Week One Under the Belt!

A million zillion more to go.... I've had a great week but at the end I was EXHAUSTED. I had to take the BART back to Millbrae to pick up my car and cousin so he could help me move to my new place at the Oasis Hotel a couple blocks up from the Red Roach.

We moved and then had dinner at a place called Max's Opera. A Fabulous meal that was Hot, Fresh, and I had Finally had a Grey Goose Martini UP!!! (with olives) Yes, Joey it IS good!

We walked back to the hotel in the dark with the fog carefully shrouding the City Hall building in lights. It was really quite the sight. So eerily beautiful.

I wallowed in bed Saturday morning Because I Could. I am muscle sore and hand slashed. I need some 2 days to try to heal. I lugged my laundry a few blocks to a washeteria/laundramat for the afternoon, grabbed a Philly cheesesteak sandwich and went back to the room to unpack. I had to be at Pier 33 at 4pm where the culinary school was treating students to a night tour of Alcatraz!

We arrived at the end of the day and the closer we got to the island the foggier it got. When we arrived the island and buildings were draped with a fine mist of traveling fog. It was sooooo COOL (and litterally cool to about 54 degrees). It was the first time in about 4 years that I was able to wear this big oversized turtle neck sweater AND my heavy jacket at the SAME time!!!

It was cold. I saw the cells and the whole place was lit with little naked bulbs just like it would have been back in the day. I even walked into a place for bad characters called "the Hole". They kept prisoners in there w/o lights for a few days and up to years depending on their offenses. Unimaginable.

Today was another sleep in day. At 10ish I wandered outside to hunt and forage for food product. I landed, through shear desperation [I am a chef afterall] at some idiotic place that had golden arches like you were entering heaven. More like hell after eating the bkfst egg and sausage meal. Yuck. I have vowed not to revisit this horror again.

I saw a guy who was overdosing from Sat. night at the corner while I was eating my imaginary delicious breakfast. Seriously. What a depressing site. He was a good looking, fit, well dressed fellow but was completely going into overdose shock. Finally the Fire Dept and Ambulance came and took him away. I can't understand why he'd do that to himself. It was really sad.

I studied all day, took a nap, and went to forage for more edibles. I went to a corner market (?) that was smartly decorated with iron bars. Clever decorating indeed. Inside I found an edible avocado and a frozen low cal meal of compostable food and liquid grape juice with a dash of alcohol. Oh the joys of going to culinary school!

That covers my first weekend. Light candles in church for me. Even if you aren't catholic!