A Rainbow Birthday

Yesterday started out with a rally against Proposition 8 in front of San Francisco's City Hall. It was also my birthday. 

The end of the rally turned into an impromptu march/gay-pride parade down Market Street. Perhaps the leaders had not planned where they were going because midway through the march there was a complicated U-turn and people started chanting, "U-nion-Square!" Let's just say the tourists waiting for the cable car got a real San Francisco treat when a couple dressed in drag shook their hands and welcomed them to their fine city.

But, the best part of this rally was the posters. For example:

"Don't take away Dumbledore's rights"

and...

"Want to stop gay sex? Legalize gay marriage"

and my personal favorite...


Which was reminiscent of a poster at the next place we visited:


Sachin and I met up with Zac and Kirstin at our newfound hangout, Crown and Crumpet. Honestly, it looks like you walked into the decor8, sfgirlbybay, and yvestown blogs in Ghirardelli Square. 

  

Images from Crown & Crumpet and Ruby Press

No detail is too small - There's even little sugar shapes hidden in the sugar bowl!

After getting high on caffeine and scones, we sidled over to Greens, an all-vegetarian restaurant.

Image from Green Beans in Writing

The food was absolutely delish. I think all of us can recommend the wilted savoy spinach salad as an appetizer. Our waiter was the real treat of the evening, mostly because of his Irish accent. Okay, entirely because of his Irish accent.

And finally, a night cap at Absinthe Bar. 

Image from Absinthe Gallery

All in all, a wonderful wonderful day. And Sachin and I crashed on the BART ride home.

Stuff my friends have said...

Kirstin: So, have you guys ever had sex on an airplane?
Zac: What kind of plane? A real plane or a Disney plane?
A stunned silence.
Everyone else: Zac, what the hell is a Disney plane?
Zac: You know, the Dumbo ride. Oh, you were talking about a real plane. Then, no.

Flyin' high on the Dumbo ride.

Number 44

It has been about 24 hours since Barack Obama was declared the 44th President of the United States and I couldn't be happier about it. I'm not sure whether I should be proud or ashamed that I heard the news, not from some hardcore station like CNN or MSNBC, but from Indecision 2008 with John Stewart and Stephen Colbert. But really, where else can you hear a rant about the struggles of Hawaiian children making poi and selling tiki torches as a prelude to the announcement that Obama had won?

The thing is, all I've been hearing today is the phrase "first black President" over and over again. By no means am I saying that this isn't an incredible milestone for African-Americans, or anyone who isn't white, or Democrats for that matter. What I'm saying is that Obama won this election by having a good campaign and pushing a platform for change that many Americans believe in.

First of all, Obama is just as much white as he is black. His mother was a white American from Kansas, and his father was from Kenya. And that's another thing; his father is African - not African-American. He's not coming from the same background as many African-Americans whose families have been in the United States for centuries. It makes absolutely no difference either way, but I think it's important not to oversimplify things. He has just as much "African blood" in his veins as Tiger Woods has "Asian blood" pumping through his.

So let's not pin him down with labels and push him into categories just because the color of his skin is darker than that of any president before him. I feel that there is a great danger in doing so. We shouldn't expect him to pander to our African-American population more than any other group, nor should we negate him if he does. He is a man. He is going to be our next president. And, at the very least, he's going to do a hell of a lot better than the last one.