Dan joined the paper the year I was Editor in Chief, and he took the helm after Abe in 2005. His assent was as natural and inevitable as gravity. He was without a doubt the hardest working funnyman we had, generating prodigious amounts of content both written and visual. When the editorial board looked back on each issue, we’d sometimes have to laugh at the fact that fully one half of the articles were written, or edited, or edited and re-written by Dan, but the truth is we would have been fucked without him. His footprint was gargantuan.

I’m only beginning to process how unfair this is, but everyone who knew Dan knows this: the world is worse for having lost him.

I know I meant to write about backpacking in August but kept putting it off because I hadn’t processed the photos yet. The trip was fantastic, aside from the concussion close-call we had towards the end. Gorgeous lakes, shitty instant soups, shittier lasagna, miles of strenuous marching, foolhardy cliff traversals, whiskey, and counting shooting stars from the comfort of a sleeping bag atop hardy grass. I kept repeating “the chitinous staccato of grasshoppers and sinewy crackle of knees” in my head as we hiked out because I meant to write some flowery prose about all the sounds (or lack thereof) we wrapped ourselves in, but I think I’ll just leave it at that. Here are the visuals.

I visited San Diego for Megan’s wedding and then again a couple weeks later for the annual Bike Bar Tour. Both trips were awesome. I miss San Diego. I miss burritos and biking everywhere.

Fall was beautiful. It’s hard to describe the feeling that washes over you as the air turns crisp and the leaves flush with color before accumulating on the ground. I keep straining to sample random smokey accents laced through each breeze. Living in San Diego for six years has definitely made me appreciate the foothills more.

And now it’s snowing.

A few weeks ago I took a seemingly unexciting spill on my bike and ended up spending three days in the hospital with a ruptured kidney. My parents flew down and my mom took care of me for a few days afterwards. Making me meatloaf and pies until I told her to stop being so motherly and fly home to take care of my dad; he’s useless at taking care of himself. Nothing bad came of the injury to my kidney, other than the doctor taking away my riding priviledges for 6 weeks.

Jordan and I have been looking at renting a house down in South Park. We got word that we’ve been approved for a place a few blocks from Hamilton’s and The Whistle Stop and will probably be moving in the next couple weeks.

Work has been fairly mundane. Although I do get to go to CES again this year in January. If anyone wants to meet me in Vegas for my birthday buy a flight for the weekend of the 10th and 11th.

BART, barbecued filet mignon, and a gadget/water fountain/LED-studded jacuzzi in Hayward; baby turkeys and almost hitting a startled vulture with my bike; distressingly avant-garde ballet in Stern Grove, tandem bikes in Golden Gate park followed by spicy hot chocolate in Pacific Heights; smokey air and gibbous moons like blood oranges; river trips, toe-curious fish, deep and chilly water, skinny dipping and cliff jumping in a private sanctuary spotted on Google’s satellite maps; Troy Tuesday at Laszlo with amazing crab tostadas, Ratatat and sauntering home with bagged-up Sparks, walking miles around the Mission District in search of the perfect necklace; B movies and glasses full of Baby Guinness; baby fawns and picking blackberries; cycling and cycling and hill climbing and finally installing a second bottle cage so I don’t get dehydrated in the oppressive heat; seeing the milky way on after-dinner walks and finally learning to consistently locate Polaris; receiving bourbon in the mail that’s so good my brain stutters; a proper picnic dinner—baguette, camembert, goat cheese with herbs, prosciutto, garlic feta orzo, and an olive medley—in the park with cherries and a good Cabernet.

Duolab reunion next weekend!

Oh, and my Thailand shots are all on Flickr now too. Validate my leisure!

Above is a photo I took at Cathedral Cove in mid-February. Now pay close attention to 00:42 in the theatrical trailer I’ve embedded below.

Middle-aged woman in Hat Yai airport with “BURBCURRY” embroidered in a pastel rainbow down the leg of her jeans. [Probably one of my favorite engrish sightings.]

DOG BALLS
CAT BALLS
MOTH BALLS
[The ever-present stray dogs and cats were never neutered, naturally. Some of those dogs had the biggest nuts, and they were usually all chapped and covered in sand. Woo! I couldn’t even recall the last time I’d seen feline testicles in the states. As for the moth balls, well, they seemed to be the fashionable substitute for urinal cakes wherever we went. It was like peeing in my grandma’s closet.]

Brunch cooked by katoey! [I was a big fan of having my chocolate chip pancakes cooked by a ladyboy every morning on Ko Lipe. The novelty wore off by day four, but only a little. PS: The trannies in Thailand were all masters of bershon, especially those working at tourist-heavy restaurants.]