# San Francisco Journal

> Arts & Culture, Book Reviews, Essays, Slow News that Doesn't Break


## Posts

- [Books I Read in 2025](https://sfjournal.net/books-i-read-in-2025/): In 2025 most of the books I read were courtesy of the San Francisco Public Library. I read parts of books and checked out books that I was simply curious about. The San Francisco Public Library is an amazing resource. You can even check out vinyl records! Below is a list of books that I finished. I do this exercise to simply reflect on the previous year. Books I Read 2025 Crow Planet Essential Wisdom From the Urban Wilderness Haupt, Lyanda Lynn New York : Little, Brown and Co., 2009. The Explosion of Deferred Dreams Musical Renaissance and Social Revolution […]
- [In Defense of Knobs](https://sfjournal.net/in-defense-of-knobs/): Eventually it happens. Your perfectly functioning, twenty-year-old TV becomes obsolete. When it was born it was state-of-the-art. Great color. Big screen. A remote that had the channels, the volume control and the all-important mute button. There were other buttons but they were never pushed. No need. The game is on. Let’s make some popcorn. But that old SONY is not “smart.” It does not connect to the internets. Out with the old. In with the new. A rather large Smart TV is but $200 these days. A pleasant but rather laconic young gentleman at Best Buy will get you all […]
- [The Quarterly Report - News From San Francisco - November 2025](https://sfjournal.net/the-quarterly-report-news-from-san-francisco-november-2025/): The Quarterly Report: A brief synopsis of the news in San Francisco over the last three months. You are now reading “Slow News That Doesn’t Break” – the exotic internet.
- [San Francisco Photos - October and November](https://sfjournal.net/san-francisco-photos-october-and-november/): San Francisco Photos from October and November, 2025. Always nice this time of year between rains. The sunset are are often spectacular. It gets dark around 6 pm.
- [Baseball, Big Pharma, 30 second ads and We Must All Just Be Sick](https://sfjournal.net/we-must-all-just-be-sick/): At one point it seemed that when you watched sports on television all you saw were either car commercials, truck commercials, insurance company commercials or fast food commercials. Everyone seemed to need both a Ford F150 truck towing off-terrain vehicles and of course – a Big Mac, fries and super-sized Coke. Some gravel road in a mythical mountain scenery with junk food trash strewn around the floor of your vehicle was the idea of nirvana. Those ads have not exactly gone away but now about a third of the commercials seem to be for pharmaceuticals whos names are as forgettable […]
- [No Kings Day - Photos from SF](https://sfjournal.net/no-kings-day-photos-from-sf/): No Kings Day on October 18, 2025 in San Francisco was a day of peaceful protest. 
- [King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution - A Review and Reflections](https://sfjournal.net/king-of-kings-the-iranian-revolution-a-review-and-reflections/): King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation is the full title of a book by Scott Anderson published in 2025.  The gist of the book is that the United States, distracted by the Soviet Union and the cold war, overly compartmentalized in its state department and spy networks, did not take the religious fundamentalism that was growing in Iran seriously.  Few people in the state department or even at the embassy spoke Farsi. Not many were in the smaller towns and countryside. Important warnings were ignored. Crucial reports where just filed away. While […]
- [October San Francisco Photos](https://sfjournal.net/october-san-francisco-photos/): October is a special time of year in San Francisco. The fog usually moves out and the long period swells start rolling in. The surfing gets good. This year we have had some early season rain which is quite welcome seeing as fires have been a major problem of late. With the cumulous clouds in the sky the sunsets have been magical. There is no reason to send in the National Guard or troops of any kind into San Francisco. As you can see by the photos there are no major disturbances. There is a fentanyl problem but that was […]
- [Google AI Mode and Artificial Persectives](https://sfjournal.net/google-ai-mode-and-artificial-persectives/): Journeys in AI and looking at how Google sees your website.
- [Hardly Strictly 2025 SF Journal Awards](https://sfjournal.net/hardly-strictly-2025-sf-journal-awards/): Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2025 took place in Golden Gate Park on Fri, Oct 3, 2025 – Sun, Oct 5, 2025. As is custom, we once again have given out the coveted Hardly Strictly 2025 SF Journal Awards
- [Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2025 - Preview](https://sfjournal.net/hardly-strictly-bluegrass-2025-preview/): Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2025 will take place in Golden Gate Park on Fri, Oct 3, 2025 – Sun, Oct 5, 2025. It is a free event and you can learn more about it at https://hardlystrictlybluegrass.com/. I have been attending the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival for many years and even do a sort of review and give out awards. It is all in good fun and looking back over it I did notice something. This year there are fewer headline acts and not many bands from New Orleans. In the past years there were big name artists like Steely Dan, Boz […]
- [The Song of Hawk - The Life and Recordings of Coleman Hawkins - A Review](https://sfjournal.net/the-song-of-hawk-the-life-and-recordings-of-coleman-hawkins-a-review/): The Song of Hawk – The Life and Recordings of Coleman Hawkins is a biography by John Chilton of Coleman Hawkins, one of the most influential tenor saxophonists and musicians of the twentieth century. John Chilton was an English trumpet player and working jazz musician, who has methodically chronicled every recording session that Coleman Hawkins ever played; this was a lot of sessions. Interspersed with the details of these sessions, are life events, gigs, travels and various quotes from musicians and others that give light to Hawkins and the environment he was living in. Coleman Hawkins was born in 1904 […]
- [The Quarterly Report - News From San Francisco - August 2025](https://sfjournal.net/the-quarterly-report-news-from-san-francisco-august-2025/): The Quarterly Report: A brief synopsis of the news in San Francisco over the last three months. You are now reading “Slow News That Doesn’t Break” – the exotic internet. Weather The weather in San Francisco in the summer is always foggy and cold. This year has been one of the coldest on record. Unlike many parts of the state, country and world, 2025 so far has been a year when San Franciscans have not had to deal with wildfire smoke, however, there are many months to go before the typical rainy season in the winter. Historically, summertime is when […]
- [If You Park Here, They Will Come and Other Expressions of Guarded Spaces](https://sfjournal.net/if-you-park-here-they-will-come-and-other-expressions-of-guarded-spaces/): There is something a bit whimsical and wry about this sign. It is a bit mean, passive-aggressive in a good way, and oblique. Everyone knows who “they” are. First, the little white golf cart looking vehicle with the guy wearing a bike helmet and the $63 blocking residential door ticket. Then the yellow tow truck and the $500 tow charge. Then the crazy hourly fees for storying your car far away from where you parked it. The parking tickets in San Francisco are all outlined in https://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/reports-and-documents/2024/05/sfmta_fees_and_fines_for_posting_effective_april_16_2025.pdf. One of the constants of living in San Francisco, is that parking tickets […]
- [Open History - San Francisco Photos](https://sfjournal.net/open-history-san-francisco-photos/): If you want to get an idea of how San Francisco was in the early twentieth century, it is fun to check out the photos at https://www.opensfhistory.org/ Not too long ago people got around on horses and entire neighborhoods had dirt streets. Empty lots where now there are houses that look like they have been there forever. Less trees. It is a bit shocking to see how a neighborhood on the south side of the city, the Excelsior, looked a little over a hundred years ago. At the time there surely were farms close by. Cows, goats and sheep. I […]
- [Pirates of the Digital Era - This is No Captain Jack Sparrow](https://sfjournal.net/pirates-of-the-digital-era-this-is-no-captain-jack-sparrow/): Essay that explores notions of the soul and self, copyright through the centuries and why in the digital era, the oligarchs are omnipotent.
- [Happy Birthday - Now Die!](https://sfjournal.net/happy-birthday-now-die/): One day it will happen. Though billionaire Peter Thiel thinks he can become immortal, the beauty of life is that it has its seasons. One day we all die. I did not make up this rule. It is just the way it is. So when Donald Trump dies and finds himself at the pearly gates and meets his maker, he asks God to let him into heaven. God  then asks Donald why? What virtues he has lived, whether he believes and loves Jesus and why he should give him eternal life. Donald responds that he Made America Great Again, deported […]
- [Book Recommendations for Understanding Our Political Realities](https://sfjournal.net/book-recommendations-for-understanding-our-political-realities/): If you are interested in learning about how our world got to this gilded age, where a few billionaires have amassed great wealth on the backs of ordinary citizens, a good place would be to check out of your local library Peter Thiel’s Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future. Thiel believes that monopolies are a good thing. His book is a business school manual and outlines how to create a monopoly and squash the little guy by getting the wealthy and hedge funds to invest in your company. You intentionally sell products for a […]
- [The Three Crosses - Reflections on a California Journey](https://sfjournal.net/the-three-crosses-reflections-on-a-california-journey/): The crucifix in three different eras. Exploring Mission Carmel Basilica, VW Eurovans and found objects from our recent technological past.
- [Trump Afterlife Insurance - Take it With You](https://sfjournal.net/trump-afterlife-insurance-take-it-with-you/): For a limited time, Trump Enterprises, LLC is offering something no one can possible refuse: Trump Afterlife Insurance. Have you ever worried that when you get to heaven, all those days toiling away, flipping burgers, answer the phone, driving a truck ten hours a day, doing the hard work of trading stocks or crypto would leave you nothing when you get to the pearly gates? WORRY NO MORE! Now with Trump Afterlife Insurance, you can rest assured that all that hard-earn loot can follow you to heaven. Stocks and  bonds? Gold and other precious metals? No problem. Even crypto will still […]
- [Great Highway: Journey to the Soul of San Francisco Surfing - A Movie Review](https://sfjournal.net/great-highway-journey-to-the-soul-of-san-francisco-surfing-a-review/): Great Highway traces the roots of Bay Area surfing and explores the changes that time reveals. The history is told by those who lived it in the freezing cold Bay Area conditions. Starring Jack O'Neill, Jack LaLanne, Fred Van Dyke, Michael Ho and others.
- [The Quarterly Report - News From San Francisco -June 2025](https://sfjournal.net/the-quarterly-report-news-from-san-francisco-june-2025/): The Quarterly Report: A brief synopsis of the news in San Francisco over the last three months. You are now reading “Slow News That Doesn’t Break” – the exotic internet. Weather April turned into May and now it is June. Summer in San Francisco has begun. Along the coast you often have a marine layer, otherwise known as fog. This marine layer will sometimes burn off in the afternoon and then we get the strong onshore northwest winds. It is a time for morning walks and afternoon kiteboarding. The surf season is pretty much over until the fall as most […]
- [Beware the Next Time You Honk the Horn](https://sfjournal.net/beware-the-next-time-you-honk-the-horn/): From Steve Leiner’s The Honest Truth Real Happenings Far Funnier Than Fiction A woman’s car broke down at a stop sign. As she tried to restart it, the car behind her kept honking. The woman calmly got out, walked over, and politely asked the man at the wheel. “Sir, if you could help me start my car, I’d be happy to sit here and honk your horn for you.” – The Honest Truth: Real Happenings Far Funnier than Fiction by Steve Leiner
- [San Francisco Carnaval 2025 Photos](https://sfjournal.net/san-francisco-carnaval-2025-photos/): San Francisco Carnaval in 2025 took place on May 24 and 25. Both days were mostly sunny with strong westerly winds in the afternoon. I caught a little of the 17th Street stage on Saturday. Sunday we went to the parade. True to form, San Francisco Carnaval is an amazing display of the diverse cultures in San Francisco from the Latin American and Afro-Caribbean worlds – Mexico, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Brazil, Peru, Cuba, Bolivia, Puerto Rico, Trinidad. I am sure I missed some countries. It is festival and parade were there are no corporate sponsors. So refreshing! It is a […]
- [Valencia Bike Lane Construction Updates](https://sfjournal.net/valencia-bike-lane-construction-updates/): UPDATE: 5/28/2025 The Valencia Street Bike Lane Project is really pretty much done. They got rid of the ugly silly center lane earlier in March and repaved that part of the road with fresh blacktop. The bike lane now zig zags around parklets. Cars have to park further into the street (I like it how now car folks need to watch out for the bikes when walking to the sidewalk – the narrative is flipped). Also, there is plenty of space for cars to drop off people. This is the plan that I thought would work best a few years […]
- [No Need for Alcatraz, You Can Stay at Rikers](https://sfjournal.net/no-need-for-alcatraz-you-can-stay-at-rikers/): “That is why, today, I am directing the Bureau of Prisons, together with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ, to house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders.” Donald Trump = May 5, 2025, AP News It never ends. The crazy, ridiculous ideas. Donald Trump wants to save the government money but at the same time wants to open a prison that was closed sixty years ago because it was far too expensive to maintain and run. He seems to have a fetish with incarceration. Someone should inform him that there […]
- [The Henry Miller 2025 - Bicycle to Big Sur](https://sfjournal.net/the-henry-miller-bicycle-to-big-sur/): A week-long bike trip from San Francisco to Big Sur. Boulder Creek, New Brighton State Park, Monterey and Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.
- [Stand Still Like the Hummingbird Quote - Henry Miller](https://sfjournal.net/stand-still-like-the-hummingbird-quote/): "The language of society is conformity; the language of the individual is freedom...
- [Quotes for the Week](https://sfjournal.net/quotes-for-the-week/): Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. - Aldous Huxley
- [Earth Day Celebration - High on a Wire](https://sfjournal.net/earth-day-celebration-high-on-a-wire/): In celebration of Earth Day here is a song I wrote last year in 2024 named High On a Wire. Paul Lyons on guitar and voice. Bird recording is from the Kickapoo River in Wisconsin at dusk that I made while on a bike tour (there are seven different bird songs). Indeed, we are “burnin’ this place down.” I have a strange feeling that the birds will again outlast us. Em7/B A7/C#  Am7 G VERSE 1 Those are birds that sing them songs. Been doing that all along . Those are birds that sing them songs Quite alright to sing […]
- [Sunset Dunes Park - Ocean Beach - Saturday, April 12, 2025](https://sfjournal.net/sunset-dunes-park-ocean-beach-saturday-april-12-2025/): Photos of opening day at the new park on the Upper Great Highway at Ocean Beach. They call it Sunset Dunes. People will probably always call it “OB.” It is great how they got things in motion so quickly. So many great ideas! Skate park, public art, open pianos, great spots to view the waves at Noriega Street.  
- [Rants and More Rants - Everyone is a Customer](https://sfjournal.net/rants-and-more-rants-everyone-is-a-customer/): We live in a time when everyone is a customer. People are no longer citizens, patients or students. People do not see themselves as citizens. Sacrifices are just for suckers. Many people voted for Donald Trump because they liked his brand and product and did not like Harris’s laugh. They chose a president like they would toilet paper. They identified with his selfishness and saw themselves or a version of themselves.  Rich, selfish, scatterbrained, pugnacious, white, demanding and full of ego. Game the system. Look out for number one. Greed is the new virtue. The health care world no longer […]
- [Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan - A Review](https://sfjournal.net/barbarian-days-a-surfing-life-a-review/): These novels will give way, by and by, to diaries or autobiographies – captivating books, if only a man knew how to choose among what he calls his experiences that which is really his experience, and how to record truth truly.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson William Finnegan’s – Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life is a memoir. It is mostly a true story of a life where the common thread is surfing. Finnegan grew up in Southern California and Hawaii and at one point when he was just a grom the waves were not far from his family’s humble house near […]
- [The Quarterly Report - News From San Francisco -March 2025](https://sfjournal.net/the-quarterly-report-news-from-san-francisco-march-2025/): The Quarterly Report: A brief synopsis of the news in San Francisco over the last three months. You are now reading “Slow News That Doesn’t Break” – the exotic internet. Weather After a very dry January, while Los Angeles burned, San Francisco had weeks on end of glorious sunshine. Then in February  we got two major storms.  The wind hit from the west and the storms came down good and hard. The roads turned into rivers and snow piled up in the mountains. People had to drive with chains, just like the good ‘ole days. At Donner Summit they have […]
- [The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis - On Ignorance](https://sfjournal.net/the-fifth-risk-by-michael-lewis-on-ignorance/): Indeed, if you are seeking to preserve a world view, it actually helps to gut science. Trump’s budget, like the social forces behind it, is powered by a perverse desire – to remain ignorant. Donald Trump did not invent this desire. He was just the ultimate expression. Michael Lewis – The Fifth Risk The Fifth Risk is a book about how the federal government does all sorts of things people take for granted. They make sure our food is safe. They make sure nuclear waste does not end up in the ground water or our rivers. They make sure airplanes […]
- ["James" the Novel - A Review](https://sfjournal.net/james-the-novel-a-review/): James is a novel by author Percival Everett and is based on Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. It tells the story in the first person not from the character Huck but through the enslaved person Jim. Huck Finn is a classic work of American literature that everyone has heard of but as I am finding few people have actually read. Ernest Hemingway is quoted as saying “all modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn.” A few years ago I wanted to revisit this Twain classic. Thinking I could pick up a copy at […]
- [The Explosion of Deferred Dreams - A Review](https://sfjournal.net/the-explosion-of-deferred-dreams-a-review/): There are many ways to learn about history and events. One is by researching published accounts of the time – books, newspapers and magazines. Another is to get first hand accounts through interviews. A third way is to actually have lived through the time and events and report what happened through first-hand observation. The The Explosion of Deferred Dreams: Musical Renaissance and Social Revolution in San Francisco, 1965-1975 by San Francisco native Mat Callahan, published by PM Press uses all three. Often times books about popular music become fan literature and lightweight puff-pieces, highlighting the usual tabloid events. In contrast […]
- [Elon Musk and the Refactor of the Treasury Payment System](https://sfjournal.net/elon-musk-and-the-refactor-of-the-treasury-payment-system/): Can I call you back? Busy helping Elon put “buy” and “share” buttons on all the individual financial records in the U.S. Treasury payment system. Just a minor refactor. – joke by Paul Lyons intended for IT professionals and marketing people While we read about the Elon coup d’état of 2025 the news reports lack significant information. The system that Elon and his young henchmen are accessing is called “Secure Payment System, or SPS.” They evidently have “read-only” access. Some reports say “read-only” access to the code base.  This is very reassuring. I like my Social Security number just the […]
- [Rants and More Rants - February 2025](https://sfjournal.net/rants-and-more-rants-february-2025/): I have created a new category Rants and More Rants. It is where I can write rambling screeds and jump from topic to topic. In George Carlin’s monologues he would often break into these types of rants by starting with “whhhhhhhhhhy”?  Sometimes in this crazy world, you have to just freestyle it. I don’t know anything and have no perspective, but here is my comment…. I feel better now. Barnstorm in 2013 on the defunct website Stoke Report Why do the security people at federal buildings allow Elon Musk and his henchmen in the door? How is it possible that […]
- [Sierra Mountains - Early January 2025](https://sfjournal.net/sierra-mountains-early-january-2025/): #ski-cheap, #ski-deals, #donner-summit, #mid-week-ski-deals-tahoe, #ski-bumming On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday you can ski at Donner Ski Ranch for $69 which they call Old School Days. You buy your ticket at the counter which you attach to your jacket with a metal wire. Ask your dad. Donner Ski Ranch is one of the last family owned ski resorts. It is a medium-sized place with a lovely backside where on power days runs can remain untouched into the afternoon. It is an historic mountain where the early California skiers made some of the first turns. On the top is Signal Peak. In […]
- [Photos from San Francisco - December and January](https://sfjournal.net/photos-from-san-francisco-december-and-january/): Photos from San Francisco - December 2024 and January 2025
- [Books I Read in 2024](https://sfjournal.net/books-i-read-in-2024/): In 2024 most of the books I read were courtesy of the San Francisco Public Library. I read parts of books and checked out books that I was simply curious about. The San Francisco Public Library is an amazing resource. Below is a list of books that I finished. I do this exercise to simply reflect on the previous year. One of my favorite books of the year was Tropical Truth a Story of Music and Revolution in Brazil by Caetano Veloso. It is a book written by the musical artist and illuminates music in Brazil during the 1960s and […]
- [The Quarterly Report - News From San Francisco - December 2024](https://sfjournal.net/the-quarterly-report-news-from-san-francisco-december-2024/): The Quarterly Report: A brief synopsis of the news in San Francisco over the last three months. You are now reading “Slow News That Doesn’t Break” – the exotic internet. Local and National Politics On November 5th, 2024 Daniel Lurie was elected mayor of San Francisco and Donald Trump is now the president-elect of the United States. Two billionaire white guys defeated two Bay Area Black women. In the case of the presidency it will have have grave consequences. And so it goes. Look like nothing’s gonna change Everything still remains the same I can’t do what ten people tell […]
- [Golden Gate Park Bison Paddock](https://sfjournal.net/golden-gate-park-bison-paddock/): If you want to really slow down, there is nothing like hanging out with the buffalo in Golden Gate Park.
- [Dear George Washington - The Faction Has Won](https://sfjournal.net/dear-george-washington-the-faction-has-won-part-2/): A post-election letter to George Washington confirming his warnings of "cunning and ambitious" men.
- [Dear George Washington - On Healthcare - Part 1](https://sfjournal.net/dear-george-washington-on-healthcare-part-1/): A letter to George Washington on progress in the field of medicine - dentistry, antibiotics and the state of the Union. 
- [San Francisco Photos - October](https://sfjournal.net/san-francisco-photos-october/): In the beautiful city of San Francisco, the tourists are back, mostly walking around Fisherman’s Wharf. The days are now mostly clear with some much-needed rain in the forecast. It is the season to head out to Ocean Beach, get some fresh air away from all the madness and enjoy the views.
- [George Washington's Farewell Address - Warnings For Our Times](https://sfjournal.net/george-washingtons-farewell-address-warnings-for-our-times/): From Washington’s Farewell Address – To The People Of The United States, written in 1796 with help from Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, around halfway in you read: All obstructions to the execution of the laws, all combinations and associations under whatever plausible character, with the real design to direct, control, counteract, or awe the regular deliberation and action of the constituted authorities, are destructive of this fundamental principle and of fatal tendency. They serve to organize faction, to give it an artificial and extraordinary force—to put in the place of the delegated will of the nation the will of […]
- [On Tranquility of the Mind - Seneca Quote](https://sfjournal.net/on-tranquility-of-the-mind/): We ought to take outdoor walks, to refresh and raise our spirits by deep breathing in the open air. Sometimes energy will be refreshed by a carriage drive, a journey, a change of scene, good company and a more generous wine. Upon occasion we should go as far as intoxication, half-seas over, not total immersion. Drink washes cares away, stirs the mind from its lowest depths, and is a specific for sadness as for certain maladies. From The Stoic Philosophy of Seneca – On Tranquility of the Mind Deep breathing, travel, company, half-seas over quantity of wine. Sounds like stoicism […]
- [Kamala Harris for President and Local SF Election Picks](https://sfjournal.net/kamala-harris-for-president-and-local-sf-election-picks/): The San Francisco Journal endorses Kamala Harris for President. Aaron Peskin for Mayor. YES on Prop K.
- [Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2024](https://sfjournal.net/hardly-strictly-bluegrass-2024/): The weather is looking great for a weekend of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, the free festival brought to you by the benevolent billionaire Warren Hellman who passed away a few years back but endowed HSB for an undisclosed amount of time. The free festival takes place October 4-6 in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Some of the hardest working touring bands play the festival. It is some bluegrass, some country, some Nashville, some Northern California rock, a lot of Indie, some singer/songwriter, some folk and even a little New Orleans. It is people’s music and really all about the song. […]
- [Traffic Lights, Artificial Intelligence and Driverless Cars Stopped at Red Lights](https://sfjournal.net/traffic-lights-artificial-intelligence-and-driverless-cars-stopped-at-red-lights/): You see them everywhere is San Francisco these days – driverless cars. Waymo uses a Jaguar with cameras all over the place. George Orwell is probably mumbling “I told you so!” from his grave. Driverless cars are found on slow streets, going up and down hills in neighborhoods, in downtown during rush hour, on crowded streets by Golden Gate Park – sometimes two, one after another.  No one in the driver’s seat. Rarely a passenger in the backseat. They creep me out. I was thinking about these cars that often clog up our busy streets, endlessly mapping the terrain, when […]
- [September in San Francisco - Photos and the Marine Layer](https://sfjournal.net/september-in-san-francisco-photos-and-the-marine-layer/): September 2024 has been a cold and windy month with a lot of fog and wind. If you plan on visiting San Francisco, definitely bring a light jacket and some warm clothes. Usually by this time of year we have some sunny autumn days but not in 2024. Festivals around the city have been a bit fogged-in and blustery. Flower Piano and the Haight-Ashbury Street Fair have taken place mostly on the fog.  Always best to head a bit east to see the clear skies and warmer temperatures. The Mission, Crane Cove Park and Potrero have been sunny.
- [Sept 21, High Noon in Every Time Zone - United Nations International Day of Peace in San Francisco](https://sfjournal.net/sept-21-high-noon-in-every-time-zone-united-nations-international-day-of-peace-in-san-francisco/): 40th Anniversary of the First Global Celebration of the United Nations International Day of Peace in San Francisco Join the PeaceWave A Minute of Silence, a Moment of Peace Sept 21, High Noon in Every Time Zone 3 Billion People from over 200 Countries to Participate PeaceWave launched from San Francisco in 1984 gathers more and more strength as it circumnavigates the globe for its 40th year in observance of the United Nations International Day of Peace this September 21. In a universal symbol of unity, digital billboards in San Francisco will display video of glowing candle at noon and […]
- [Kamala Harris and Tim Walz - How Myths and Fiction Become Reality](https://sfjournal.net/kamala-harris-and-tim-walz-how-myths-and-fiction-become-reality/): The national political scene, with all the pundits and polls, the constant news updates, the never-ending spectacle, the name calling, the disrespect all make for a wild and sometime entertaining ride for our modern-day, short attention spans. What often goes unnoticed is how art, in particular films, have often  predicted our political realities and the miraculous turn of events. This is rarely mentioned in the mainstream press. ACT 1 When Joe Biden decided to retire I could relate. Eighty-one years old and all the slogging through the blizzards of bullshit, spin doctors, fundraising speeches, jet-lag, international turmoil beyond your control, […]
- [News from San Francisco - The Quarterly Report - September 2024](https://sfjournal.net/news-from-san-francisco-the-quarterly-report-september-2024/): The Quarterly Report: A brief synopsis of the news in San Francisco over the last three months. You are now reading “Slow News That Doesn’t Break” – the exotic internet. National Politics Kamala Harris, the former San Francisco District Attorney is the Democratic Party nominee for president. This turn of events happened quickly and San Francisco and Oakland are generally very proud and excited about her running and winning the election; it was in the nick of time. While Kamala Harris was D.A. of San Francisco I do not remember too many details but you can read an excellent piece […]
- [Fort Funston - Fantastic Views of the Pacific Ocean](https://sfjournal.net/fort-funston-fantastic-views-of-the-pacific-ocean/): All the best things in life are definitely free and one of those free things is Fort Funston. Sonner or later every San Franciscan makes it to Fort Funston, the land at the edge of the continent, on  top of the bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Fort Funston is a favorite place to walk a dog, explore bunkers and tunnels from World War II, watch hang gliders soar high above the surf or simply look out into the abyss and ponder the meaning of life.  Along Skyline Boulevard, not too far from Westlake Shopping center, just past Lake Merced is […]
- [Notes From the Road - The Midwest and Montana](https://sfjournal.net/notes-from-the-road-the-midwest-and-montana/): Bicycling from Minneapolis to Madison, Amtrak in Columbus, Wisconsin to Glacier National Park. Photos, maps and recipes.
- [Bob Garfield, Julian Assange and The Definition of Journalism](https://sfjournal.net/bob-garfield-julian-assange-and-the-definition-of-journalism/): He was charming and playful as he interacted with the judge. npr -Julian Assange Pleads Guilty  The release of Julian Assange after years in a UK jail made me remember an op-ed by Bob Garfield on the subject. Garfield’s key point is that Assange is not a journalist but a broker of stolen goods and that the press is under attack but not in this case. His op-ed is nuanced in a way you rarely see in this absolutist political world. I think that Assange, as the quote above illustrates, became a bit of a media darling with his premature […]
- [4742 Mission Street, The Old El Tapatio now Almost Finished](https://sfjournal.net/4742-mission-street-the-old-el-tapatio-now-almost-finished/): 4742 Mission Street is now a five-story building. It has been under construction for a few years. It looks to be a mix of residential and first-floor retail but the end result is still a bit of a mystery. The windows are in. The paint has dried. Who knows? It may be fenced-off for months or years as that is what can happen out here in the hinterlands of San Francisco. The location was once El Tapatio, a dance hall with live bands.  A few years back I wrote about this historic location in a piece – El Tapatio Closed […]
- [What Kind of Bird Can’t Fly: A Memoir of Resilience and Resurrection - A Review](https://sfjournal.net/what-kind-of-bird-cant-fly-a-memoir-of-resilience-and-resurrection-a-review/): I heard about What Kind of Bird Can’t Fly: A Memoir of Resilience and Resurrection by Dorsey Nunn while listening to an interview of Dorsey on Sheer Intelligence. It is an inspiring read and for anyone in the San Francisco Bay Area a window into maybe a world on the other side of the tracks – in this case, the other side of the freeway. Dorsey is a remarkable person who really is an inspiration, He proves that it is never too late to have hope and change your ways and create a better world. The book is a memoir […]
- [San Francisco Carnaval 2024](https://sfjournal.net/san-francisco-carnaval-2024/): San Francisco Carnaval 2024 took place on May 24 and 25. The weather on Saturday was a bit cold and cloudy but on Sunday the sun came out for the parade. It was a glorious day.  Below are some photos I took of the parade and the fun on Harrison Street. The Radio Valencia Rumberos were amazing. Grand Marshall Rigoberta Menchú was on a float. A very brave and interesting person.  https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1992/tum/biographical/ Indigenous icon Rigoberta Menchú Tum met her main mentors in SF
- [OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Adaptability](https://sfjournal.net/openai-ceo-sam-altman-and-adaptability/): “My takeaway is human adaptability to almost anything is just like much more remarkably strong than we realize, and you can get used to anything as the new normal, good or bad, pretty fast,” Altman said. “Over the last couple of years, I’ve learned that lesson many times.” Sam Altman – OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says he can no longer eat in public in S.F. Sam Altman is 39 years old and seems to be a darling of the tech industry. He SMS messages usually in all lowercase, was a key player in OpenAI, a new artificial intelligence software company, […]
- [Emerson Quote](https://sfjournal.net/emerson-quote/): These novels will give way, by and by, to diaries or autobiographies – captivating books, if only a man knew how to choose among what he calls his experiences that which is really his experience, and how to record truth truly.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
- [News from SF - The Quarterly Report - May 2024](https://sfjournal.net/news-from-sf-the-quarterly-report-may-2024/): A brief synopsis of the news in San Francisco over the last three months. 
- [A Banquet of Consequences - Quote of the Week](https://sfjournal.net/a-banquet-of-consequences/): “Sooner or later everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences.” – Robert Louis Stevenson The quote above is by Robert Louis Stevenson. I ran into it while reading a very interesting book, Cuba on The Verge. The beauty of the quote above is that it is timeless and universal – devoid of politics.
- [Washington's Dream - SNL - Weights and Measures - Excellent Slow News](https://sfjournal.net/washingtons-dream-snl-weights-and-measures-excellent-slow-news/): I do not know who wrote the Saturday Night Live skit above, but it is very funny. It was probably a team of writers. But nobody knows. I have always wondered why comedians today do not make more use of historical figures, especially the “founding fathers.” Humor can then merge with irony in a way that reaches a wider audience. It is like slow news, perhaps “slow humor,” where the vantage is long, and the costumes essential. You do not cringe. Instead everyone simply laughs as the truths are often of the everyday, non-political, small world. It is humor that […]
- [Louis Menand Quote About Music - The Free World](https://sfjournal.net/louis-menand-quote-about-music-the-free-world/): Race had a lot to do with the music business in the United States. It had mush less to do with the music.
- [San Francisco Photos - March 2024](https://sfjournal.net/san-francisco-photos-march-2024/)
- [Historic Klamath River Dam Removal - Interesting Story Off the Radar](https://sfjournal.net/historic-klamath-river-dam-removal-interesting-story-off-the-radar/): A news story that get very little coverage is the Klamath River dam removal project.  In January 2024 the last dam was “removed” and the river started flowing unimpeded for the first time in over 100 years.  Of course, change of this nature (no pun intended) is difficult for many parties involved.  When dams are removed you end up with  “mud-flats” and the entire ecosystem has to readjust to the new river. 6 Things You Need To Know About The Klamath River Dam Removals To listen to a very good and informative discussion, listen to this episode on KALW’s Your […]
- [Books I Read in 2023](https://sfjournal.net/books-i-read-in-2023/): In 2023 I finally got it together and started really using the San Francisco Public Library, putting books I wanted to read on hold, reading parts of books and checking out books that I was simply curious about. The library is an amazing resource. Below is a list of books that I finished. I do this exercise to simply reflect on the previous year. Books I Read 2023 The Shipping News Annie Proulx Charles Scribner’s Sons Without a doubt you can find this book in any Goodwill or Salvation Army. A very interesting read. Beloved Toni Morrison Vintage; Reprint edition […]
- [News from SF - The Quarterly Report - February 2024](https://sfjournal.net/news-from-sf-the-quarterly-report-february-2024/): The Quarterly Report: A brief synopsis of the news in San Francisco over the last three months. You are now reading “Slow News That Doesn’t Break” – the exotic internet. Sporting News After two very close playoff games, the San Francisco 49ers are headed to the Super Bowl to take on the Kansas City Chiefs.  A miraculous catch by Brandon Aiyuk on a very deep pass that actually bounced off the defender’s facemask may be the reason they are in the big game.  Of course, the entire Bay Area is excited and it will be a wild weekend. Go Niners! […]
- [Candlestick Park - Now Just a Field of Dreams](https://sfjournal.net/candlestick-park/): At the very south end of San Francisco, at the eastern edge by the bay, along Highway 101 is Candlestick Point. At one time it was home to Candlestick Park, the massive concrete stadium where the San Francisco Giants played baseball and the San Francisco 49ers played football. It has surely been home to many events – monster truck shows, rock concerts, soccer matches. It was a large stadium made of concrete and a place best used to watch the 49ers play their gladiator sport. No soft chairs and few cozy luxury boxes. It was made like a parking garage […]
- ["Romney A Reckoning" by McKay Coppins - A Review and Quotes](https://sfjournal.net/romney-a-reckoning-a-review/): Even though people refused to take heed, Mitt Romney warns that Republicans vote in step with Trump for fear of their and their family's safety. Welcome to totalitarianism. Mitt Romney was from a prior era of Republicans. 
- [Dear New York Times - Please Unsubscribe Me to Your Publication](https://sfjournal.net/dear-new-york-times-please-unsubscribe-me-to-your-publication/): Dear New York Times, It was probably just a matter of time. I started paying for a subscription to the NYT after a friend suggested I start playing Wordle, the clever five letter word game. It was sort of like giving a taste just to draw me into your house of mirrors. I have enjoyed the game and have had a streak of fifty-four continuous wins at one point. With the paid subscription I began reading the news primarily and some of the essays by the opinion writers. The guest essays are often quite fun. Big names like Hillary Clinton, […]
- [The April 2023 Atlantic Essay That Went Under the Radar - The Moral Case Against Equity Language](https://sfjournal.net/the-2023-essay-that-went-under-the-radar-the-moral-case-against-equity-language/): THE MORAL CASE AGAINST EQUITY LANGUAGE What’s a “justice-involved person”? By George Packer In the April 2023 issue of The Atlantic is an article by George Packer that was very insightful that oddly did not seem to stir up any debate. The article brings up something that is under the radar in our current society, but on everyone’s minds. The Moral Case Against Equity Language outlines how language today is being regulated by new equity guideline teams. In marketing lingo these guidelines often are a part of what are called style guides.  Words have power and the object is to […]
- [JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park](https://sfjournal.net/jfk-drive-in-golden-gate-park/): “In November 2022, San Francisco voters reaffirmed the previous legislation, making the new JFK Promenade a permanent car-free route enjoyed by a wide range of visitors. Along the route, visitors can enjoy art installations, public pianos, rest stops and enhanced entrances featuring seating and lawn games, and live music.” JFK Promenade One of the beautiful things that happened during the COVID 19 pandemic was the creation of slow-streets. Entire blocks where closed to through-traffic cars. San Francisco got outside and walked down the middle of streets. Kids learned how to ride bikes. Roller skaters searched out the best blacktop and […]
- [BREAKING NEWS: San Francisco Aqua Surf Shop Holds Gnarly Surf Contest at Sloat](https://sfjournal.net/breaking-news-san-francisco-aqua-surf-shop-holds-gnarly-surf-contest-at-sloat/): With the swell measuring around 8 feet at 12 seconds, on the morning of December 3, it was observed that the Aqua Surf Shop was holding some sort of surf contest. The surf was gnarly and the paddle-out ridiculous – rows and rows of white water to paddle through just to get to the outside.  It looked impossible but the contestants, both women and men in their twenties seemed to be able to make their way past the inside close-outs. Just nasty out there. UPDATE: The contest is what is called the ‘Battle of the Bay’ competition. This has been […]
- [Buried - The 1982 Alpine Meadows Avalanche - A Review](https://sfjournal.net/buried-the-1982-alpine-meadows-avalanche-a-review/): Buried – The 1982 Alpine Meadows Avalanche is a documentary film from 2021 that tells the story of a massive avalanche. You can now watch this movie on various streaming services including Netflix. Throughout history the mountains have had various meanings. In the Middle Ages, mountains were thought to be places where evil lurked and venturing  into the mountains was a deal with the devil.  Mountains were dark, mysterous places where ungodly people hid out.  Since the sixteenth century, mountains have taken on a more sacred place in the Western imagination.  By the nineteenth century, mountains were seen as a […]
- [BREAKING NEWS: Man on Stand-up Paddleboard Surfs 15 to 20 Foot Wave at Ocean Beach](https://sfjournal.net/breaking-news-man-on-stand-up-paddleboard-surfs-15-to-20-foot-wave-at-ocean-beach/): While the San Francisco Journal is dedicated to “Slow News that Does not Break,” we have breaking news today. Late in the day, on November 25th, 2023, during a northwest swell that delivered waves in the 15 to 20 foot range, it was observed that at the south end of the beach a man caught a rather large wave on a stand-up paddleboard. After catching the wave he went right down the face and stayed comfortably on the shoulder until wiping out when the wave closed out. He then caught the the next wave riding his board on his stomach […]
- [News from SF - The Quarterly Report - October/November 2023](https://sfjournal.net/news-from-sf-the-quarterly-report-october-november-2023/): The Quarterly Report: A brief synopsis of the news in San Francisco over the last three months. Weather While the world has experienced floods, droughts, earthquakes and hurricanes, the San Francisco weather pattern has been quite normal lately. We had a typical Indian Summer pattern for a while then a bit of rain. The skies are clear and we are now experiencing beautiful sunsets. In the coming week there should be off-shore winds out of the east. If you you come to San Francisco, bring a light jacket and warm hat. It does get chilly from time to time. Politics […]
- [Digital Millennium Copyright Act 25 Year Anniversary](https://sfjournal.net/digital-millennium-copyright-act-25-year-anniversary/): It is now October 2023, twenty-five years after the passage of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The DMCA is a law that has defined the digital era and oddly it is rarely in the press. 
- [2023 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival SF Journal Awards](https://sfjournal.net/2023-hardly-strictly-bluegrass-festival-sf-journal-awards/): The 2023 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate Park was  the last weekend of September – Sep 29, 2023 – Oct 1, 2023. My buddy Steve from Atlanta was in town and we went all three days, listened to a lot of bands, and had a blast. When you look over the schedule, you notice right away that it will be a tyranny of choices. So many bands. So little time. We did not even make it to a few of the stages this year, choosing to stay at good front row spots at some of our favorite stages. […]
- [Discovering Blindness "Ensaio sobre a cegueira" by José Saramago](https://sfjournal.net/discovering-blindness-ensaio-sobre-a-cegueira-by-jose-saramago/): Blindness (Portuguese: Ensaio sobre a cegueira, meaning Essay on Blindness) is a 1995 novel by the Portuguese author José Saramago. It is one of Saramago’s most famous novels, along with The Gospel According to Jesus Christ and Baltasar and Blimunda. In 1998, Saramago received the Nobel Prize for Literature, and Blindness was one of his works noted by the committee when announcing the award.[1] Wikipedia A few weeks ago I was in Mexico City when I had run out of reading material. When in a country where English is not the first language, it is often very difficult to find […]
- [Louis Menand Quote on History](https://sfjournal.net/louis-menand-quote-on-history/): “The critical massing of conditions that enables a way of life to come into being is almost impossible to detect while it is happening, and so is its deterioration. The world just rolls over, without anyone noticing exactly when, and a new set of circumstances is put into place. But the impulse to hold onto the past is very strong, and it is often very hard to understand why things that worked once can’t continue to work. A lot of energy and imagination are consumed trying to fit old systems to new settings, though the pegs keep getting squarer and […]
- [News from SF - The Quarterly Report](https://sfjournal.net/news-from-sf-the-quarterly-report/): The Quarterly Report: A brief synopsis of the news in San Francisco over the last three months. Weather Often chilly and foggy with a marine layer along the coast. Air quality generally pretty good. Bring a light jacket. If you are by the ocean bring more layers. Politics In a 3-to-1 vote, the commission decided to let self-driving cars expand their programs and allow them to basically operate like taxis. So now these cars can pick up passengers and charge a fare at all hours of the day. Up until now, the companies had pretty limited passenger pickup programs. – […]
- [Symphony Bicicleta - July 2023](https://sfjournal.net/symphony-bicicleta-july-2023/): "I see Merriweather Lewis in the rear view mirror driving a big rig, horn a blastin’ down Interstate 84. His sidekick Clark riding shotgun. Eyes bloodshot, he pulls a long draw on the flask. "  A summer adventure in the American West on a bicycle.
- [Jay's Wisdom](https://sfjournal.net/jays-wisdom/): I don’t like to give people like that rent-free space in my head. Direct quote from a smart young fellow I met on the train when dealing with people who piss you off. Brilliant. Voltaire would approve.
- [Quote From the Road](https://sfjournal.net/quote-from-the-road/): Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.
- [Lucca's New Drive Thru Window](https://sfjournal.net/luccas-new-drive-thru-window/): Lucca’s Ravioli was a special place in San Francisco that closed down a few years back – https://sfjournal.net/lucca-ravioli-co-nothing-lasts-forever/. It was a real Italian Deli that made fresh fresh ravioli. Recently a police car drove though the front window. The Mission Local (https://missionlocal.org/2023/06/sfpd-squad-car-crashes-into-luccas-after-high-speed-chase/) seems to have covered this bizarre and tragic  event better than other news outlets. Poor Lucca’s Ravioli! It closed down a few years back and now a police car, while chasing a car, ends up driving through the front door. Is this a scene out of a Buster Keaton movie, or maybe Smokey and the Bandit?  Why are cops […]
- [A Father's Day Story](https://sfjournal.net/a-fathers-day-story/): For some reason when Father’s Day comes around I mostly think about my own father. John O. Lyons was my dad. He had six kids and lived a fascinating life full of youthful enthusiasm during his early years, adventure then the pragmatic realism of fathering during his middle years, and  a comfortable retirement later in life while he took his pills and struggled with Parkinson’s Disease. One of his books, The Invention of the Self: The Hinge of Consciousness in the Eighteenth Century, Southern Illinois University Press (1978) is an amazing read. The first chapter “Into the Void” should be […]
- [San Francisco's First Juneteenth Parade](https://sfjournal.net/san-franciscos-first-juneteenth-parade/): As a celebration of liberation and freedom, on June 10th, 2023, there was a Juneteenth Parade down Market Street in San Francisco. The parade headed west. On bicycle, I headed down to the event going east down side streets then on Market taking in the many floats. There were a few drum-based bands, lots of beautiful and amazing cars, youth groups, a float dedicated to William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. (1810 – May 18, 1848) one of the earliest biracial-black U.S. citizens in California and one of the founders of the city that became San Francisco. (we learn something new everyday), […]
- [Banning the Wrong Books](https://sfjournal.net/banning-the-wrong-books/): …the truth is, that when a Library expels a book of mine and leaves an unexpurgated Bible lying around where unprotected youth and age can get hold of it, the deep unconscious irony of it delights me and doesn’t anger me.” Mark Twain – concerning the banning of “Eve’s Diary,” a comic short story by Mark Twain There has been much news about the banning of books of late. A sort of totalitarian energy in our world has emerged in a way reminiscent of earlier times. The “thought police” is hard at work. With opinion becoming increasingly confused for truth […]
- [Carnaval 2023 - It Just Gets Better and Better](https://sfjournal.net/carnaval-2023-it-just-gets-better-and-better/): San Francisco Carnaval takes place every year during Memorial Day weekend It is one of those “under the radar” events that seems to be attended by the locals in the know. Saturday along Harrison Street featured many musical performances on different stages, food vendors and various activities. I particularly enjoyed the lineup on Saturday at the 22nd Street and Harrison Stage with some very talented and prepared local Bay Area musicians. The stage closed the day with Los Van Van from Cuba. 1:00PM BULULU 2:00PM SABOR DE MI CUBA 3:00PM AKHEEL MESTAYER QUINTET 4:00PM LOS VAN VAN Tragically, Juan Formell, […]
- [In the City of Bikes: The Story of the Amsterdam Cyclist - Great Summer Reading](https://sfjournal.net/in-the-city-of-bikes-the-story-of-the-amsterdam-cyclist-great-summer-reading/): The book In the City of Bikes: The Story of the Amsterdam Cyclist by Pete Jordon is featured in a very entertaining 99% Invisible episode De Fiets is Niets/. In the City of Bikes is a fast read about both the twists and turns of both Amsterdam and Jordon’s  journal with the bicycle. It is well-researched and the quotes about and from the various characters integral to the story make it a light read. Perfect for the beach or nearby lake. In the City of Bikes: The Story of the Amsterdam Cyclist By Pete Jordan Publisher: ‎ Harper Perennial; 0 […]
- [History Books are Not Meant To Make You Feel Comfortable](https://sfjournal.net/history-books-are-not-meant-to-make-you-feel-comfortable/): Florida and The “Don’t Make Me Feel Guilty Act” The selling and buying of textbooks is a big business and in Florida they are actively controlling  textbooks often concerning the instruction of  issues of race and social protest.  Florida and Governor Ron DeSantis have been much in the news for various censorship bills. Some of the language in the Florida bill CS/HB 7— Individual Freedom  is rather strange. It  attempts to make it so kids are not made to feel guilty through association. I am not sure whether there are specific incidents of teachers traumatizing kids with guilt through association […]
- [Parking Tickets in San Francisco](https://sfjournal.net/parking-tickets-in-san-francisco/): As a pubic service, below is the most recent list of Citations and fines for San Francisco, California. From https://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/reports-and-documents/2020/10/fy_2021_fees_and_fines_effective_1.1.21.pdf Parking Violations and Fines – SF Transportation Code Penalty Schedule Effective 7/1/2021 Citations Div I 7.2.10 Pedestrian Crossings $77 Div I 7.2.11 Electric Assistive Personal Mobility Devices $100 Div I 7.2.12 Bicycle Riding Restricted $100 Div I 7.2.13 NUV Violation $100 On-Street Parking Div I 7.2.20 Residential Parking $97 Div I 7.2.22 Street Cleaning $85 The Tyranny of Parking Tickets There is perhaps nothing that can ruin your day in San Francisco more than returning to your car and finding […]
- [The Bitter Sages of the North Coast](https://sfjournal.net/the-bitter-sages-of-the-north-coast/): Attention Teenagers:   If you are tired of being hassled by unreasonable parents  now is the time for action.  Leave home and pay your own way while you still know everything.
- [Bill Frisell Four at the Bijou Theater in Knoxville Tennessee](https://sfjournal.net/bill-frisell-four-at-the-bijou-theater-in-knoxville-tennessee/): What an amazing set at Big Ears 2023 when the Bill Frisell Four laid it down at the Bijou Theater in Knoxville Tennessee.
- [The Quarterly Report - March 2023](https://sfjournal.net/the-quarterly-report-march-2023/): The Quarterly Report: A brief synopsis of the news in San Francisco over the last three months. Weather There has been a lot of rain this year with “atmospheric rivers” coming in off the Pacific one after another like waves.  We once called these just “storms.” Now they are “atmospheric rivers” – which I kind of like. “Hey mommy what is that thing in the sky?  Don’t worry Junior. That’s just an “atmospheric river.” In between these deluges for a few days we get brilliant blue skies and the entire city of San Francisco seems to jump into their cars […]

## Pages

- [Bike Packing Gear Essentials - My Set Up](https://sfjournal.net/bike-packing-gear-essentials/): BIKE PACKING GEAR ESSENTIALS – MY SET UP Paul Lyons November 30, 2025 Bike Touring/Packing It is entirely possible to go bike packing, riding to campgrounds and maybe benevolent friend’s houses – perhaps hotels, with the bike and camping gear that you have in your basement. Bike packing is essentially a type of touring. It’s easy to marvel at how John Muir walked with just a bed roll, a loaf of bread, some tea and a sierra cup all the way from San Francisco to Yosemite. Not too long ago, if you wanted to get somewhere, you walked. It was […]
- [Live Music in SF - January 2026 Calendar](https://sfjournal.net/live-music-in-sf-calendar/): January 2026 RECOMMENDATIONS Not a Calendar Really, More Like Telephone Pole With Posters The LOCAL SF Scene Last Update: January 6, 2026 HEADLINE VENUES If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, do check out the calendar at SFJAZZ. They have amazing bands that often defy categories and genres. It is a great place to hear music. The lineup for the 2026 season is off the charts! https://www.sfjazz.org/ SF Opera | SF Symphony FUN NIGHT TO GO OUT: WEDNESDAYS The Mission has plenty of music on Wednesdays. The https://etceterawinebar.com/ on Valencia by 19th Street often has a stellar jazz […]
- [About](https://sfjournal.net/about/): NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: The San Francisco Journal is an online journal by Paul Lyons that focuses on Arts & Culture, Book Reviews & Politics. Sometimes I even like to write a joke or two. Every word on this website is a creation of a human being and there are no Artificial Intelligence applications used. Furthermore, the San Francisco Journal is not beholden to advertisers so it is not a commercial enterprise. The primary tool for writing these muses and rants is a dictionary. Furthermore, this website is 100% real and not “fake news” or pink-slime journalism. What has the […]
- [You Have Subscribed to the SF Journal!](https://sfjournal.net/you-have-subscribed/): Your life will never be the same! So glad you could join us every now and then! Latest Posts
- [Curator Feed](https://sfjournal.net/curator-feed/): [curator feed_public_key=”36d6b464-8fad-412c-a728-55635cd0c3e7″]
- [Site Map](https://sfjournal.net/site-map/)
- [SF Journal Privacy Policy](https://sfjournal.net/sf-journal-privacy-policy/): Effective December, 2019 The SF Journal reserves the right to refuse service to anyone including people who never have visited the website. –So there! When you fill out one of the forms on this website, we may gather information such as your name and email address. We may use cookies. We may not. It all depends if we have a sweet tooth on that day and if we actually have eggs in the house to make cookies. We may some day even capture your IP address if we get around to it, but just let it be known, if you […]
- [Last 150 Posts](https://sfjournal.net/last-150-posts/)
- [Home](https://sfjournal.net/): Latest News and Posts VIEW ALL POSTS Cheap Trills in San Francisco Books & Book Reviews Movie Reviews VIEW ALL POSTS  
- [My account](https://sfjournal.net/my-account/)
- [Checkout](https://sfjournal.net/checkout/)
- [Cart](https://sfjournal.net/cart/)
- [Shop](https://sfjournal.net/shop/)
- [News](https://sfjournal.net/news/)
- [Links](https://sfjournal.net/links/): Music Related Paul Lyons Music The beginning of something incredible Gary Flores Good friend and native San Franciscan. Plays great music with a very SF vibe. Kai Lyons Guitar Player is San Francisco. Related.
- [Topics](https://sfjournal.net/topics/)
- [Butterfly Jazz Trio – First Time Around CD](https://sfjournal.net/first-time-around-cd-by-butterfly-jazz-trio/): There are still a few copies of this limited release CD. Listen to examples and get the CD at Add to Cart at CD Baby! Album Notes Kai Lyons – Guitar Erik Von Buchau – Drums Dillan Riter – Bass Recorded at Granada Studios in Half Moon Bay on August, 29, 2013, FIRST TIME AROUND by the Butterfly Jazz Trio is a spontaneous romp through some funky grooves, subtle ballads and straight ahead explorations. The session was inspired by gigs the Butterfly Jazz Trio played in downtown San Francisco in various bars and hotels during the summer of 2013. All […]
- [Contact](https://sfjournal.net/contact/): You can also contact me by email: thepaullyons@gmail.com
- [Store](https://sfjournal.net/store/)


[comment]: # (Generated by Hostinger Tools Plugin)