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After a morning running our typical weekend errands, Jeff and I decided to take advantage of the warm afternoon sun and run along Crissy Field. This is one of our favorite runs, going all the way back to when we lived in my apartment in the Marina District. The route takes you along the northern edge of the City and ends at Ft. Point under the Golden Gate Bridge. On a day like today, you just wonder why everyone doesn’t want to live in San Francisco.

The end of the route is marked by two whimsical signs for joggers to touch and turn around. There is one sign for people, and one at ground level for the joggers’ canine companions. The turn-around point used to be directly under the bridge, but thanks to terrorist threats, there is an attractive jersey wall and chain link fence. Chalk up another reason to despise terrorists.

The jogging route is filled with life. Its a favorite spot for pet owners to bring their dogs to fetch and get wet in the cold Bay waters. On windy afternoons, the Bay is typically filled with wind surfers. As you get closer to the Bridge, there are picnic grounds that are ALWAYS full. Today, we even spotted an odd spontaneous linedance to some loud Christian country music blaring from an open van. Better to focus on the serene heron that wandered nearby.

As I was pulling up the photos from our jog, I was drawn back to a couple of new images from Venice. Yes, I have Venice on my mind. I’m excited, ok! But it was the pigeon photo below that made me chuckle. After my blog meltdown from earlier in the week, this shot reminded me that its not always a bad thing when the world shits on you a little bit. It can add character 🙂

See, the mood has passed. This evening, Jeff and I indulged in two true comfort items: pizza and frozen cosmos. These allowed us to unwind, reflect, and talk about our upcoming vacation. We also discussed the complexity of immigration politics with a very friendly (and a tad bit odd) stranger.

Well, it all worked. I’m relaxed now. Down from my ledge.

And yes, I agree with the assertions that I have a good life. I certainly have the best friends in the world….especially you guys that read my blog. (For the record, you guys are my favorites…just don’t piss the others off and tell them!)

All I need is the occasional rant. (Although those tiny bags of airline snacks STILL irk me 🙂

So here, in the spirit of peace, love, and harmony: a picture I took of some chicks. I’m not normally into chicks (no chuckling!), but these little peepers made me smile. Hmmm, and no, these chicks were not in the bar where I snapped the top picture…I never realized that our favorite bar has the atmosphere of a chicken incubator!

I think I’m due for ONE rant, aren’t I? I mean, I’ve been good, right? I’ve been Happy John…at least online 🙂 But I’m just frustrated today. And I didn’t get lunch. So, I’m grumpy.

What’s got my goat today? What tipped me over the edge was trying to book two upcoming trips. Travel to Michigan? Expensive. Travel to Europe? Through the roof. Upgrades from those thousands of loyal miles I fly every year on United? Waitlisted.

I guess I’m just tired. I’m tired of hearing the woes of the airlines. Flights are packed. Planes are smaller. Upgrades are far and few in-between. Points in mileage programs have become totally devalued. Food in coach is a bag of Savory Snack Mix. In flight entertainment is a non-stop advertisement for a TV network. What more do these companies want from us?

I’m tired of people always wanting more.

I’m tired of being made to feel guilty for not giving more.

I’m tired of taking my car to a crooked auto service center that sloppily breaks my anti-lock brakes and then tells me that I have to pay to diagnose the problem.

I’m tired of my City telling me that they don’t have enough money to fix the freakin’ potholes, while we’re JAM PACKED full of tourists paying top dollar for hotels and tee shirts. We’re a true destination city with only 750,000 residents in a tiny 7mi x 7mi box, and yet our inept government and flavor-of-the-day social programs are draining us dry!! (We don’t even have bad weather…so why the hell do we have so many potholes?!!)

Don’t make me the bad guy. I’m a softie. I want to love every one. I want Mexican families to lead good lives…but don’t break into my house and then tell me to feed you!! When did I become the bad guy?

I’m pretty convinced that I haven’t changed one bit. I think the world shifted under my feet. The Great Quake of 2006 is just a social tremor, I guess.

Sigh.

I’m just tired of being tired.

So. Jeff and I are hopping on a plane in three weeks. We’re going to Europe. And we’re not answering e-mail. And our last stop (after London and Paris and parts in-between) is to return to our most peaceful destination yet. We’re going to wander the silent alleys of Venice at midnight. And feel great about it.

The upside of my visit to Denver was one of the most comfortable beds I have slept in on any business trip (kudos to Embassy Suites) and an excellent client meeting in Ft. Collins (which is about an hour north of Denver). The downside was that I woke up 4-5 times during the night to drink more water. The dry Denver air totally parched my throat.

Oh, and the Embassy Suites had nowhere for me to grab my morning latte 🙁 Oh the horror!

Still, the trip was a success, and also very quick. I made it back to the airport to catch an early standby flight. With some time to wander a bit, I snapped a few new fun shots of the airport. You can see the main terminal’s “mountain peak” roof from the outside in the first shot. Also, a shot out the window on the flight home.

So really, the only interesting story came with the cab ride from the airport to my hotel. But, after trying for the past five minutes to succinctly write this odd story, I’ve decided that its actually only amusing to me. (And frankly, its nothing like the cabbie I had in LA who was rude, ran the meter while he sat at the airport trying to find my destination on a map, and then sped off with the door still open after I took his name and refused to give him a tip.)

So, instead of boring you with my cab story, I will share my what-the-hell-is-that photo of the day: my cabbie in mood lighting.

I took a late afternoon flight to Denver today. I have a meeting bright and early tomorrow and zip…I’ll be back home for a late dinner tomorrow.

So, just for kicks, I snapped a couple of pictures during the flight. I know there are a few window glares here and there, but I thought they were fun enough to share. Plus, any image that reminds me of home is worth reflecting on 🙂

Also, if you have never been to Denver International Airport, then you’re missing on of the most interesting main terminals in the US. The entire roof of the main terminal is fashioned from a dozen-or-so tent-like spikes that resemble snow-capped mountains on the horizon. It was nighttime when I left the airport, so I couldn’t grab a shot back.

One odd thing about this airport is that is SOOOOOOOOO far from civilization. The airport is now about 10 years old, and it still stands alone out in the prairie. (People used to say that Washington Dulles was out in the middle of nowhere, so perhaps civilization is coming.)

Oh yes. About those Cheez-Its. It seems that this is Embassy Suites’ response to Doubletree’s chocolate chip cookies. Uh, I hope this is just a test site. Give me a warm cookie any day!