Photo credit: -sel

Obama won the presidential election tonight! Aside from being thrilled and relieved, I’m also now free to reflect on the political climate in my current locale.

Living in San Francisco is like being on another planet. To use the popular color-based analysis of political leanings, my world is blue. Naming a sewage plant after a US president, no matter how incompetent that individual may be, is just plain weird. Having a ballot measure that would legalize prostitution — with the goal of protecting sex workers, not increasing the tax base — is also pretty crazy. Crazy in a good, forward-thinking way, though.

I can safely say that every one of my 26 coworkers voted Democrat, even though I am not employed by a social justice organization. I can also report that I haven’t seen a single McCain poster, brochure, magnet, or other such endorsement in the entire city. Not one, from the beginning to the end of the campaign. I know there are Republicans in San Francisco — maybe 5 or so? However, I have no idea where they’re hiding. While this is admittedly an indicator of my affinity for certain areas, it’s still pretty bizzare. I’ve lived in nine cities in six states, and I’ve never before observed a total lack of bipartisanship.

The politics of the rest of the country are clearly not reflected here, maybe to the point of being statistically impossible. I also acknowledge that, in this culture, it is probably difficult to be conservative. But guess what? I like it here. I like it a lot. I like the fact that, having seen a college classmate burst into tears after hearing a homophobic diatribe from a future Miss America, I live in a city where a newsworthy problem is this: the Castro is so gay its residents can’t live in peace, because buses full of gaping tourists won’t leave them alone. I also like that our wacky mayor with his wacky hair has been mocked and/or vilified for everything from banning bottled water at City Hall to disallowing drugstores from selling tobacco products.

I know that the world, including San Francisco, can always be a better place. There is work that must be done to make that happen. Tonight, though, I am taking a step back to say that I love being here. Thank you, San Francisco, for being so improbably cozy.

Photo credit: btobin

Happy Election Day! Sadly, this time around there are no Medical Anthropologists on the ballot, but San Francisco does have a measure proposing that the sewage plant be renamed in honor of George W. Bush. However, I must say that neither anthropologists nor sewage plants quite live up to San Francisco’s attempt last year to have the federally controlled island of Alcatraz designated a “Peace Center”.

Seriously, though, this year has been pretty intense. I just cast 8 federal, 13 state, and 22 city/county votes via absentee ballot, and there’s a lot at stake. From Obama to yet another attempt to require parental notification for abortion to EVIL DISCRIMINATORY HOMOPHOBIA (Prop 8 makes me a tiny bit livid), we’ve got enough crazy stuff out there to make me nervous. However, I did remember to maximize the utilization of my available resources (a corporate-sounding word for “friends”) while choosing my voting strategy. Many thanks to Brooke, Sanjay, and Google!

In other news: check out this picture of George Bush eating a kitten.

To follow up on my Orangina!! post, I thought I’d share an interesting counterpoint in terms of personal taste. By counterpoint, I mean “something that is weird to everyone else on earth”.

Presenting: ramen!

Photo by heyjoewhereyougoinwiththatguninyourhand

Like many poverty-stricken college students, I ate a bunch of this back in the day. However, I developed a taste for it that has transcended the trauma of reliving cash flow problems. Even more weirdly, I don’t even eat it soup-style. For me, it’s just the noodly goodness without seasoning.

Therefore, here are my options for dinner:

1. Cook something
2. Get takeout from the reallyreally good Thai place around the corner (open till 3 AM!)
3. Get takeout from one of the 10 gazillion Indian places within a block of my place (1 of which is open 24 hours!)
4. Get takeout from one of the 47 thousand gazillion other restaurants within walking distance of my place
5. Eat ramen noodles with no seasoning

Guess what’s winning out lately? Mmm, Orangina and ramen. A winning combination.

From the roommate wanted section of the San Francisco craigslist, titled “Looking for somebody to house sit for a year”:

Hey, the post is correct. I’m looking for someone in need of a room for a year in return for a fake marriage. You need to be between 30 and 40, white and bending the rules a little should not be a problem.

Given the cost of a San Francisco rental, this is a better deal than it may sound. Unfortunately for those interested in trading “love” for real estate, the post has been removed.

Photo credit: Nahh

Our gently misguided city will soon be allowing us to feed the homeless via parking meters. Believe it or not, this is an improvement over past suggestions:

The worst … was a failed proposal during Willie Brown’s administration to equip homeless people with credit-card machines like those used for retail purchases. People could swipe their cards and choose how much to donate, with 80 percent going to homeless programs and 20 percent to the individual panhandlers.

Witness the perfect storm of affluence, rampant homelessness, and left-leaning politics.

Setting: The “Bar Bistro,” an area in which patrons can purchase food and alcohol to enjoy in a just-renovated movie theatre in San Francisco. The decor could be described as “minimalist,” or “pretentious.” Janna and her Moviegoing Companion join the crowd as three harried employees try to serve a bar overflowing with people.

Moviegoing Companion: I’ll have a glass of the Such and Such.
Bar Employee: Um, is that a red wine?
MC: Yes.
BE: Yeah, I don’t think we have any more of that. (Examines stock.) Nope, sorry. We have Wine X Not On Menu or Wine Y Not On Menu left.
MC: I’ll take the Wine X, then.

Bar Employee searches for a corkscrew for several minutes, then gouges a hole in the cork, rendering the bottle undrinkable.

MC: Could I put in an order for a cheese plate while you’re working on that?
BE: You’ll have to ask the waiter if you want food.
Janna: I’ll take care of it.

Janna approaches the waiter, who is taking an order from a group of five clearly tipsy moviegoers. She politely stands aside.

Tipsy Woman: Yeah, I’ll have a Beer X.
Waiter: Um, I’m not sure we have any left. Let me check. (Rushes to the bar, then back.) Ok, yeah, we’ve got a couple.
Tipsy Woman 2: I’ll have the Wine Z.
W: I’ll have to check on that. (Rushes to the bar, then back.) No, we’re out. We have Wine X Not On Menu or Wine Y Not On Menu.
TW 2: Ok, then Wine X.
Tipsy Woman 3: Me too! Two glasses of Wine X.
Tipsy Guy: I’ll have a Beer Y.
W: Let me see what we’ve got. (Rushes to the bar, then back.) We’ve got about half a dozen, so you’re good.
Tipsy Woman 4: I’ll have one, too. Actually, I’ll have two. (Deliberately; slurring her words.) No. I’ll have … five.
W: Yeah. Um, OK.

Janna: (To waiter.) When you have a chance, could I order the cheese plate?
W: Yes, of course. Thank you so much for being so patient, I really appreciate it!
J: No problem. How long do you think it will take?
W: (Confidently.) Four minutes.
J: Fantastic, the movie starts in five.

MC rejoins J, hard-won glass of wine in hand. Several minutes go by. The cheese plate does not arrive. The Tipsy Moviegoers walk by.

Tipsy Woman 4: OMG I swear to God seriously guys, Britney is pregnant. She’s like staying with her little sister in like Louisiana and like I swear to God it’s true. (Stares intently at Tipsy Woman 2.) I mean, seriously. (Stares intently at Janna.) Like, really. It’s true.
J: (Thinks to herself.) Please don’t spill any of your 47 units of alcohol on me.
MC: (Aside, to Janna.) I think this is a place for San Francisco people who are really from LA.

Ten minutes later.

Waiter: (Hands over the cheese plate, which is better described as a “cheese cardboard box.”) Thank you so much for waiting. I’m really, really sorry it took so long.
J and MC: No problem! Thanks!

J and MC dash into the movie, which started fifteen minutes earlier. The lost time equals $2 per person at this theatre, which charges $10.50 plus a mysterious $1.50 “convenience fee” for each ticket.

Narrator: The upside? The employees were friendly and had excellent intentions, and the last five-sixths of the movie were great. However, good service and a film that can be seen elsewhere do not justify high-priced chaos. Get your indie flicks here instead.

The ad-themed proposal for bailing the Golden Gate Bridge out of an $87 million budget deficit, which was the subject of this Project Janna post, has been rejected.

Half full: this is good.
Half empty: this was actually a serious proposal. I bet they had PowerPoint presentations and everything.