Rucker gave us a tour of Beverly Hills mansions and then took us to his parents’ place in Beverly Hills (disclaimer: not a gawdy mansion!) We also explored the market on the Promenade in Santa Monica, ate at Tito’s Tacos, went out at at night in West Hollywood, and tourist-ed a bit of Sunset Boulevard. Being the cool kids we are, no trip anywhere can be complete without a trip to the local Google office so we made a few stops there. We also had some folks over to watch the Super Bowl in our suite, where most of us were pretty pumped that the Patriots lost. Tired of writing. THE END.

I since have had a few little trips to New York & Philly for business and also to see my old Glee Clubbers perform, but no travel for awhile now. SF is an amazing place, so I need to soak it in a bit more.

Tokyo travels Part 1 of 2

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Hayward) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:26:00 +0000

My brother Charlie pointed out to me that I haven’t blogged in a long, long time, so here we go with an update of the last two months or so. This is going to be rambling and not poetic, so deal!

Since I last posted, life is best described as a whirlwind of travel, online video, and….more travel. I spent the middle weekends of December in Lake Tahoe snowboarding, and went home to Western New York to see the family at Christmas-time. In early January, I spent New Year’s in San Francisco at a friend-of-a-friend’s swanky house party.

And THEN, not long after the New Year, I headed off on vacation on a ten day trip to Japan, where I spent a couple days at a cheap hostel ($25/night) and worked for a day or so out of Google’s Tokyo office in the Shibuya district (home of the famous intersection traversed by more people than at any other place in the world). On my second day, I employed the services of a “Tokyo free guide,” a benevolent student who was part of a service which took English-speaking tourists around the city to show them the sights. All they (unofficially) ask in return is that you pay for any meals, transportation, and tickets to any attractions that require a fee. Hiroto took me to the imperial palace, to the famous Asukusa temple and, our favorite, to karaoke. The first song I picked was “Superstar” by the Carpenters – apparently this struck a chord; it seems the Carpenters are big in Japan and so eventually I was specializing in these old hits.

Also while in Tokyo I met a fellow traveler staying at my hostel, a nice woman who is a lawyer for the EPA. We shared a common complete lack of knowledge of Japanese, and first bonded over our inability to order, or say please or thank you at a noodle bar near our hostel. We met each other a couple times, including going to the Tsujiki fish market for breakfast sushi one morning, and going to a pub known for having many local beers. We also got lost together in this last endeavour which I think must be a Tokyo tradition – most of the streets don’t have names.

On the last day of my stay in Tokyo, I was a total cornball and went to the Tokyo DisneySea park which is next to Tokyo Disneyland and also the ocean. Having been raised on the Disney parks, I’ve always wanted to visit DisneySea, since it’s supposed to have original rides and, as Disney spent over $4 billion dollars on it, it was supposed to be beautiful. Since the Tokyo Disney resort is supposed to be a favorite pastime of Tokyoites, I figured I was actually making by Japan trip more authentic by visiting Disney.

After Tokyo, I had made plans to visit my Japanese-American friend Mana in Osaka, several hundred miles southwest of Tokyo. Mana and I were in the same senior society at Penn and she has been studying in Osaka since the summer, having received a Fulbright scholarship. In my usual fashion, I hadn’t actually reserved the bus ticket which would take me overnight from Tokyo to Osaka, and so had to scramble at the last minute to find a train which would take me. Since I wasn’t in the mood to spend hundreds of dollars on the journey, I eventually found a train which would take me for less than $100 – I just had to make three transfers over the course of 9 hours. It actually didn’t turn out to be so bad.

When I arrived in Osaka, Mana turned out to be a gracious host. She had planned for the fact that I would want to take a shower before doing our exploring for the day. I was a bit taken aback, though, when she said, “You’ll probably want to take a shower – we’ll go to the internet café.”Apparently that’s not a non-sequitur in Japan. So off we went to the closest internet café where you pay by the hour for a couch, a computer and/or game system, and use of the facilities, including showers. You also get to drink all of the soda that you want. Not bad for about $4 an hour. Mana told me that the internet cafes are good places to spend the night if you miss the last train; you just rent one of the cubicles with a couch in it and spend your night there.

There are 7 days of tales to tell! In an installment soon to come we'll discuss adventures with Mana and the Fulbrighters in Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, and Kobe, and then a couple days with my brother and his native host family near Toyota City (where Toyota headquarters is!) Coming soon, promises.

A little preview of things to come:

A Very Quick Hello from Tokyo

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Hayward) — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 06:41:00 +0000

Apologies for my lack of enthusiasm :) And yes I know I need to shave and pull myself together. I have good tales to tell, not the least of which is my prison cell of a hostel room. It's pretty sweet, though. Check it...

Arigato!

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Hayward) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 05:28:00 +0000

Tomorrow I am leaving for Japan.

I could say I'm excited, but I haven't really thought about it. I think it will hit me when I'm getting on the plane to Japan that I'm actually going to Japan.

Today I went "shopping" at the hardware depot at work and picked up a bunch of "necessities" for international travel. I had no idea some of this stuff existed: an adapter that lets you plug into planes and cabs, and has about 10 different plugs to let you charge everything from your ipod to your camera; a 150-country international plug-in adapter, and, my favorite, the webcam so I can video blog from anywhere. Pretty sweet. I also signed up for this service through work which lets me connect to any wireless service anywhere in the world for free. Ridiculous! Who knew?

I am staying at the cheapest place imaginable ($25) in a hostel targeted toward English-language travelers, in a supposedly ridiculously expensive city. I plan to be a really crunchy hippie (except for the smell and the clothes) and just sort of wander around for a few days. I will be happy to soak in the culture and see how funky the McDonalds and electronics markets are. I'm also hoping to get some hiking in but the weather's a bit chilly (around the low 50s) so we'll see about that. As long as it's not tsunami-ing, I think I can make it work.

I don't really have an itinerary. All I have is that hostel booked in Tokyo for 3 nights, but I have 8 nights in Japan overall. I am also working for two days out of the Google office, where I can also always visit for a free meal. It will be my soup kitchen of sorts. In a strange coincidence I will be meeting roommate Jeff and his friend Peter who are stopping in Tokyo for 22 hours as part of a whirlwind world tour. Crazy, I know.

Other likely ports of call for my travels outside of Tokyo include:

- Meeting my friend Mana who is doing a Fulbright in Osaka
- Going to Nagoya where my brother is staying with his host family nearby (he is doing a winter term studying something about Japanese samurai culture - I could be completely wrong about that)
- I also want to go to Kyoto - not sure exactly why but I've heard it's good

Also, the ultimate cheesy thing that I'm definitely doing is going to Tokyo DisneySea with my brother Charlie. We were raised on Disney Parks, and we figure we'll embrace it since this park is supposed to have some decent rides and looks cool. This is a newer park that hasn't been replicated at any of the other Disney resorts.

In general, I plan to be incredibly cheap and live off street markets and hole in the wall restaurants. I don't plan on spending too much, since I have to meet my extravagant roommates in Hawaii for a weekend after Japan :) There we are staying at the Princeville Resort in Princeville. The sunset view from the hotel, according to roommate Jeff, is one of the five best in the world. It's on a cliff overlooking the ocean, ostensibly facing west, so it should be good times.

I really have no idea what to expect in Japan, but I will have my plane ticket, a few little maps, a rented cell phone, and my charming personality (HA!) Should do fine.

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Hayward) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 05:28:00 +0000

My Mom = Satanic Destroyer of Wool Sweaters

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Hayward) — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 06:55:00 +0000

Today I was fazed like I have not been in recent memory.

I discovered that my mom had destroyed yet another one of my wool sweaters. I could barely move.

Throughout high school, my mom had engaged in a sick ritual of purchasing me these fine garments from establishments such as Banana Republic and Gap, teasing me for a short time with their prickly, warm goodness, only to soon take it all away with a simple toss into the washing machine.

Why, Mom, why?

My mom is only in her early 40s, so she doesn't have grandmotherly experience as yet, but I think this should be a basic life skill: pee in the toilet, use utensils to eat, don't throw wool in the washer or dryer.

For the love of God.

In high school, I eventually forbade my mom from ever touching my laundry because she seemed to find every way to destroy my belongings: exploding pens, red shirts bleeding onto whites, suit pants put through the dryer, the inevitable shrinkings. I know she just wants to do something nice for me, but it would be like me taking her car out for a wash and then slashing every single one of the tires. And then I would do it again.

When I discovered the heinously deformed sweater hanging in the bathroom, I immediately texted her, "I see you pulled a classic on my sweater." She was trying to hide her deed from me, thinking she could somehow stretch it back from its dwarfish coil, leaving me to never know the difference. Impossible.

She responded, "I am so sorry."

To this I responded, "It's fine. I can buy another one. I just want you to repeat 10 times in your head that you never ever ever ever wash wool. Seriously never - no exceptions. Never."

I love my mom, but with textiles she is never to be trusted. Never.

Snowboarding revival

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Hayward) — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 04:52:00 +0000

The last couple weekends I've gone up to Tahoe with some friends and rekindled the snowboarding spirit. I hadn't gone since I was a high school freshman so I didn't have high hopes, BUT I turned out to be better than I had been way back when. My next goal is to work on connecting my turns and getting more comfortable on my toe side. I also went ice skating for the first time in a long long time and I had to be pulled around the rink for a couple minutes before I remembered how to do that. I got a little cocky eventually and fell but the bruises have pretty much gone away.

A shot of last weekend's cabin in the Tahoe woods:

I also tried out curling, the rage sport of the last couple winter Olympics. It's a Canadian-dominated sport in which you essentially hurl a rock down the ice, trying to get it into a target, while your teammates use brushes to heat the ice and guide the rock. It's a lot like bocce ball in the scoring.

Here's an action shot:

Jeff & Sebastian's Jam session

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Hayward) — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 04:49:00 +0000

My roommates rock out with a guitar and clarinet after a late night out. I giggle in the background.

Free drinks and steep sporting discounts

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Hayward) — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 02:32:00 +0000

Continued rad-ness from the Goog:

Holiday Happy Hour Shopping Night

Looking for the perfect holiday gift ideas this season? You're in luck, from fleece wear to cycling gear, snowboards to yoga mats, Sports Basement has something for everyone on your list. You will receive a special 20% discount on everything in the store, and you can munch on goodies and sip complimentary drinks (including beer and wine!) while you shop. If you've never been to Sports Basement , they have all the gear you need for snowboarding, skiing, camping, hiking, biking, running, and everything else outdoors. Remember, all the top brands are at basement prices, 30-60% off retail, so you'll have money leftover for yourself.

* What: Happy Hour Shopping Night at Sports Basement
* When: Friday, December 7th 6:00-9:00pm
* Where: 610 Mason St (across from Crissy Field) San Francisco, CA 94129
* RSVP: Justin at 415-437-0100 x7126 or jstekoll@sportsbasement.com

Enchanted

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Hayward) — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 02:57:00 +0000

Just saw "Enchanted." Aside from bias toward all things cheesy to begin with, this was really good. Rotten Tomatoes gave it 93% and I agree. Best money quote to live by - "learn to destroy the evil queen within."

My brother's Japanese YouTube sensation

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Hayward) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 06:23:00 +0000

Latest film reviews

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Hayward) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 05:32:00 +0000

So I have some movie reviews. I definitely don't pretend to have any groundbreaking opinions :) BUT it's nice to write down your thoughts so the movie doesn't just fade into oblivion.

No Country for Old Men - I was bored at times but major pts. for being completely unformulaic and keeping you in suspense without terrifying you (which I don't like). What I liked about it most was that it felt like a western, black comedy, and a horror flick all at the same time.

Into the Wild - Definitely under-marketed; it challenges the way you think about success, etc. Changed my life for at least a week and helped me decide to go back to vegetarian (it's holding up still - more or les). I think I heard the book was better, which is always the case.

Michael Clayton = overrated Bourne Supremacy 4, with a less compelling plot. Michael Clayton
(insert Jason Bourne) finds that the structure which has created him is corrupt and it, in turn, attempts to destroy him when he tries to get out of it and/or fight against it. Definitely not a waste of an evening, but a little disappointing.

Ratatouille (now on DVD) - it really was the best movie I saw this year. The Pixar people (based over the bay in Emeryville btw) are in their own league. The graphics were incredible and the rat - so smart.

Lower Haight-ers

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Hayward) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 05:09:00 +0000

Over the weekend Sebas, Andrew and I made friends with some new folks on lower Haight Street and realized that we have friends who can provide us with all of life's essentials:

Food: Zara "I want my garden, you bastards" the Barista and Tricia "If I find a $.25 chess timer, I'll buy it for you" the younger Barista. They work at Cafe International, hipster cafe, site of Pierre & Karlo's first performance, providers of a chess board, and servers of a mean Mediterranean special. Great Saturday night music and personality.

Drink: Terry the bartendress. She and I got off to a bad start when I accidentally left the $5 instead of the $1 as a tip and had to ask her for it back, since it wasnt my money ; \ But she's since forgotten who I am, and so things are good. She gives us quarters whenever we want to play pool, and the draughts are pretty good at Mad Dog in the Fog.

Clothing: "The two guys" whose names we don't know are super chill workers at D-Structure. They "express art" through their clothes which are very reasonably priced and they also sell incredibly painted skis. I signed up for their mailing and events list so I can be cool like them.

Shelter: Theodore "you can call me Teddy" is the most classic of these characters. In his suspenders and never-ending smile, he buffs and peddles second-hand antique furniture like no other. Sebas is also currently commissioning a painting from him - he let us know that he's added birds flying above the dancers. We're visiting his apartment next week....

Shout-outs to everything else: Walgreen's - where would we be without your locked up toothbrushes? Squat and Gobble - best Saturday "breakfast" ever. The Grille - Squat and Gobble squats on you all day. Mythic Pizza - love you. Volcano Pizza - vom. Ali Baba's Cave - your fatty, fatty lamb makes me gag sometimes but yet I keep coming back. Rotee - We still don't whether that guy sitting at that table next to us was an over-gregarious waiter or an old friend, but we love your food. Why doesn't rice come with your meals, though? A little cheap, Rotee. A little cheap. Whole Foods - What the f*ck?? You're not a Whole Foods!! The lies.... Safeway - Gayest place to buy apples ever. Oil lady - Body oil shop on Lower Haight. Enough said.

Hint-hint to my New York / DC / LA friends

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Hayward) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 05:06:00 +0000

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noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Hayward) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 17:17:00 +0000

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Tahoe & V-units (and welcome, Feedburner-y guests)

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Hayward) — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 02:06:00 +0000

"Ugh, why would you go to Tahoe now?" That's what the naysayers said. As if the great outdoors, mountains, and a little R&R weren't more than enough to make up for a lack of snow for skiing. Anyway, great times were had at the Squaw Valley Lodge near Lake Tahoe. We got a one-bedroom condo for cheap, boated on the lake, and I made my dad's famous shrimp scampi as we cozied by our fireplace. Roommate Andrew learned that the word "ay" is the archaic spelling for "aye" and is acceptable in Scrabble. No hard feelings after he called me a cheater.

In OTHER news, AdSense video units launched today!! Woo hoo! My marketing baby over the last few months, you can see its splendor here. Note how it's delivering San-Francisco themed content to my San Francisco-themed blog. What relevant targeting :)

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

October 1

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Hayward) — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 03:25:00 +0000

In the news, Sebastian and I started up our band, "Pierre and Karlo," and performed our original singles, "All I wanted was a garden" and "My Valentine" at Cafe International on Haight St. We attracted a crowd of 15 or so co-workers, in addition to the folks hanging out for the open mic. Regular audience members shook our hands and remarked how "different" we were. Our unique blend of emo/rock/jazz and soul was a clear departure from the usual acoustic rambling that is common to open mics. Yeah, we're modest :) We haven't rehearsed in awhile but Sebastian has a new chord progression that is promising.

On the domestic front, we got a couch and other furniture, which we knew would make our lives better. I also devoted a good amount of time to getting my IKEA bed and dresser set up. I was pretty proud of single-handedly putting together Hemnes the dresser, even if it took 4 hours. We also won a budget from our landlords to landscape our garden, so we bought some plants, raked like crazy, and put things into much better shape. We got things decent just in time for our housewarming party which was low-key affair, complete with Sebastian's new hookah named "Stargate."

In travel news, I was on the East Coast for about ten days recruiting at Penn & Yale, and also attending a conference in New York. I determined that that would be the last time I fly without the appropriate drugs to knock me unconscious (besides the cocktails). It was great to see a bunch of friends and to feel young again :) at Penn, but I found it incredibly disorienting to basically stop your life for a week an a half and to anonymously hop across the country. I also flew home to my parents' home in Rochester for two days. It was nice to see them and the little brother, but it was a bit of a culture shock of being back where there are no sounds at night and corn fields around my house.

Anyway, getting back into the swing of things. Bye!

Just a test

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Hayward) — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 03:11:00 +0000

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Our new apartment

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Hayward) — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 04:57:00 +0000

We love our new place. It has nice entry way lighting.

It is also nice to have a bed. My new mattress and box spring arrived today. This is my first queen size bed.

The entry way, with our new entry way table for mail-holding.

The bathroom is a nice place to be.

We have a long hall way, perfect for my new scooter which I found at a local garage sale.

The kitchen has many cabinets, a dish washer and a refrigerator. Too bad we don't have food around the house.

Our living room has a friendly non-functional fireplace. We need a couch to replace the poker table.

Our empty wine bottle collection begins to span the room's trim.

The End.

Six sevenths of a week

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Hayward) — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 05:17:00 +0000

I feel like I just ended a 7-day weekend. It all started on Friday night when my friend Kenny was in town from my hometown LeRoy, NY. We dined in Japantown (my first time getting a real dinner there even though I live two blocks away) and then headed to former roommate Pete's housewarming party. It was great to see several other Penn people who are working for various companies in San Francisco. After that, I took Kenny out to a club in Castro where he was exposed to some novel sights and sounds.

Tired from Friday, Saturday was a conquest of adversity. It was time to sign our lease for our sweet, sweet new place near Alamo Square (read: Full House opening credits). Only problem: third roommate Sebastian has been MIA (we know he is "in England") and sent his portion of the deposit to us too late so that we didn't have it in time for the signing. Andrew and I thus had a wonderful time scrapping for an extra $2000 out of our already-depleted checking accounts and credit cards. Good times. In the end, though, it all worked out and we are moving into our new place tomorrow.

Fresh off this achievement, I had dinner plans for Saturday night. Based on a recommendation from Katie Barnett (who is a native SF-ian, currently in New York for I-Banker training), UCSF Michael and I went to Guaymas, a beautiful Mexican place on the bay in Tiburon. The little town is like Disneyland, except probably even slightly more expensive to spend a day in. I highly recommend the view at night from the bayside walkway; the sky was clear, except for the fog rolling in over SF in the distance, casting a purple-pink hue. Nice.

After Saturday night, it was an early morning flight to New York . Luckily, teammate Dan was accompanying me and made fun of me as I prepared for impending doom (I really need a Xanax subscription for flying, now. Right now). Surprisingly, as usual, we survived, and my flight was made pleasant by a DirecTV exclusive showing of Pussycat Dolls. Anything to take my mind off of a fiery doom, I guess.

New York was a good time, as usual, and the Google office was very hip and the food: awesome. Tuesday morning, when it was time to leave, New York was under attack from torrential downpours, which of course essentially paralyzes the city. No cabbies were available, and when I finally found one he wouldn't take me to JFK. I think it's because he knew he could make more money carting wet people around Manhattan than taking me to JFK. Simple volume v. margin = my victimhood. Long story short, I missed my flight, but was able to catch a flight to Oakland a few hours later which got me back at 7:30, just in time to get me to AVENUE Q in San Francisco! "Go!" I said to the towncar driver, "I must see the singing puppets!" That didn't really happen, but the show was damn good and I was happy to be able to get value from my ticket.

The last exciting tidbit was that YouTube in-video ads launched today. Woohoo! Love those ad formats. Makes me want to YouTube all day.....which leads to:

USER GENERATED CONTENT OF THE DAY!!! I already posted this on my facebook profile, but here it is again: my teammate Eva Woo became afflicted with a rare eye problem called "dry eye" which was driving her nearly blind. Local news station KTVU came in for a piece on Eva and took some shots of our team. Notice the shot of the pug dog eating my Grandma's cookies which had been shipped all the way from Western New York state. (Grandma has been shipping these to me since freshman year of college.)