Ren's Footprints

Here on the Mendocino coast I have seen at least fifteen separate whales, and it was all on one walk at Van Damme State Park. When I get to a higher speed connection, I will upload more pictures, and video that I was able to shoot. It was so beautiful, I can't wait to share more!

To begin, dial-up internet is the pits! My blog entries, for a few days, will not be as carefully laid out because it is tedious enough just accessing Blogger's blog editor with these slow speeds. I have my browser not loading images, and am using the text only, cell phone version of Yahoo Mail. I really recommend the cell phone version of Yahoo Mail if you ever have to use dial-up, it caters to low speed connections very well! The address is http://m.yahoo.com, and your computer can access it!

Anyway, I am hoping to slowly keep my journal going in chronological order, and it seems that I still have stuff to talk about from December.
On the 2oth, I got to see my Dad, and his wonderful bride, Jane, for the first time since they married in Hawaii earlier in December. Between 2006 and 2008, my immediate family has added three unique, kind, and fun individuals by marriage. I am sure it is only a matter of time before the stork brings one of my sisters a delivery of some sort, but there's no need to rush ;)

The following day Miho and I drove to Truckee, and for the first time in my life, I had to put chains on a car. Snow was falling on Donner Pass just enough to force Caltrans to require chains, which was a real inconvenience to me. For those of you who don't know, putting chains is a cold, wet, dirty job. I somehow managed to mess up three times before getting the chains on and being able to continue up the interstate. I even had them on backwards at one point even though I was reading the instructions step-by-step! It was frustrating, but a good learning experience. To be honest, the instructions are not well written!

What an epic day yesterday was at San Francisco's Ocean Beach. It was warm, there was a slight breeze, and the sun was bright. Myself, and the couple that shares our basement, Charlie and Jamie, cooked some sausages on the shore, and complimented them with cherries, chips, and Heineken. I used the camp-stove that has been in my family my whole life, and is still running well. I joked with my friends that I have eaten as many meals outdoors as I have indoors!
For a while I just gazed out at the sea and let the rays of sun trick me into thinking it was July. I looked closely for whales, because I saw one just over a week ago, unfortunately I didn't see any this time.

A foreign tourist in American flag shorts, and a Venice Beach t-shirt walked with his friends past me at one point. I wonder which beach he liked more, and which one had better weather?
The unseasonably warm, rainless weather can be fun, but I think we are due for some precipitation! This is definitely the first day in my life I have gotten sunburned at the beach, and watched the NFL playoffs in the same day.

Miho flew in from Tokyo on the 10th of December, just a couple days after turning in her graduation theses back in Tokyo. I had anticipated her arrival ever since she had to go back to school in September. Unfortunately for her, she arrived right when I was my busiest with school (which honestly wasn't terribly busy). One of my classes I almost stopped attending all together, and just did the online materials, which was the most important thing. My Japanese literature class was tough, and the teacher was very strict, in my opinion. We were reading short stories from the late 1800's to the early 1900's, which were sometimes difficult to understand, and almost impossible to write about analytically.

Classes ended on December 18th, and I could finally be free of sitting through lectures, something I have grown tired of, doing it since September 1990! I had anticipated getting out of school very much, I was just through with it! It really started to hit me in Japan, actually. My second semester in Tokyo, from April to July, was like torture, even though I loved Waseda University and had many great friends there. I simply had "senioritis", just like I had in my last semester of high school. In the end, my grades this semester were A-, B+, and C (the C was from the literature class). This puts my all-college GPA at 3.20, and my SFSU GPA at 3.07. I have completed my Bachelor's in Japanese and my minor in International Relations! I am hoping to find work using my Japanese Bachelor, but I will take anything I can get right now. I might get a month of work for a month on the set of a movie being shot in Carmel. I will keep you posted!


When Miho wasn't helping me with my homework, we managed to find some fun stuff to do. We finally went to Fort Funston, a coastal park in the south-west corner of the city where many people walk their dogs. The rough, raw power of the Pacific Ocean in the San Francisco is something I love very much. It is what makes hiking around at places like Fort Funston so worth it. There landscape can almost be described as sand dunes. It is quite a unique spot, and I highly recommend it, especially if you like dogs, because there are many!

We spent a few different days soaking in the holiday cheer to be found in the Fisherman's Wharf and Downtown areas. I saw Disney's Bolt in 3D, which was my first time to watch a 3D movie. I also granted one of Miho's wishes to see the city from Twin Peaks at night. It was as beautiful, and cold as one could expect. I love how you can easily distinguish Market Street as it goes from the Castro, past downtown, all the way to the bay.




The only real end of semester celebrating I did was with a couple of classmates of mine who I worked together with on a lot of projects last semester, and two who I studied in Tokyo with, Alex and Davida. We went to the Park Chalet brewery and ate and drank for a few hours. I haven't seen them since the semester ended, but I hope we can hang out again soon! I know that Alex is back in Tokyo already. He is going to go to grad school at Waseda University.


Davida, Miho, and I went to the newly renovated museum and aquarium in Golden Gate Park, which I think is called the California Academy of Science. We went on the one free day of the month, as opposed to paying $75 for the three of us on any other day. It was pretty crowded when we got there around 10:30, and by the time we left around 2, there was a two hour wait to get it. Obviously, this is because it was the free day. Anyway, the museum and aquarium are incredible! It is the perfect place to take kids, adults, friends, and family. It is incredibly modern, and is the "greenest museum in the world." The cafeteria looked like it had excellent food too!
After that we took the leisurely trail in Lincoln Park. This trail offers some of the most beautiful views in the Bay Area, and it is never crowded. One time my dad and I were walking on this trail and went down to a beach where we saw a woman on a very dangerous looking rock surrounded by water who was just sitting there hugging her knees. We ended up calling 911 because we both thought she was suicidal.

This reminds me of back in November when I was making a long bus transfer by foot through a neighborhood and I look ahead one block and see an old man fall really, really hard. I was the only one around so I called 911 because I was sure he was injured. He was in the middle of an intersection too, so it was dangerous. I was told that an ambulance was sent, but it didn't come for the twenty minutes I was there. The man started to seem alright, but he couldn't communicate with my because he only spoke Spanish. Some high school aged kids came and helped me and we stood him up because he wanted to go home and then he fell again, hitting his head really hard! He kept telling me "No telephono", and finally revealed a Coca Cola bottle from his jacket which looked like it had liquor in it. I couldn't smell liquor on him, but I was sure he was hurt. Finally, one of the man's neighbors came and notified his family who came and picked him up. Oh ya, this was on the way to another free concert in Golden Gate park which was a real let-down. It was supposed to be Mos Def, backed by a symphony, but it was just him and a DJ and the show was really short.



Another night we went to watch the illuminated yacht parade in the bay. It was a very unique way to ring in Christmas, but was very beautiful. The night was cold, as expected, and there weren't many people out. This was during the cold-spell that even put frost on my car here in the city.
That concludes most of our adventures in the Bay Area, I will put up more soon!

I'M OFF TO THE BEACH!!

I last wrote about my adventure-packed September, where I had a blast hanging out with my girlfriend, going to weddings, and so much more. At that time, I was staying in Ukiah even though I was taking classes in San Francisco. In October, though, I finally found a place in San Francisco of which I am still living in. I moved into one of my classmates’ house that had an open bedroom.

Love Fest

One of my favorite events in the world takes place in San Francisco every Fall called Love Fest. Love Fest is a parade of awesomely decorated flat-bed semi-trucks with electronica music DJs and dancers aboard, slowly making their way down Market Street. They continue, slowly, all the way to the large plaza in front of City Hall where their trucks park, and their trailers act as stages for the DJs who all play non-stop until dusk. The contrast of the loud, colorful party and San Francisco’s glorious City Hall is quite a sight to see.

Myself, Aya, Justin, and Hide

The parade aspect of this event, plus how so many people dress up for it, is why I “love” Love Fest. I was with some friends, and their friends, and we all partied in our brightest, flamboyant attire. I had rainbow Slinkies on my arms, and my friend had on neon fur. Some people leave all their clothes at home and just come naked.

Free Bluegrass Festival

October also blessed me with a free Robert Plant (of Led Zepplin) concert. He played outdoors, in Golden Gate Park. I went with my friend, Hide, who ended up making the mistake of “taking candy from strangers” at the show and had himself a miserable night with a wild girl that he met. I ended up having to drive out somewhere to go save him, but I was delayed because I was at a bar with my friend Justin when Hide was in need so he had to wait a couple hours for me to sober up.

With an Oil-Worker Member of the Palin Family

Once I moved in October, I had a fairly large amount of free time, and thus I started to ponder what kind of cool Halloween costume I could make this year. I wanted to come up with something original, and so I thought about what kind of current events I might be able to base a costume off of. There was no way I could make myself look like Obama, and San Francisco’s Sarah Palin look-alike drag-queen contest proved that politics were already overused by others. At some point I came across the term “green energy”, like I had many times before in 2008, and thought about how I could apply it to a costume. I figured I could wear green clothes, and top it off with a homemade, CFL light bulb hat powered by a 12 volt battery and an inverter. I made that hat by tinkering with a tin, shop clamp-light so that the bulb would be placed outside of the bowl, instead of inside.

At the City's Halloween Festival

I had a really good time on Halloween night at San Francisco’s city-run party. It took place in one of AT&T Park’s parking lots, and featured lots of free music, including a fun surprise when the singer of the disco hit “It’s Raining Men” put on a very entertaining set. A low point of that night was when I was in an outhouse, suddenly there was a strong banging on the door. I called out so it would be clear that someone was in there, but about a minute later the firm knock returned. I ignored it, and was taking my time because I had to deal with my costume. Finally, when I stepped out of the outhouse two San Francisco Sheriffs were there and one asked me, “Have you been smoking anything tonight?”, as the other was looking at my eyes with a flashlight. I answered, “No.” And as they continued to ask me questions I interrupted and asked, “Am I free to go?” And one of them said, “Of course.” I went back to the main stage where a really fun Latino band was playing and suddenly one of them said, this one is dedicated to the gringo with the bright idea, as he pointed to me. I was stoked, and it helped me forget the cops invading my privacy.

Brandy's Party

The next night I was able to meet up with my friend Brandy for her Halloween party. It was lots of fun, but I had to keep my light turned off because it was too bright for the dim, Halloween atmosphere. The best costumes were definitely the couple who came as the couple in the movie Juno. With the election nearing, two partygoers spent the whole time arguing about all of the predictable conservative verses liberal arguments. I don’t remember their names, but I remember the liberal was the “naughty teacher” and ironically the conservative was “Joe The Plumber.” I am not sure why they chose to waste a perfectly good party whining to each-other about how much they disagree with one-another's opinions.

Though I didn’t waste my social life arguing about politics, I did follow many things very closely, and passionately. I was very hopeful that Obama would be elected, but I had no idea if America was going to vote for him. On Election Day, my roommates and I all watched NBC news together in anticipation. When the news was announced that Obama had won, we were all smiles, and I really felt proud of my country for electing the first African-American president. The idea that not too long ago African-Americans weren’t even able to vote, and that interracial marriages, like the marriage that produced our future president, were also forbidden. The presidential election, overall, made me feel great about my country, and has me looking forward to Obama’s presidency. The thought of "President Palin" really had me worried. The result of Proposition 8, however, made me feel extreme shame in my fellow Californians. I see it as utterly preposterous that a large number of Californian’s dream of marriage was put up for vote. How would you feel if someone voted on your marriage? I went to two beautiful weddings shortly before the 2008 election and I hope that all men and women of this state will be able to have a day as special as that, with the person they want to spend the rest of their life with. I am disgusted that some individuals’ prejudices are now written on our Californian constitution. I am straight, I grew up attracted to women, and am lucky enough to have a wonderful girlfriend. The thought of being romantic with someone of the same sex is not something my mind can comprehend, but I do know what love is, and I would never try to deny that to anyone.

Thanksgiving Season

November also means Thanksgiving, and I am thankful for so many wonderful things in my life. I spent the holiday with my mom and sister in Truckee, and I even was in charge of preparing the turkey! There was no snow in the area yet, so our recreation was limited to an epic hike near the Northstar resort.

I think I will end this here and talk about December another time. Take care!

**By the way, this was written on warm, sunny Ocean Beach in San Francisco. The sun is about to set, and I am thinking about coming back tomorrow for a barbecue.