Filed under: Berkley
I love St. Patrick’s Day, it’s actually one of my favorite holidays (strange, I know.) Green has been my favorite color since I was in kindergarten, so perhaps that has something to do with the fascination. I had every intention of going to the St. Patrick’s Day parade here in Salt Lake, but I may have slept in and went out to a late lunch instead. (oops!). Hope you all had an o’lucky day, with lots of o’fun! Happy Birthday Adam!!
Filed under: Berkley
Have you heard of this yet? I was introduced to a new form of entertainment last weekend while I was in San Francisco. And even though I did not particpate, it was highly entertaining to watch semi-serious adults rock out to their favorite tunes. Guitar Hero, a great find by Uzi, has been borrowed and loaned around the greater San Francisco YSA and is now the ultimate topic of conversation. Let it be known that a certain, unnamed boyfriend of mine is on his way to becoming the next member of Metallica, or Nirvana, or something. I guess that makes me a groupie… which means I must go shopping; I don’t have a thing that goes with “Rockstar!” 
Filed under: All the World's a Stage..., Berkley, Favorite Things, There and Back Again
Here she is: Woods, Elle. Boldly going where no blonde has gone before…. Broadway. Ok, so that may be kind of an exaggeration, and this wasnt exactly “Broadway.” But Legally Blonde the musical is premiering in San Francisco and then going on to New York for what looks to be a successful Broadway run. Ok, I must say that the musical version is considerably cheesier than the movie, and the second act is WAAY cheesier than the first act. However, I loved it. The songs are catchy, the energy level was incredible and, of course, the Bend & Snap was out in full force. (wink wink) I still can’t believe that Adam a) bought the tickets, b) sat through the whole thing and c) still hasn’t made fun of me for wearing hot pink snakeskin heels.
PREVIOUS POST: Blonde? What Blonde?
NEXT POST FROM SAN FRANCISCO: Chinese New Year
In honor of the sunny weekend, Adam & I went to Sausalito to check out the city and the harbor. Sausalito is one of those ridiculously expensive places to live – and I can see why! It is this gorgeous little town with a sleepy Main street and quiet harbor. We walked out onto the docks, wandering among the boats. Looking out towards the bay we saw a couple of seals – they were so stinkin cute!! Sausalito seems over-run with bikers and outdoorsy types… and since I don’t quite fit into that crowd, and I’m not a huge fan of shopping in little tchotchy shops, the harbor really had the largest appeal for me.
NEXT POST FROM SAN FRANCISCO: Legally Blonde: The Musical
Sunny weather in San Francisco is a rare anomaly. I must have good weather karma or something, because Saturday was perhaps the sunniest, warmest day S.F. has had in ages. To enjoy the beautifully clear day, Adam & I headed north to the Marin Headlands for a birds eye view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the city. While we up there, a bank of fog started to roll in from the ocean, covering The Point and the Presidio. Watching the fog roll in was amazing, it just swallowed the city and continued to roll along.
NEXT POST FROM SAN FRANCISCO: Sausalito Harbor
The Sutro Bath ruins on the west shore of San Francisco are all that remains of an elegant indoor pool and bath house built in the 1890′s. The crumbling structure was destroyed by fire in the 1960′s and now the only remnants to a once fantastic building are a few concrete skeletel foundations pieces, blocked off stairs and an only slightly creepy tunnel that leads to nowhere. Adam & I went wandering around the ruins, and took a walk through the national recreation areas that surround the ruins. This was perhaps the most gorgeous, sunny day San Francisco has ever seen, and we pretty much spent the entire day outside.
NEXT POST FROM SAN FRANCISCO: Marin Headlands
Filed under: Berkley
I love nicknames. I love aliases. And I love pet names. So it comes as no surprise that my boyfriend has a nickname, Berkley, and even less of a surprise that I typically only refer to him by his nickname, consequently, my family & friends know him by his nickname. The blogosphere knows him by his nickname. My hair dresser knows him by his nickname. And what’s so wrong with that? All really important people have multiple names; celebrities, singers & rappers, the presidential posse…I’m simply protecting his identity – I don’t want some girl to get wise and steal him away!
…However, in every relationship there are compromises – so, I suppose I could try out this whole “Adam” bit and see how it works out. Although I may just initially try it in conversation…when he’s around…I don’t know if I’m ready to change it over officially when he’s not here to roll his eyes at me while I call him Berkley. Any thoughts?
PREVIOUS POST: Nicknames (Link fixed!)
Filed under: All the World's a Stage..., Berkley, Favorite Things, Merry Christmas
What is the best present that I could receive for Christmas?
Berkley gave me both. The pony is pink & sparkly and came with her own hairbrush. I was completely thrilled with this apparent “gag” gift – and Berk told me to look a little harder – and tucked behind the pony were 2 tickets for Legally Blonde. I was practically speechless – I couldn’t stop smiling (ok, still can’t stop smiling). I realize this may be totally cliche – but I love love LOVE Legally Blonde. Not only because of the amazing shoes & clothes – but I just love it! There’s no explanation. I could give you some drivel about blonde-empowerment or something like that, but that’s not why. It’s just one of those things you immediately are drawn to – must be the strikingly similar locks. ;o) Berkley – you are amazing! This was the best Christmas ever.
The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco is quickly climbing my list of favorite places of all time. Originally built for the Worlds Fair, the plaster structures were revamped in concrete and stone and have the feel of not-quite crumbling, Roman ruins. I love it! My photo-crazy extravaganza was cut a bit short due to a downpour, but I still got quite a few great pics. Thank you Berkley for putting up with the girly, snap-happy, artsy-fartsy side of my personality. 
)
NEXT SAN FRANCISCO POST: Stinson Beach
On Friday, Berkley & I took a trip out to Alcatraz Island. It was kind of rainy and pretty windy – but overall not as bad as the sky would lead you to believe. The prison itself was operational until March of 1963 when all the prisoners were shipped off to other locations and the doors were closed. Alcatraz was never filled to capacity, but the average number of inmates housed there was about 250. There are 4 cell blocks at Alcatraz, one which was reserved for prisoners in Isolation. Many of the correctional officers who worked at Alcatraz also lived on the island with their wives and children. The most famous inmates were probably Al Capone and Robert “The Birdman” Stroud. The famous Mob Boss was being officially held for Income Tax Evasion and was bounced around to a few different cells throughout his stay on Alcatraz. 
There were several escape attempts, 36 prisoners tried to leave the island. All but 5 were recaptured or otherwise accounted for. The Clint Eastwood movie Escape from Alcatraz depicts the famous 1962 break-out where 5 men dug tunnels through their cell walls using the handles of broken off spoons to enlarge the ventilation grate, and then escaped through the maintenance corridor up to the roof and away from the compound.
Alcatraz will never be used as a prison or holding facility again (despite any rumors stemming from X-Men III). The nations “super-max” federal prison equivalent is in Florence, Colorado. 
NEXT SAN FRANCISCO POST: Palace of Fine Arts
