Look Closely

I was at the Apple store with Jesse and this guy was walking around and checking out some of the computers. What in the picture does not belong?

New and Old

On the Left - Boston Clam Chowder
On the Right - Anchor Steam Draft

A little Boston mixed with a little San Francisco

This was my "celebration" gift of a meal to myself after recieving a job offer, which I subsequently declined due to ethical considerations.

Eerily Similar

Again on the topic of Trader Joe's and Wine. I saw this wine on the shelf and it reminded me of a certain first batch of beer I made over Christmas break. Maybe this is the California version of the Massachusetts happiness I brewed.



I apologize for it being blurry. The top picture here is the wine - Project Happiness Syrah


This was batch one last Christmas.

J.W. Morris

Those in my immediate family will appreciate this the most, however, I am sure many others can figure out at least the most basic level of why this wine is so Awesome. All of the reasons are listed below the pictures.


1. JW Morris almost equals WJ Morris - my name, my dad's name, and my grandfather's
2. This wine was purchased from Trader Joes
3. Unlike Massachusetts, California allows TJ's to be awesome like that
4. The wine ranges from being decent to very good - not a bad one yet
4. The wine is from California
5. It's $2.99 a bottle

SF Giants v. CO Rockies

The other night Jesse, Mike, Jeff and I went to a Giants game at AT&T park down along the water of the bay. We showed up a little late but caught most of the game. Afterward we went to a bar called "The 21st Amendment." The have a beer they call "Watermelon Wheat" and that's exactly what it is. I had their IPA, which was pretty good.

Ocean Beach

I have returned to "Ocean Beach" several times in the last few weeks. It is the beach where I attended the bonfire. I've spent a fair bit of time sitting on the beach reading, or just walking for a few miles up and down the beach in thought. It's a little bit of a hike to get out to the beach, but it has developed into a location of tranquility and rejuvenation. I've had a few slight revelations there.

Night of Painting

Jeff, Mike and I had a night of painting out on the balcony. This is what I ended up with. I really like it except for the lighthouse. Doesn't quite fit.

Ocean Beach and PArk Chalet brewery

Last night I went to a bonfire on the beach with City Church, the church I have been attending since I've arrived. It was fairly cold and windy, but the locals said it was nothing. Granted, they weren't wearing shorts like I was. I met a guy named Chris and we went across the road to a restaurant and brewery. There was live music, and it was the first live music I have had since Pittsburgh. I was going through withdrawl and they were awesome.

Coit Tower

There is a tower near downtown called Coit tower. It was going to cost $5 to go to the top, so I didn't. However, the views are very nice and the grounds around the tower were gorgeous as well.

Sam's Cafe

Mike and I went up to Tiburon this last Wednesday afternoon to see the area and get dinner. We asked around for a restaurant on the water and were sent here. Upon parking, we saw a sign for a free wine tasting with Windsor winery. Then we went to Sam's. When you first walk in, it feels like a bar. There is a bar, there is liquor behind the bar, there are barstools, etc. When you walk through the "bar" you go out to a back deck on the water. You can actually sail up to it, tie off your boat, eat, and sail away. The only downside of being on the water is the seagulls. The waiter gave us a large cloth napkin with the warning that we may need to toss it over our food if one of the seagulls divebombed our table.

I make the point about the bar beacause they don't have anything on draft. It was weird.

The windiest road

San Francisco's windiest road is often featured in magazines and in classic black and white photos.





the squeaking is an old jeep wagoner behind me with an old and grumpy lady that lives on the hill, she honked trying to get people to go down faster.

Apologies again

I apologize again for the delay in posting. The last week has been somewhat uneventful, and yet - full. The most recent post tells about my trip to Mcnears beach. Unfortunately, there was poison oak at the beach, which I had no idea about. I have been under full on poison oak attack for the last 10 days. I have been to the doctor twice for shots and medicine, and still it continues to spread. Right now it is 6 am here, and I am writing because I have yet to fall asleep due to incurable itching and nervousness induced by the large quantities of cortisone in my system. The doctor gave me a shot today that he said "would easily take care of a 6'3'' - 270 pound man." He also warned me I wouldn't be able to sleep. I thought he was joking.

I went down to Santa Clara last night for dinner with Jeff at Chris Andrew's apartment. Chris is a gcc entrepreneurship grad like me.

The next few posts will be recaps of what I've failed to put up this week.

Mcnears Beach

Closeup of a jellyfish and the rocks stuck to it. Makes an awesome background for the computer.


Mike and I went for an adventure up north past Sausalito. We saw what looked like a pendant hanging from a root way up on a cliff. It took about an hour to get it since it was in such a precarious spot, and once we got it we realized that it was a very large weight for deep water fishing. It had about 4 hooks on it as well. There were hundreds of dead jellyfish along the shore. We "caught" what we think was once a stingray.

Rite Aid

You won't find this in a PA RiteAid

George Lucas

Some people say that the container cranes here in the bay were the inspiration for George Lucas' ATC's in Star Wars

Sonoma Valley Wine Tastings

We went to several wineries, starting at 10:30am and ending around 4.



Paninis for lunch


This is a fermentation cave. It's a place that they can ferment the wine at proper temperatures which are achieved naturally. This is at the Gundlach Bundschu winery.