Out & About: San Francisco: Random

Showing posts with label Random. Show all posts

Thursday, April 23, 2009

A sign at a Gay Marriage rally

Monday, February 16, 2009

Steaming Without Being Steamy

I love steam rooms. Always have, always will. There's something about that wet steam, the way it enters your lungs while soothing your aches and pains. It sounds, so, well, homoerotic. That's the point. Steam rooms, at private gyms in San Francisco, are a place where just about everything imaginable takes place. While I've seen a lot, I'm by no means a participant, persay.

Don't get me wrong, I'll enter the steam room. But when some guy is laying on his back, wearing a small white towel and looking at you with sexually suggestive eyes. This can be overwhelming for someone like myself, steaming after I shower, before I shave -- as recommended by the worlds beauty experts to prevent razor burn!

After weeks of looking at just about every gym in downtown San Francisco, I made the decision to sign-up with Club One. It's a wonderful gym, located right off Bart at the Montgomery Street station. Competitive in price with surrounding gyms in the area, Club One has some great features -- including a steam room.

What I've discovered in my two months at this gym is that more happens in the steam room than one would think. Literally. I always thought this was a place to steam; after all, it's a room reserved for steaming. However, behind the doors of the steam room, more happens than catches the eye.

Since having my revelation, my epiphany or whatever else friends like to use at moments like this in my life, I can confidently say that my visits in the steam room are now shorter. People get the wrong idea about individuals who stay too long in the steam room. Considering how long it took me to find a gym, I'm in no hurry to be on bad terms with the clientele. That is, even if I want to steam without being steamy.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Preserving Your Luck on Friday the 13th

Luck is a chance happening, or that which happens beyond a person's control. On certain days, like Friday the 13th, luck is all relative and as concerned members of an inevitably superstitious society, we need to watch ourselves and play carefully. For others, Luck can also be a belief in an organization of fortunate and unfortunate events.

Seeing as today is Friday the 13th, I don't know what to expect. How will my "luck" be today? So far, things have been okay. I got to the Bart Station and bang: there was my train! This was not the case yesterday -- where I waited 10 minutes -- so today, regardless of it being Friday the 13th, just might be my special (and potentially lucky) day.

As humans, we consume ourselves with false social constructs. Because we assume that Friday the 13th is unlucky, everything on this auspicious day is plagued by the belief that it's not going right. I for one will not adhere to this false belief. Rather, I see obtaining good luck as a challenge, and while others might think I'm playing with fire, I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that today will be glorious!

If you're one those people who live in fear that something horrible will happen because today is Friday the 13th, do not worry. Below are some guidelines for what to avoid and what to ensure is done correctly so that we have a prosperous and fortunate Friday the 13th.

Do not walk under any ladders.
Avoid black cats walking perpendicular to your direction. If the cat walks along a building, parallel to your direction, this is not unlucky.
Avoid opening umbrellas indoors. It's going to be a rainy weekend, but opening umbrellas -- in some cultures, like Ireland -- is considered bad luck.
It's best you don't touch any mirrors today. However, if you do break a mirror, run the broken pieces under water and you'll be saved from any potential bad luck.
Be sure to look the other person in the eye during a toast. If you don't, this leads to bad sex for the rest of your life.
Pick-up as many pennies as possible.
Horseshoes are wonderful.
Four leaf clovers are your best friend.
Watch Lindsay Lohan in "Just My Luck".

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Sneezing etiquette

It's that time of year again. That glorious time of year when touching anything could lead in a horrible cold for the rest of the week. In an office setting, the sound of sneezing and coughing is all to common. When someone sneezes, it's proper etiquette to say "Bless you." However, what is the protocol when someone sneezes twice in a row? Luckily I have a lot of time on my hands, so allow me to elaborate.

Someone around you sneezes. Your response: "Bless You."

Someone sneezes for a second time around you. Your response: Nothing.

Just because someone is horribly sick does not mean they deserve a "Bless you" response to every germ infested blow of air. Unfortunately, some people say "Bless you" to every single sneeze. This is not only annoying, it's unnecessary.

This is what Wikipedia has to say about the history of why we say "Bless You":

Preventing the soul from departing one's body and getting snatched by evil spirits lurking nearby.
Preventing possible impending death due to a lethal disease such as the plague pandemics of the fourteenth century.
Guarding against evil spirits entering the body through the open mouth of a sneezing individual.
Attempting to bring the sneezing individual back from the brink of death in the brief moment during the sneeze when the heart was -incorrectly- believed to skip a beat, leaving the sneezer momentarily in limbo between states of living and death.
The belief that the individual is sneezing out evil spirits which had taken residence within the body, and is thus in need of the blessing to prevent the exorcised spirits from re-entering the body.
The belief that the individual is sneezing out his or her sins, and thus is deserving of the blessing bestowed upon him or her by those around.
A polite way of congratulating the sneezer for his or her impending good luck as signalled by the sneeze.