Nike Women's Marathon

Its another big weekend for the Financial District. On Sunday October 22, Nike is sponsoring a Women's Marathon to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Although the race (which includes a full and a half marathon) registration is now completely full, feel free to head down to Union Square and support the racers and the good causes. www.nike.com/nikemarathon will have all the details.

Pet Pride Day

In case the Exotic Erotric Ball is not family friendly enough for your taste, Animal Care & Control is hosting Pet Pride Day on October 29, from 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM. The event is being held at Sharon Meadows in Golden Gate Park. The event will feature:

• Pet Costume Contest
• Pet Trick Competition
• Working Animal Demonstrations
• Animal Rescue Groups
• Pet Product Vendors
• Education and Game Area for Kids
• Raffles for Fabulous Prizes
• All Kinds of Adoptable Animals - from Chickens to Chinchillas!

Also in attendance will be the San Francisco Animal Cops - the stars of Animal Planet's hit TV series, "Animal Cops San Francisco".

I know the image has a URL address of www.petprideday.com - but that address seems to be unresolvable. I believe the official site is www.sfgov.org/site/acc_index.asp?id=34793.

Exotic Erotic Ball

San Francisco is world reknown for its openess and acceptance of all people and lifestyles, and from Friday,October 27 to Saturday October 28, people will be able to celebrate human sexuality in it's commericalized glory.

Starting with an Expo on Friday and Saturday, the event climaxes with the Ball itself. Promoters claim that it's "part Mardi Gras, part burlesque, and part rock concert, yet totally unique." Attendees are invited to wear anything they would like - from lingerie to fetish outfits. This is a true masquerade ball.

If I wasn't a responsible father, I would probably drag my wife to the event so we could be amused by the costumes and antics of the attendees. For more info and tickets, visit www.exoticeroticball.com - oh that link is definitely NSFW (not safe for work).

SMS Earthquake Alert

Its really cool living in one of the most webconscious and technologically aware cities in the world. One of the benefits that we are able to reap are the government programs that take advantage of the net - from setting appointments online for the DMV to seeing realtime GPS locations of Muni trains. www.alertsf.org is a perfect example of leveraging technology for the greater good.

AlertSF is a text-based notification system for the city of San Francisco. The site will send tsunami alerts, severe weather/flooding notifications and post-disaster information to multiple wireless devices (cell phones / pagers) and email accounts.

The site plans on including features such as alerts regarding traffic delays, power outages, road closures, and other important information.

The best part is that registration for AlertSF is free. But be sure to check with your wireless carrier to determine how much SMS messages will cost.

Halloween Picture Time!

And its getting closer to the time of year where hoTT women can dress up like whores and not feel guilty about it - yup, it's Halloween time. I remember when I was younger, I would get dressed up, go trick or treatin', then come home and get sloppy and drunk (I am referring to my college days not when I was still in elementary school you freaks).

In light of the nearing holiday, the kind folks at the Picture People are giving away free pics. This is no scam, they have a promotion like this almost every other month. So free feel to pass this coupon around. Most of the Picture People here in San Francisco have already converted to digital, so instead of getting to choose your favorites out of a set of 5, you can literally choose from almost a 100 shots. I highly recommend them - we've been bringing Cameron to the Picture People since he was born.

SF Neighborhood Emergency Response Team

Living in San Francisco, there are certain realities that everyone must deal with - the large Asian community, the fog, and of course, Earthquakes. That being the case, we ran across a booth at the Red Bull Race in the Marina a few weeks ago advertising for the Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (or NERT). This is a free training program that prepares individuals to help themselves, their familes and neighbors in the event of a disaster. The training is a series of 6 classes that takes approximately 20 hours to complete. It encompasses earthquake awareness to light search and value, to terrorism awareness. Being a paranoid NY transplant, I think I'm going to try to go through the training - because you never know. Visit www.sfgov.org/sffdnert for more information.

Gorgeous Day in SF

In the American City reknown for its fog, today is one of those days that really makes you appreciate how nice the weaher can be out here in the Bay Area.

I snapped off some quick shots of the Golden Gate Bridge, Ghirardelli Square, Alcatraz, and an old ship docked by the Wharf. The Indian Summer is supposed to be the very best time of year to visit SF, and today appears to be one of those ideal days. Click here to see the small set of pics.

Sprint Class Action Lawsuit

Last week I received an email. It looks like a class action lawsuit was filed against Sprint alleging that "California law by locking cellphone handsets to make it difficult for customers to switch cell phone service providers without purchasing a new handset, and also by failing to disclose that such handsets are locked." This specifically appears all people with California billing addresses for personal or business accounts who purchased handsets from Sprint from August 28, 1999 through September 21, 2006.

I've been a part of class action suits before - like one for Blockbuster, and one for a credit card company. Typically the class settles before the case gets to court, but the settlement tended to be either coupons or insignificant service credit (that is, less than $10). But now that legal business is handled via e-mail rather snail mail, I think I will pay more attention to my participation in class action suits.

I can understand why the lawsuit was filed - I'm sure that a majority of Sprint consumers were not advised their handsets would work on someone else's network. On the flip side, I am a believer in "the buyer beware".

If you believe that you are eligible to be part of the Class or wish to be excluded from the suit, visit the official website www.sprintlockinglawsuit.com

SUNY Buffalo Reunion in SF

THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
&
UB ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

Invite You To The
First All-SUNY San Francisco Reception
for UB alumni and friends

Wednesday, Nov. 1, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

The Hyatt Regency
5 Embarcadero Center
San Francisco, CA 94111

Have you ever wondered if any of your friends from UB also live in the Bay area? Or maybe others who attended any of the other 63 schools within the State University of New York system?

There are more than 2.2 million SUNY alumni, and chances are good that you’ll meet somebody you know -- either from UB or any of the other schools -- at the first State University of New York All-SUNY reception.

The cost of the event is $20 per person. There will be a cash bar and hors d’oeuvres. When you arrive, be sure to register at the UB Alumni Association table to receive your nametag and access ticket. In addition, you’ll have the opportunity to win university apparel in a raffle.

Register online now, or call the UB Office of Alumni Relations at 800.284.5382. The registration deadline is Oct. 25. We cannot accommodate walk-ins.

****************

I haven't decided on whether or not to attend this time around... I went with a few friends last time and it was fairly time well spent, but it was free.With a $20 entrance fee, I'm not sure if the turn out will be as sucessful as last time. Let me know if you or anyone you know are planning to attend - maybe that would be the deciding factor for me...

Helicopter Rescue in Afghanistan

So my wife forwards me a pic of a helicopter rescue in Afghanistan. I'm not really sure if it's the real deal that actually happened in Afghanistan, or just a Photochop. Either way, it looks like it came straight out of the movies.

Here's the description / message from what I believe is the original e-mail:

This photo was taken by a soldier in Afghanistan of a helo rescue mission. The pilot is a PA Guard guy who flies EMS choppers in civilian life. Now how many people on the planet you reckon could set the ass end of a chopper down on the roof top of a shack on a steep mountain cliff and hold it there while soldiers load wounded men in the rear??? If this does not impress you ... nothing ever will. Gives me the chills and a serious case of the vertigo ... I can't even imagine having the nerve ... much less the talent and ability ... God Bless our military!!!!!

Review: 2006 Honda Pilot EX-L with Navigation

I have a passion for cars and trucks. Ever since I was a kid, I was always fascinated with cars. The first car I ever fell in love with was the Pontiac Firebird - black T-Top with the giant "flaming chicken" on the hood. Right out of Smokey and the Bandit.

But fast forward to parenthood, and it quickly becomes obvious that an 8 cylinder muscle car is not the ideal transportation for a family of 3 (at least one that is not living in the deep south, where things are a bit different.)

Long story short, our trusty 1997 Nissan Pathfinder, which served us well for over 6 years, was literally on its last legs out here in the Bay Area. Deemed too dangerous to drive by our mechanic, me and the wifey had to decide how to replace our vehicle. So we looked and considered many different ones before bringing that hefty number down to one.

And that one was the 2006 Honda Pilot EX-L with Navigation.

We puchased the large CUV back in April and have put on almost 8,000 miles. After 6 months of ownership, we can honestly declare that we made no mistakes in choosing the Pilot (aside from the color).

After owning a problem-free 1996 Acura Integra until leaving Buffalo in December of 2005, we both knew of the legendary Honda reliability and build quality first hand. So when it came to car shopping, the only makes we seriously considered were Toyota and Honda. We sat in the Sienna, the Rav4, Highlander and the Camry. The Sienna was mightily impressive, and lived up to the critics who claimed it was the Lexus of minivans. The Rav4's interior layout was disappointing to my wife, and the Highlander was simply too bland and tight-feeling (especially when compared to the Pilot). The Camry was spectacular, and we both loved it. However, I immediately nixed it since it was FWD. If we were going to get a full size sedan, it would have to be RWD. The wife stated that if we were to get any minivan, it would be the Sienna. However, a loaded out Sienna Limited with Navigation would sticker over $40k - way over what we wished to spend.

On the Honda models, we looked at the Civic and the Odyssey. I really like the new styling of the Civic and would have been more than happy with compromising with a 4 door. But wifey wanted nothing to do with the new generation, and she nixed the Ody as well. A shame, because I really wanted the Ody pretty badly (and still do).

So as we about to leave the dealership, the salesman asked if we wanted to see the Pilot. I was pretty apathetic towards the first iteration of the Pilot (the front end just looked like an oversized CR-V), but I liked the front end of the revised 2006 upon first sight. So we both climbed into the SUV, and immediately felt at home. It was extremely spacious compared to our Pathfinder, and it had a number of features that we found highly desirable. The Navigation system is extremely easy to use, and the Voice Command feature has a huge "wow" factor. One of the most valuable features is the reverse camera - it really makes the Pilot much easier to navigate into the tighter parking spots of San Francisco. And the fold away third row seating does come in handy in a pinch.

Needless to say, we were both sold on the vehicle. And after 6 months of ownership, there are no regrets with choosing the Pilot over its competitors. The only thing I wish we had known about the Pilot is that the color that we chose, Nighthawk Pearl Black, is not really black. In direct sunlight, you can see a blueish pearl tint - very nighthawk like. If we had known this before hand, we probably would have chosen a White Pilot.

Irv, Irene, and Korean Food

Irving and Irene came into town from Queens NY, so and my sister Emily had the pleasure of entertaining them for on Sunday evening. Around a hearty Korean meal, we caught up with each other and reminisced about days of yore.

Though catching up was good, the food was just marginal. You can find reviews of Han II Kwan (located on the corner of Balboa and 19th Avenue in the Richmond of San Francisco) on both Citysearch and Yahoo! Travel.

And click here for more pics of the little reunion.

CD Review : P Diddy - Press Play

Its been nearly half a decade since the CEO of Bad Boy dropped his last all new album. Despite guest featuring in a number of hit singles throughout the last 5 years (ie, Mase's "Breathe, Stretch, Shake" Mario Winans "I Don't Wanna Know", and Shake Ya Tailfeather" with Nelly & Murphy Lee), it's clear that Diddy (formerly P Diddy, previously known as Puff Daddy, aka Sean Combs) would need to knock some hip hop album rust for his latest (and some would say "comeback" album).

And Diddy does so and with as much success and aplomb as his previous efforts. Please note that Mr. Comb's previous work wasn't the most critically acclaimed.

There is no question that the man is talented in many aspects of his life - and he reclaims his mantle as one of the Hip Hop's elite royalty. But his weakness as a rapper is as evident as the bling on his Jacob watch encrusted diamond.

Press Play is an updated album that doesn't stray far from the paths burned previously. Many of the tracks can seemingly be misidentified as coming from his earlier work. The most interesting tracks are the ones where he tries something new. Of particular interest is the way he takes back Kanye West's sound with the first track of the album, "We Gon Made It". As a side note, I always thought that Kanye was a second rate Diddy, who just took his gimmick and ran with it.

Despite the radio flop of "Come To Me", which features the Pussycat's Dolls Nicole Sherzinger (yeah, I have no clue which one she is either), the next single should be a top ten hit. "Tell Me" features Christina Aguilera and a hoTT bass beat. This song will be pumping through the clubs and bars well into Holidays.

I know that Diddy owes his music career (and quite possibly, his entire career) to the Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace, there really is no need to keep dropping his name on every other track. Maybe Diddy is trying to keep Biggie fresh in our minds, with the upcoming 10th anniversary of his death (Biggie was shot in LA on March 9, 1997).

Despite the ho-humness of this album, there is very little doubt that Diddy will move 1M units - he's savvy enough to be able to con the newest generation of TRL and 106th & Park viewers out of $13. Its just a shame that he couldn't put out an album filled with potential hit singles that made Bad Boy the stuff of legends.

Feeling Creative

So I have 3 hard drives in my system - an 160 gig EIDE for WinXP OS, and a 250 EIDE and 300 gig SATA for just media storage. I am a bandwidth and packrat whore, so I've constantly got new stuff that needs to be organized and filed away. There is always seemingly endless things for me to do (paperwork and media related), so sometimes it takes me a while to get around to doing things that I've set out to do before (this blog for example).

One of the things I've been planning to do is to create a new signature for one the the forums that I participate in - hondapilot.org After much putting off (primarily b/c I was not looking forward to transferring and filing 500+ pics from my Nikon D50 to my desktop machine), I finally got around to making my sig banner - please let me know what you think :)


If you happen to own a Honda Pilot, I strongly recommend lurking / if not actively participating in the forum. Although most of the outspoken members are extremely right winged, there is very deep knowledge base regarding Honda's award winning SUV. My SN on the site is BubbleSparkxx - as per my sig.

PS - I know I've been very lax in putting up new material, but the time that has lapsed was not in vain - I have some very interesting blogs coming up soon - so stay tuned!