Was it Really an Earthquake?

Good afternoon, all. I trust that everyone is doing well. I apologize for not having written in over a week, but I've been figuratively running around feverishly trying to coordinate all of the things that need coordination prior to my move back to that great institution of higher education known as Indiana University. But nevertheless, I do sincerely apologize for my negligence to all my loyal readers (we actually had 6 different readers on one given day this week!). But forging ahead with more urgent matters, I give you my second installment of what makes San Francisco such a joyous town to call home.

Many of my readers from the west coast will already know some background of what I am about to tell. Many from the east coast may have heard its mention, but I will get everyone on the same page in the next few sentences. I don't know if anyone remembers his or her precise location at 5:12 a.m. on April 18, 1906, but this is the exact time of "The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake." The following is taken from the United States Geological Survey website :

"The California earthquake of April 18, 1906 ranks as one of the most significant earthquakes of all time. Today, its importance comes more from the wealth of scientific knowledge derived from it than from its sheer size. Rupturing the northernmost 430 kilometers of the San Andreas fault from northwest of San Juan Bautista to the triple junction at Cape Mendocino, the earthquake confounded contemporary geologists with its large, horizontal displacements and great rupture length. Indeed, the significance of the fault and recognition of its large cumulative offset would not be fully appreciated until the advent of plate tectonics more than half a century later. Analysis of the 1906 displacements and strain in the surrounding crust led Reid (1910) to formulate his elastic-rebound theory of the earthquake source, which remains today the principal model of the earthquake cycle." But enough of the historical background.

But the point of all this is proving to everyone how great San Francisco is. So I would like to spend just a moment expounding on how knowledgeable its citizens are. In the same way that Wikipedia can be edited by any and all who read it, so can public notices and signs in SF. Shown here on the right is one such instance that I encountered while walking along the Embarcadero. It appears that someone possessed a fact that has been withheld from the public for nearly 100 years. It seems that "The Great Earthquake" was not an earthquake at all, but a fartquake. I'm sure once this knowledge funnels through the appropriate channels, textbooks and scholarly publications will be rewritten to reflect such a breakthrough of this magnitude.

And this brings us to the completion of why not only San Francisco, but San Franciscans are so great. As usual, your commentaries are encouraged, but never mandatory. Thanks and have a great week. Stay cool if you are in the midst of "The Great Heatwave of 2005."

The Pink Man

Over the past few days, as I look back on my time in San Francisco, it comes to my attention that several readers of my blog are not from the great state of California, and have never been, nor sadly, will ever travel to the City by the Bay. So I have decided to take it upon myself to educate the non-Californians just about how grand SF truly is.

Here to the right is a picture that I took with my LG VX6000 camera phone while waiting for the BART. This gentleman, too, was waiting for the train, but as you can see, this fellow stood out just a little from the rest. He was not flailing about like some crazy. He wasn’t dancing around the station allowing his shiny, silver cape to catch the wind like a mighty sail. He was just waiting for the train like everyone else.

The fascinating thing about this, is that aside from me, no one else was paying any special attention to our winged friend in skin-tight pink spandex. And thus concludes this installment of why San Francisco is one of the great cities of the world. Have a great weekend, everyone.

A Brief Moment to Reminisce

I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you a couple of things. A) I wanted you to see six of some of the most beautiful people to work in the front office at my former place of employment, Park Hyatt San Francisco. Over the next couple of weeks, I will take some time to share a little about each of these individuals. They will be in no particular order. But for the moment, I'd like to introduce these characters from left to right. We have Karen, Connie, me, Paula, Dennis (not the hurricane, but close) and Ivana. This picture was taken just moments before I walked out of the hotel and began my journey across America.

Oh, and B) I wanted you all to see the word "reminisce."

Educational Announcement

This is the official announcement that I have been officially re-admitted to the Trombone Performance program at the Indiana University School of Music in Bloomington. Yay for me!!!!

A Long, Overdue Confession

So I feel like I owe something to all of my readers. Because I feel that since the launch of this blog, I have started to become a personality that is not only respected, but oftentimes idolized. So I feel that the only appropriate thing to do is to confess to the world that I am not nearly as perfect as everyone thinks I am. If you continue to read this, you will soon learn why.....

During my 32 hour voyage across the United States from San Francisco to Louisville, something happened. While in The Cornhusker State (10 points for whoever gets that right without googling), I was met with a difficult decision to make while the flashing blue and red lights were rotation atop the state trooper's cruiser: should I stop, or dare I turn the rest of this trip into a really memorable experience? Nevertheless, I did at last after a 5-second-high-speed chase down the interstate, I broke under the pressure and veered off to the shoulder and awaited the approaching officer.

The tall, slightly overweight gentleman with extremely tight pants (some type of wool blend) approached the passenger's side of my Honda Civic LX and rapped on the window. I agreed to his demands once again and lowered the sheet of glass separating me from the gray monster. After what seemed like an endless interrogation, I was informed that I was traveling at an illegal rate of 96 miles per hour...which for the record is incorrect. 92, I could buy, but no way 96. So anyway, the gentlemen (I use this term very loosely) writes me what appeared to be a love note, but after examining it a little closer, it was a speeding citation that was going to cost me $244! I couldn't believe that by going a couple miles over the speed limit, I would be forced to pay this ransom when I very well could have bought 2 shirts at Banana Republic. Appalled, I re-entered the flow of traffic and resumed cruising at a more "reasonable" pace.

So here and now I confess to the blog-reading population that I have broken the law, and feel no remorse. If anything, I feel contempt for the man who takes his frustration out on me just because he can't fit into his 38's anymore. But do not despair, for I have a plan to avoid the tariff that has been placed before me. Today, I will draft a letter to The Cornhusker State informing them of with whom they are dealing. With just the right vocabulary and a little bit of luck, perhaps I can get this outrageous fare reduced a trifle. Of course, I will be updating everyone on the events that transpire from this. I don't know if they have computers in prison, but leave the details to me.

It feels so good to be writing again. I noticed that a whole two people checked the blog yesterday, so keep up the good work. Remember, your questions and commentaries are encouraged. Have a great day, everyone.

Jeff Emerges

You know how the world felt when Barbra Streisand gave a concert in New York City after not having sung in public in over 20 years, well I know that's how you must be feeling right now, and I'm here to tell you that the initial shock and excitement will wear off in due time. After all, they say that an Olympic gold medalist only feels the intense rush of being the world's best athlete in their particular field for fifteen minutes, so I expect your joy to subside in about eleven to thirteen.

But nevertheless, I am back, and better than ever! Regular posts to follow. I won't write too much now, because I honestly don't know how much you all can handle. Take care until next time.

P.S. Please comment to this so I can know just exactly who is still reading this. I won't pour my soul into this blog if no one cares to study my life.