WAFFLE

"Even Jimmy Carter would have given that order"

-- the presumed republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney, on whether he would have authorized the mission that ended with the capture and killing of wanted terrorist Osama Bin Laden

That's funny, Mr. Romney, because back in 2007, you said:

"It’s not worth moving heaven and earth spending billions of dollars just trying to catch one person"

Would you like some syrup and butter to go with your (latest) waffle, Mr. Romney?

KITCHENETTE

My second favorite room in any home is the kitchen, and this one totally rocks.

I would ALMOST kill to have access to the one above.

SOLE DESIRE

Okay, I'm just throwing this out there - I will TOTALLY put out for a pair of these sneakers.

Seriously, I will

LA MISSION

Here are a few shots I took of the Mission San Jose in Fremont, where my new cousin Rosie became an official Catholic yesterday afternoon.

SUNDAY FUNNIES

NIGHT AND THE CITY

Here are a couple of shots take from high atop The Paramount, where fellow gym rat and blogger Andy hosted a nice little birthday soiree.

8 MILE

How the new Presidio Parkway will look when completed
in 2015

  

Actually, the urban hike I took yesterday was 8.4 miles roundtrip from my house to The Presidio. I wanted to take a look at the demolition of the 75-year old Doyle Drive viaduct, which is being replaced with a much safer AND more beautiful roadway.

THE TIME

It's been too long since I last put on my Baum & Mercier.

EDIE THE EGG LADY

Oh Edie, how I love thee.

LIGHT READING

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

“Shame on Barack Obama for diminishing the memory of September 11th and the killing of Osama bin Laden by turning it into a cheap political attack ad. This is the same President who once criticized Hillary Clinton for invoking bin Laden ‘to score political points.'"

-- Sore loser and America's grumpiest old man John McCain, on the above video clip.

Yeah, because I'm so sure that you and your party wouldn't have done the same thing, had the previous administration been able to REALLY find Osama Bin Laden.

Now go drink your prune juice and shut the hell up!

PICTURE THIS

The hike route has quickly become one of my favorites. Starting at the intersection of Judah and LaPlaya, I continue along the Great Highway, up and over Point Lobos and through Lands End, until I reach Eagles Nest, along side Lincoln Park and Sea Cliff.

Oh, and this is a round-trip hike, as well.

These are a few of the shots I captured during what turned out to be a three hour tour, a three hour tour.

BAD DAY

I wouldn't normally post something like this, but I just couldn't help myself.

The next time you're thinking your day is total shit, just think about this poor guy and how he probably wished he had called in sick.

Feel better?

PAPER BAG

She may be a sullen mofo, but Fiona Apple really knocks it out of the park with her song Paper Bag.

Love this one.

FOODIE CALL

Carnitas (by Heidi), and Arroz con Gandules (by me).

Soooo good.

JUST DESSERTS

The Nutella Cheesecake, courtesy of Facebook friend and fellow former choir nerd, Kim.

Soooo good.

BAILOUT

"I wanted to say I am sorry for the loss of your son. I did not know how old he was. I thought he was a little bit younger than I am and I did not know if he was armed or not."

-- George Zimmerman, at his bail hearing

Hmm, that's funny, because when you called 911 and the dispatcher asked how old the person you were calling to report on was, you said:

"About like his late teens."

Here we go, let the tap dance begin.

EARTH DAY

The iconic "Keep America Beautiful" PSA from the 70's, starring Iron Eyes Cody.

SOLE DESIRE

You know, I'd ALMOST put out for a pair of these hiking boots.

Me likey very much.

SPRUNG

Here I am enjoying a little dip in the pool yesterday, as the temperature soared to 81 degrees.

Welcome to San Francisco, Spring.

421

I can only hope this baked prick ended up on a compost
heap somewhere

The editorial staff of The Steaming Poop blog has been steadfast in its support of the legalization of Marijuana -- and not just for medicinal purposes, either.

HOWEVER, on a late-afternoon walk through Golden Gate Park yesterday, I was quite stunned and angered at the amount of garbage left behind following the so-called 420 Day celebrations in the park. Seriously, you brought into the park, take it with you when you leave, assholes. It becomes a little difficult to defend people like you when this is how you treat the park.

Also, what does light beer have to do with the celebration? I mean, I thought only pussies drank light beer.

One amusing note, however. The McDonalds on Haight and Stanyan Streets was totally PACKED!

MIX MASTER

Mix with a little Gin, pour it over some crushed ice, and I'm sure you'd have an awesome little warm weather thirst quencher.

SPIN ME RIGHT ROUND

Today is National Record Store Day. In its fifth year, the goal was to promote the idea of buying music from your local, independent record store.

Sounds good to me.

TRIBUTE

It wasn't enough for Levon Helm, who died of cancer yesterday at age 71, to have been a member of the legendary group, The Band. He also went on to receive an Oscar nomination for his first acting role as Loretta Lynn's father in a movie that must, must, MUST be on your NetFlix queue, Coal Miner's Daughter.

The second clip is of Levon and Sissy Spacek, who did win the Oscar for playing his daughter Loretta Lynn, on a 1980 episode of The Midnight Special. The song they are performing is He's Walking Away, which Sissy also sang in the film.

So long, Levon, you did good.

CHEESE PLATE

Come on, Peter, we got this.

PICTURE THIS - THE LONG WALK HOME

hike

So of course I ignored the sign, climbed the fence, and
went to see this spot where all the people have
 fallen to their deaths

. . . and here it is

Having a little fun with the color saturation 

Ocean Beach looking south from high atop Sutro Park

The newly restored windmill at the southwest corner of
Golden Gate Park

Okay, perhaps the long walk home is a bit of an overstatement, but here are a few shots I took during a rather long urban hike from the corner of La Playa and Judah, to the end of Eagles Nest in Lincoln Park (and back), earlier this afternoon.

Such a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

MY OZ

love

THIS HOUSE IS EXQUISITE

I'd like to make an offer.

SUPPORT HO'S

I am amazed AND amused at the current quasi-sex scandal involving the Secret Service agents. If I had to break it down, I suppose it's because of two admittedly unwritten rules that seemed to have been broken:

1. Paying your ho. She worked hard for that money and she deserves to be paid for that hard work. Also, at just $47, it seems odd (and cheap) that you would fight having to pay what seems to me a very reasonable price for loving you long time. Even someone of my modest financial stature can afford to pay someone $47 for a slap and tickle.

2. Getting paid for your services BEFORE they're rendered. I'm not sure how it works down in Columbia, where prostitution is legal (as it should be here in the U.S.),  but I believe that the exchange of money is supposed to take place BEFORE the services are rendered. Perhaps it's done differently down there.

All kidding aside, there are some serious issues with what has happened, and morals has nothing to do with it. I would question any agents logic behind an evening of drink and debauchery, all while bragging about what it is you do and why you're there. According to reports, the itinerary and security detail of the upcoming Presidential visit to Bogota was in the room where the partying was going on, and luckily for everyone involved, none of the women present were not working double-duty for a drug lord or someone more nefarious with an eye on kidnapping any of the agents, the President, or something much more worse and tragic.

SAN FRANCISCO

As a film-purist, I am very disappointed at not finding the original black and version of this clip from the 1936 MGM classic San Francisco, starring Clark Gable and Jeanette McDonald.

Oh well. At any rate here's something pretty cool to mark 106 years since The City was shaken to its core at 5:13am.

Also, if you get the chance, check out the movie. It's pretty damn good.

TURN TO THE LEFT

I am loving EVERYTHING about this photo.

TAXMAN

Should five per cent appear too small
Be thankful I don't take it all
'Cause I'm the taxman, yeah I'm the taxman

-- The Beatles

So, at the risk of really opening myself up to ridicule, here goes with what is possibly the most revealing post I've ever written here at the poop.

When I filed my 2010 income tax return, I received, roughly, a $1,300 refund based on an income of $60,000 (give or take a few bucks). I've had better years financially, but it wasn't bad considering I only worked four days a week that year, with unpaid holidays to boot.

Ah, the double-edge sword of a freelancer.

Anyway, fast-forward to February of this year, when I filed my 2011 tax return. I had worked on a few writing projects, but generally it was a dry year, so I knew if there was going to be a refund, it was going to be very small.

When all was said and done, I was quite stunned to find that on an income of a paltry (and embarrassingly low) $24,000 - $18,000 of which came from unemployment insurance, which is taxed, by the way - that I still owed $804 in federal taxes.

What. The. Fuck?

I would love someone to explain how this is not only possible, but acceptable, especially in the wake of senate rejection of the so-called Buffet Rule tax bill.

Happy tax day, everyone.

FOODIE CALL

So I made my first guac of the season on Sunday afternoon.

It wasn't my usual recipe, but it was still so damn good, and I can hardly wait for the next batch.

CONDOLENCES

As I signed onto Facebook last night, it was immediately apparent that something very bad was happening in my hometown of Petaluma. The wagons seemed to be circling around the Baucom family, who had suffered an unimaginable tragedy, and one that I had a trouble wrapping my head around as the story was unfolding.

So much trouble, in fact, that I am still finding myself unable to fully express what I want, so I'm going to borrow a quote from another fellow Petaluman and blogger Katie Walters, who captured it perfectly with two simple sentences:

"What began in a place of love, ended in tragic proportions only found in the movies. Or a fitful nightmare."

The Baucom and Conover families have my sincerest condolences.

TOOTSIE

I wasn't sure how I felt about the inclusion of Tootsie in the Paramount Theatre Winter/Spring Classic Film Series until I quickly - and painfully - realized that the 1982 release is now 30 years old.

Anyway, the film, which I saw with my cuz Iliana this past Friday evening, still holds up quite well.

HOUSE OF WORSHIP

If there is one thing Oakland has over San Francisco, is that it managed to not let go of its movie cathedral jewel, The Paramount Theatre.