I have at last, albeit far too early, returned from San Francisco, California. On Saturday the 21st of May, I woke up at the ridiculous hour of 3:30am (erm, uh, somehow it’s less ridiculous if I’m still up at that hour and about to go to bed, but I digress…) I boarded a plane with my heart full of cautious optimism; excited, and yet still slightly concerned. Several events leading up to the trip had caused last minute changes, which led to a bit of worry that perhaps my pleas of continued mercy from the producers of the Heather Show had gone unheard. However, much to my relief, I received my answer from them loud and clear within an hour of touching down at the Oakland International Airport. As I was collecting my bags, I happened to glance out the window just in time to see a bright red Ferrari 360 Spider – the convertible version of my racecar. Shortly thereafter, while walking down Powell Street with a close friend, I spotted another blindingly red Ferrari 355. The Fates have conspired once again, but this time using their powers for good, reassuring me with red signs of happiness and promise. Any omen that contains a Ferrari is a good one.

    Just as those prancing ponies promised, the trip went fantastically. So fantastically, in fact, that I can’t tell you much about it for fear of violating one of the first rules of blogging; sorry, but certain aspects of the personal life stay personal. I can tell you that I had a wonderful time visiting with my brother Tim, his wife Monica, and their beautiful baby girl Samantha. I was able to hang out with a lot of eccentric art students and teachers at the Academy of Art University as I assisted them in hanging the Illustration Department’s contributions to the annual Spring Show. I met three amazing young women who were kind enough to offer a couch and shelter to a stranger (aka me.) I saw Star Wars Episode III on the IMAX screen at the Sony Metreon and had a blast cracking jokes and giggling at its expense. I felt comfortable and loved attending church two Sundays in a row, having been afraid to attend here in Virginia for the past several months. I laughed so much it hurt as I visited with countless new friends, including a hilarious couple that introduced me to a failed Roger Corman version of ‘The Fantastic 4’ made in 1996 but never released (oh, believe me, the new one so can’t live up to this pile of steamy cinematic poo – it made me laugh until I cried, and then I laughed some more.) I left iconic 9-toed foot prints in the sands of Baker Beach. I was flirted with by several teenage Latino boys and I unwittingly shook my butt at an officer of the San Francisco Police Department.

    But best of all, things went beautifully with “that guy.” For fear of being tactless and becoming yet another horrific ‘dating blog’ (really, there are already too many of those in this world), I’ll refrain from going into details. Suffice it to say, I’ll be seeing him again. Soon.

    It’s funny how things work out, how coincidences converge to form chapters of a life story, and how certain cities never fail to live up to their legacies. San Francisco is the reason for the Heather Show, the epicenter of some of the strangest coincidences I’ve ever experienced. My most recent visit is certainly no exception. This trip was so much fun and I have come home relaxed, enthusiastic, and at long last, with my head back on straight. I’m excited, because thanks to San Francisco, the next few months should be highly entertaining.

    Argh, this is so frustrating! So much to say, and yet those darn blog rules are in the way. Oh, and if I really got going, this blog entry would be one of the longest ever. Ten days is a long time; so much happened, so much fun was had, so many ribs still hurt from all the laughing. If the upcoming blog entries seem lacking in length, I’ll see what I can do to work a few travel stories in here and there. But it has reached that ridiculous hour of 3:30 in the morning and I simply have to sleep before I fall face first into my keyboard.

    In conclusion, if I could spend the rest of my life flying from one city to the next, enjoying myself as much as I did in San Francisco, I would never stop traveling. The mark of a truly great vacation is the time I spend with interesting and entertaining people – it’s what made Italy remarkable, it’s what brought me back to London four years in a row, and it’s what made San Francisco so memorable. I owe a lot of people a lot of thank you’s, including the producers for letting me make good on my promise that good, happy events are just as exciting as dramas. May Sweeps this year was a huge hit. 🙂