SwimFinsSF

Things I wonder about

Anyone who knows me knows that my brain is constantly churning with random imponderables – some useful – some not… And frequently they bubble out my mouth. Kevin is always asking me what the hell makes me ask such oddball things… I dunno… I throw ’em out partially to make conversation and partially in the off chance that someone might know…

Here’s a few that have been flyin around today… ( Preface each with ‘I wonder’ and you’l lsee the little hell I’ve created for him! 😉 )

– When did we stop caring about plot and character development in the movies and resort to just throwing money and star power at the problem.

– How do Germans keep finding my blog.. Gotten a couple of really nice notes in my blog from german speakin folks and don’t know how t hey found it..

– What draws people to certain blogs and not others?

– Are guys, by nature, not monogamous creatures – or is that just a convenient excuse?

– What ever happened to my cat Sparkle?

– Is there anything wrong with spending as much time on the computer as I do… (kevin’s not allowed to answer this one! ;))

– Where would I be now if I had taken that job at Object Zoo in Munich 5 or so years ago?

– If there is an eclipse that shades the moon (like we had last night) does the temperature on the earth change.

– Why do Pigeons’ heads move when they walk? Do they move once for every step they take?

I’m gonna keep adding to these as I think of ’em cuz its fun! 🙂

Lucky

Sometimes I take for granted how lucky I am having the family I do… Other times I recognize exactly how lucky I am..

Yesterday was Mother’s day and Kevin and I spent it with my mom and Webb and had a great time.. One of those San Francisco days.. Woke up and cleaned the house (not quite well enough i found out from kevin later – but thats OK).. Then walked down and got coffee, flowers, and a card… Then hung out waiting for Kevin to finish rowing and Mom and Webb to finish coffee and bagels in Los Gatos…

They all got done and to our place at about the same time.. Hung out and chatted for a little bit and then went to the Metro Cafe for brunch (no – not that silly bar in the castro – a cute little french restaurant on Div)… Outside brunch… good food… great little patio.. I HIGHLY recommend it on a sunny afternoon…

After that we went to the Legion of Honor to see the Di Vinci in Poland exhibit which was very cool too… That building is beautiful and in a beauttiful location… The exhibit was OK.. interesting but for a Di Vinci exhibit I was expecting to see more than one painting of his… still cool though…

thats it… nothing spectacular.. but a really great day… and was really neat for kevin and I to spend the day with them like it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.. My Mom and Kevin spent more time talking at times then she and I did.. He even got her a little pendant which she loved…

Gotta find something fun to do for my dad Dad’s day next! :):)

David Sedaris

Ok… So we went to see David Sedaris last night at the SF War Memorial Opera House… That dude is FUCKING FUNNY… I’ve never been too a reading before – and definitely not one that could fill up the opera house – so I’m not sure what I was expecting… But damn.. He had me rolling nearly the whole time…

What I can’t figure out is how much of what he writes actually comes from reality and how much of it is embellished … and I suppose it doesn’t matter… But he told stories about strip poker at slumber parties when he was a kid, his parents strange sleeping patterns, and their beach house as a kid..

What was nearly as funny was watching the two couples in front of us during the show.. It was two straight couples in their 50s or 60s.. We saw them at dinner before and ASSUMED they were going to the symphony or something.. but no – they were directly in front of us for the show.. and they were laughing harder than I was for most of it.. The only thing that didn’t seem to amuse them was when he took questions and was talking about his sister-in-law, who just had a baby, in a rather graphic way.. (actually – the guys were still rolling – but their wives didn’t seem amused)…

anyway – was really fun.. glad matt got us the tickets…

Had to Share

Just remembered about these…. Scary, I know – but love ’em just the same! 😉 ( Yea – the little toe-head is me! 😉 )

–>

The Strangest place on Earth.

So I did it again… Every time I get home from Las Vegas I tell people to SMACK me if I ever talk about coming back for fun agian… So guess where I am right now? Bingo… Las Vegas…. This place is wrong on so many levels I can’t even tell you..

I’m actually here for work ( this week is NAB ) so Randy, Rick, Kevin and I decided to come out the weekend before to play… We’ve actually been having fun so i’m not complaining.. Very little gambling… Lots of shows / good food / dancing / cocktails.. So its been good.. Here’s the basics so far:

First night:
– Dinner at Nobu
– Dancing at Ra
Second Day:
– Roller Coaster at New York New York
– Freemont Street
– Dinner at Il Fornio
– Penn and Teller Show
– Big Shot at the Stratosphere

Since we’ve actually had fun I figured I’d share some tips:
– Don’t spend the whole weekend gambling (unless you REALLY like gambling).. You WILL loose money… ya can’t beat the system so don’t try – they’ve been doing this a LONG TIME..
– Get ready for LOTS of bad hair, bad dye jobs, cleavage, slutty outfits, smarmy men, and everything tragic about this city / country.. But its kinda fun.. gives lots of fuel for catty comments..
– If you DO gamble – take advantage of free drinks… Drinks are free as long as you’re at a table! 🙂
– Don’t go to gay bars… I REPEAT… Don’t go to gay bars.. They SUCK ROCKS… Don’t try… No hot boys.. no good music… bad drinks.. bad locations… This is not where the gay boys go – and if they do they don’t go out to the clubs.
– Straight clubs can be fun.. good music.. pretty OK crowds…
– Clubs at the casinos have dress codes – and they hold to it… Smarmy man in a bad suit didn’t let us in to one cuz we weren’t dressed to HIS standards (granted we looked better than he ever could .. but still)… No jeans.. no t-shirts.. no tennis shoes.. no shorts.. etc.
– Bring a watch.. none of the casinos have clocks.. ANYWHERE…
– Force yourself to go outside… they don’t want you to… but there is NO fresh air – even in the rooms – sealed chambers to promote gambling..
– Don’t think to much about where you are.. The city is SO WRONG and is all about what is wrong with this country… greed.. waste… debauchary… But hell… the fact that it can exist – even as fucked up as it is – is also pretty damn cool…

Now back to sin city..

About Me

Fun Facts about Pete:

• Name: Pete
• Parents: Dennis and Judith
• Siblings: Sister (Katie), Step Sister (Marny), Step Brother (Jason)
• Relationship Status: Got one
• Relationship: Boyfriend named Kevin! 🙂
• Sexual Orientation: Figure it out! 🙂
• Location: Live in: San Francisco, CA
• ‘Stats‘: 5’11” / 180# / Brown Hair / Blue Eyes / Clean Shaven (Cuz ya can’t get through a conversation online without ’em)
• Favorite Animal: Frog (dunno why… they just make me smile! ;))
• Favorite Pet: Dog
• Childhood Pet’s name: Cat named ‘Sparkle’ (Stop snickering – I was in kindergarten when I named her)
• Life time pets: 2 Cats (Huckle and Sparkle), 1 Anole Lizard (can’t remember his name), 1 Bull Frog, A Hamster (which died in a cold maryland winter next to the sliding glass door), An aquarium full of stone toads, a fighting fish named Opus, and many lizards that my mom and I caught (how many moms do you know that will catch lizards with ya? ;))..
• Favorite Band: Oingo Boingo
• Primary Musical Instrument: Clarinet (Played since 2nd Grade)
• Other Instruments I can play: Trombone, Saxaphone (all of ’em cuz they’re more or less the same), and Flute.
• Occupation: Software Engineer
• Boxers or Briefs: Boxer-Briefs! 😉
• UnderGrad Degree: Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Favorite Cocktail: Gin and Tonic or a Lemon Drop
• Place I’d like to live some time: Berlin or Cologne
• Favorite Sport (participating): Swimming and Volleyball
• Favorite Sport (watching): College Football and Mens Gymnastics (for different reasons! ;))
• Favorite Author: John Steinbeck
• Favorite Childhood Books: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Flat Stanley
• Religion: Christian Science ( <i>not</i> Scientology – if you’re curious go look up the difference)
• States I’ve lived in: Illinois, Maryland, Virginia, California, Colorado.
• Favorite Toy: Legos
• Languages Spoken: English and German

Why SwimFins?

Some Mug Shots of Pete Over the years: