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The skies opened up this morning in a heavy, cold rain. As you might expect, the first couple of storms of the season always throw people off…the driver above is no exception.

We were making our way to work, and we noticed this car in front of us driving with the door slightly ajar and with an umbrella sticking out. No, not a parked car…a moving car.

Either the car door wouldn’t shut, and the driver decided to drive with an umbrella for protection…or the umbrella wouldn’t shut and the driver was determined to hang on tight.

Either way…this person is an idiot.

Of course, I looked like an idiot scrambling to find my camera in my bag…praying that the light wouldn’t change…cursing at the light for changing too soon…cursing that I couldn’t grab an in-focus shot.

I suppose the rain affects us all in different ways 🙂

This quote from today’s SF Chronicle was supposed to reflect the City’s growing frustration with our homeless problem. I just found it amusing how easy it is for San Franciscan’s to work a George Bush dig into just about any issue…even an issue he has no relation to: “People have realized they can still hate George Bush, but not want people crapping in their doorway.”

You just KNOW that you’re unpopular when you are compared with poop on the porch!

We started off our Sunday with brunch at a new restaurant in our neighborhood. Le P’tit Laurent is a tiny French bistro, which opened a few months ago in a space formerly occupied by a bar. The restaurant hasn’t even finished painting its exterior, but there is always a line out the door for dinner. Fortunately, we awoke early this morning, and beat the brunch crowd by just a hair.

The food was wonderful. I had a Croque Monsieur , and Jeff had a ham and Gruyere omelette. We will definitely try this spot for dinner. Its a welcome addition to our neighborhood.

This afternoon, after we had finished a ton of little errands, we hopped across the hill to wander through the Castro Street Fair. This street fair has all the arts and crafts of a typical SF festival, but with all the color and pulsing music you would expect from the Castro.

I’m really drawn to this simple image I shot somewhere along my trips this week. Its similar to other shots I’ve done with this same theme…the hectic blur that is life.

When I visit the LA civic center Federal Building, I always park across the street at the Los Angeles Mall, a lonely, isolated shopping center from the early 1970s.

During my numerous visits, I’ve noticed the odd art sculpture at the street-level of the mall. I’ve never stopped to examine the structure…only rushed past it to get to a meeting or grab a quick bite in the sad food court.

But on this visit, I circled the structure, and tried to figure its purpose. There is no explanation of its odd concrete and glass form…just a small metal plaque at its base with the name “Triforium”.

So, I looked up an article on the Triforium, and its creator Joseph Young. The sculpture was dedicated in 1975, and is noted as “the world’s first public sculpture to integrate light and sound by use of a computer”. It is also widely ridiculed for its nearly $1 million price-tag, its frequent technical failures, and its leaking pools…which have been turned into flower beds (the lavender in my photo above). Its planned lasers and motion sensors were never realized due to cost overruns.

Still, this quirky feature of the mall is by far its most interesting. Its a reminder of the vision of a lively after-hours Civic Center, which has become overrun by cheap stores and vagrancy.