Love? Thy Neighbor

As usual, I'm taking in my daily dose of absorbing useless information online. It gets me first round selection at trivia games and keeps me busy on Facebook movie quizzes. But this power must be harnessed and not abused. However, this is not to say that offers of food and/or money will be immediately refused.

While perusing SFGate.com tonight, I came across an article on a website that enables frustrated folks to air their gripes (anonymous postings are accepted) about their not-so-pleasant living experiences at rottenneighbor.com.

In the 2 years we've lived here, we have a neighbor that fits that description to a tee. Slamming car hoods at 1 a.m., visitors who park and/or block other neighbors' driveways, dog howling, persistent but futile attempts to start cars. Visually, the house is a major eyesore.

I haven't placed a posting yet, but I might find myself doing so immediately upon finishing this blog entry. Grrr...the car door(s) just slammed for the fourth and fifth time in less than 10 minutes.

In the heat of the night

This past week we had the third heat wave in San Francisco in a little over a month. For me, this was the worst because it lasted almost 3 days. Hot days are usually, at most, 1 to 2 days.

Thursday night (6/19) I showered at the gym and again after I got home. It turned out not to be a good idea as it left my skin primed for ravenous mosquitoes. As it was last month, I ended up with at least a dozen bites on my arms and ankles. I slept probably all of 3 hours that night.

Friday night (6/20), was even worse. Evening breeze was non-existent. At 9:30 p.m., it was still 81 degrees outside. I was still sweating and decided to head to Crepevine to pick up a salad for a late dinner. I didn't eat the salad until at least 10 p.m. Because of Thursday's mosquito rampage, I decided not to shower. I wiped myself down with a cold towel and then sprayed insect repellent to ward off any further damage from the mosquitoes.

Yesterday morning (6/21), I pulled up all but one of the blinds in the living and dining rooms to keep out the sun. The only window blind left open was to accomodate a screen for ventilation. It was also my lookout for any incoming ocean breezes. I must have looked out every half-hour to see if fog was on the distant horizon. The ocean breezes started to pickup at about 11 a.m. Relief was in sight.

This morning, my old buddy Mr. Fog returned. Turned off the fans and closed the windows. My standard lounge attire of sweats, long sleeves and slippers cheerfully worn again. Che and Jawa no longer splayed across the rug.

Back to a typical summer day in San Francisco!

A blast from the past

Today on my way home from work, I had to do a double take to make sure my contact lenses hadn't been inserted inside out. As I was approaching the exit at 19th Avenue/Highway 1 from 280, a Chevy Chevette appeared in the lane to the right of me.

Pardon my car's dashboard hogging the bottom of the screen. It's not easy snapping a picture while making sure I was maintaining my speed in the fast lane (yes, I was over 65 mph).

I haven't seen a Chevette in probably 20 years. Model year is likely from the mid to late 70's. I'm not sure if the owner drives this car full time, but it did appear to be in decent shape repainted in the color seen. This wouldn't be a car I'd necessarily want to preserve, so it's my guess it possesses some sort of sentimental value.

The pathetic part is that I would have been of driving age when the car first came out. Ouch.

My Andy Warhol moment

If any of you read my Twitter postings late last week, KPIX (CBS-5) contacted me to be interviewed for "Eye on the Bay", a local newsmagazine. They found me when they entered "fog blog" into Google. My blog came up first in the search results. They were looking for bloggers who live and/or write about fog in San Francisco.

The interview took about an hour to complete. They had me read some of my recent Twitter postings, took shots of me typing on my laptop, and actually had me walk on 9th Avenue and Kirkham Street to answer a few questions about my thoughts on fog.

I apologize if this posting sounds a bit vague and distant. But as I'm finding my blog has reached a lot more people than I would have ever imagined, I need to omit certain details to preserve the privacy of others, including my own. I have always been a very open person, but I also know these days I have to watch what I say. It's easier to withhold rather than retract.

The segment is due to air sometime in the fall. It's very likely to be a short segment, so don't plan on getting too excited. I've never seen myself on TV, and I'm already worried I'll look fat. On HD. I'll keep you posted.

Situation normal

This past week, we had another warm spell. Not like it was last month where temperatures in San Francisco reached record highs in the mid 90's. But for a longtime fog resident (11 years in the Sunset & 14 years in the Richmond district), this was uncomfortable.

The picture of the lovely fog returning was taken on my way (Portola Drive) to work this morning. As I said on Twitter this morning, a welcome sight for my sore eyes.

SF Bay Area's microclimates

As we reach summer here in the San Francisco Bay Area, the temperature ranges are at their most extreme. Today, the temperature in San Mateo was 20 degrees warmer than San Francisco. A year or two ago, I blogged about my commute home and detailed the temperature readings. I've lived here for almost 25 years and still find this fascinates me.

Even in San Rafael, the largest town in Marin county, has major temperature ranges. Whenever we head to the Tretakoffs, it can 5 to 8 degrees warmer from where we exit (Central San Rafael) compared to when we reach their house (near McNear's Beach).

Today's commute home (temperature readings from my car's thermometer):

• Leave the office in San Mateo (near Hillsdale Blvd.) at 5:05 p.m. Car thermometer reading: 83 degrees.
• Head north on Highway 101 (not "the 101". We are NOT in L.A.). Temperature at 3rd Street Exit: 85 degrees.
• Another 3 miles north, now in Burlingame. Temperature: 80 degrees.
• Two miles more, in Millbrae: 77 degrees.
• Now at the San Francisco International Airport exit. Temperature is now 72 degrees.
• Now on Highway 380 heading to 280 in San Bruno: 67 degrees.
• Drive about 8 miles until I reach the 19th Avenue/Highway 1 exit: 63 degrees.

Many times once I reach 380, the fog kicks in full force. The sun disappears and the cold air is blowing strongly. I like my fog. Today it cooled off, but no fog.