Life

... can end so fast. It takes nothing really to come to a halt: an unpleasant surprise, the mischewing of a meal, the completion of a sentence. Or no precipitating factor. It scares me to know that the person I speak to this week could be dead the next.

Holy crap...

It's the 4th of July and I start work tomorrow!!

Mission District Murals

Oh, the colors, the wonderful colors! These murals are everywhere, and today, their expansion is largely through the efforts of Precita Eyes, an organization that trains young artists to create meaningful and aesthetic murals.

(painted by communist chinese!)

Mission District Photos

Our wonderful tour guide Roberto gave us a thorough and personalized history of the Mission District, known for its ethnic diversity (although most famously Latino) and its beautiful murals. I've included a few photos here of the neighborhood, including those that amused me. In a separate post I'll upload pictures of the remarkable murals strewn throughout the neighborhood.

This is the famous Brava theatre, which, since its founding in 1986, has specialized in premiering shows written by women of color and lesbian women.

In a related vein, this is Discolandia, which is supposedly still the best place to find and buy cutting edge and vintage Latino music.

I really liked the plethora of locally owned markets in the Mission district. No food deserts here!

This is an "electronic" mural, so one printed out on canvas and not painted. The text reads, "California law denies up to 60% of the agricultural workforce the right to obtain a drivers license." It's very in lieu with the general air of activism that permeates the murals here.

I just like this shot.

And I like these shots too ;-) (j/k)

Perhaps a rather ignominious photo to end this post with, but seriously... A Punjab restaurant that serves Chinese and American food, but not Indian? How misleading!

San Fran Gay Pride Parade

Oh wonderful prom pose.... Thanks to an invite from Reed, I got to witness my first ever gay pride parade with my once-so-innocent high school friend Cathy. Even without drinking. it was hella fun. Some highlights:

1. Swingin' Tittie Tassels: If you look closely, there should be no need for explanation. Auspiciously, this was one of the first things I saw during the parade.
2. Latino/Hispanic Pride: It should come as no surprise that this group had the BEST music.
3. Reuse This Ass: This was a spectator who happened to pass by me. I just had to snap a picture. It's not too obvious here, but he is ONLY wearing a plastic bag and there is a recycling symbol drawn on his back. Sexy!!!
4. Kids with Gay Parents: Gosh, I'm just so proud of them!
5. San Francisco Police Department: I was also very proud that the SFPD showed up in support. A sure sign that San Fran is a great city.
6. Party Float: There just needed to be one, okay? I think this MAY have been the Google float... not quite sure, though.
7. Lesbian Midwives: Megan knows why I put this in here. How freakin' AWESOME is that???!

And last but not least,

8. Gay Cheerleaders: What gay pride parade would have been complete without them?

Next up: sights from the famous Mission District...

San Francisco

San Francisco was amazing - vibrant architecture, eclectic and intelligent people (even the cabbies held great conversation), and absolutely gorgeous landscapes. I would definitely be interested in going there to practice medicine, especially if the government and community stay as supportive as they currently are. I'm going to upload some photos of my favorite sights, although I am sad to report that my camera ran out of batteries halfway through so I didn't get photos of many things. I'll try to filch them from other people and post them later.

Reclaiming My Room

I'm back in Atlanta for the summer. It's times like these when I truly see how my parents have appropriated my old room for their own purposes. Mainly, this means it has become a glorified closet. Well, this summer I'm reclaiming it. I insist on being able to fit clothes into the closet. I demand that my floorspace isn't clutttered with winecases and luggage carts! Tonight, I spent 3 hrs clearing out the room, ending up with about 6 bags of garbage. No doubt my mother will throw a fit about the "waste" but if you haven't missed it in 7 years, you're not going to start missing it now.

It feels good to have a place you can call your own :-)