Memorial Weekend Review

Saturday: Attended graduation at San Francisco State. Watched 8,000 young'uns including Cynthia walk in bright purple robes. Enmassed in the middle of Cox Stadium, they resembled a Barney the dinosaur convention. Listened to Ben Fong Torres of Rolling Stone and Chinese New Years Parade fame. Will have to pick up his book some day. Also heard from Manny Masoud(?), founder of Bebe. He won alumni of the year, but it probaby wasn't much of a contest after he donated $10 million to his alma mater. Had dinner at R & G Lounge in the city. This place remains one of my favorite Chinese food places. Somehow it's the only Chinese restaurant in SF Chinatown worth going to.

Sunday: After an early service at church, headed up to Berkeley. Lunch from the Thai temple. There is a Thai temple up in Berkeley that serves up a huge lunch as a fund raising event every Sunday. Very tasy. Also had some wine and cake and hung out with friends. Celebrating some birthdays. It was a great day out there. We left Berkeley at 1:30. The original plan was to go to Sunset and change and head to the wedding at the War Memeorial Opera House by 4:30. But the traffic crossing into San Francisco was intense. It was already passed 3 when we hit downtown San Franisco. So Plan B went into effect and we changed at a bathroom in a Safeway near downtown, and took care of some hair issues in Noe Valley.

80 guest in the lobby of the Opera House. They did a really nice job with the Opera theme. The programs were done up like those Play Bill things you get anytime you get to the theater and the seating was done on little printed opera tickets. I've been to a lot of weddings over the years, but this is the first time I've seen the bride crying as the officiant told spoke and as vows were exchanged. It was great to see how much this meant to her. The groom is a nice guy, but he's from Texas. I think it's the first time I have ever slow danced to a country music song (not really recommended). You could tell which guys were from Texas because they knew the lyrics to all those songs.

Monday: Maybe it's a small coincidence that we were at a War Memorial locale yesterday and today is Memorial Day. I don't personally know anyone who has died serving our country, but I hope we remember to honor them today. No one should have to die in war. Our country does not do a good enough job of avoiding war or protecting our troops that do serve. Nearly 2,000 of our countrymen and neighbors have died in a war that should never have been fought. I feel these things, and I should champion them more. I really should. But today will mostly be a day of rest for me. May has been a busy month and too many of the chores at home have been neglected.