My essence in a tight little bundle

Just back from a Monday morning walk (well, I was just getting back when I started this entry.. 12 hours ago), and my military-green shoulderbag is full of the following fun - in no particular order, a sampling of the simple San Francisco things I've been obsessing about lately:

Two bombers of beer: Moylan's Hopsickle Imperial IPA and Russian River's Damnation Batch 23, the first being a new favorite and the latter an intriguing offering from one of my favorite local breweries. I should also say that my fridge is full of similarly bombastic brews, mostly IPA-ish stuff, but there are a few other goodies there like a Russian Imperial Stout (spring 2007 release) from Stone Brewing and a selection from Flying Dog Ales (ex. their Double Dog Double Pale Ale. Is it coincidence that most of the beers in my fridge weigh in around 10% abv? And, if not, what does that say about my tastes.. or my current level of alcohol tolerance? Both, I believe, are mighty-high, or, else, I'm just high (a possibility, since that sort of thing can come naturally to me - sans chemicals, that is). haha.

One "A Scanner Darkly" DVD from the SF Public Library (Main branch, thank you very much), which I will watch - hopefully with company (interested?) - drinking a few of the delicious beers I mentioned above. In particular, I bought those Flying Dog's for an envisioned Ralph Steadman-themed night: you see, "Where the Buffalo Roam" is currently a free movie on our Comcast On Demand thingie, and Steadman designed both this movie poster and the labels for these beers - art created decades apart, but stylistically in the same vein; in addition, Dr. Hunter S. Thomson relations abound for those interested. That said, I'm actually more interested in seeing A Scanner Darkly; and since the drug/paranoia (or, if you rather, drug-induced-paranoia) connections to my original plan cannot be denied, I feel the initial sentiment is maintained. Drink on!

A large tub of Rami's Mommy's hummus from Healthy Spirits, one of my favorite spots to buy beer in the city, and, oddly enough, homemade Lebanese food. I buy both here on a regular basis; the hummus is awesome (if I'm not making a batch from scratch myself), as is their "pita" - whole wheat if it's available; try toasting it (for reals). In my quest for good - nay, great - beer this week, I've been hitting up all sorts of neighborhood establishments, from big-uns like Trader Joes and BevMo! to smaller shops like Healthy Spirits and Nimer's Market (it's been awhile since I've visited Chops, and his beer selection is still tops). And, regardless of my consumer destination (I've been really having my fill lately, dropping the bucks to prove it), I've always had a "pleasant evening"; good beer is highly accessible in the US, and, more specifically, in SF.. if you know where to look! I can be your guide, for sure; funny how things turn out, huh?

And, finally, a used copy of Demons by Fyodor Dostoevsky (formerly translated as The Possessed); let me write that all out in Cyrillic for you, s'il vous plait. At Dolores Park today, I turned through the first 10 pages, approximating a man reading (nevermind the scratching of the head); in the meantime, an hour passed. At that rate, this 700 page novel will occupy my time until the new year (2008!) or beyond; and, while I like to read heavy-hitters, I may have to abandon such a time-consuming endeavor (although I will finish, at least, the first chapter to see if the operation is linear). In any case, I'll be the first one to admit that this pathetic prose-processing-pace says something about one (or likely, all) of the following aspects of my current mental state: attention span, knowledge of 19th century Russian history, and general understanding of intellectual -isms (ex. socialism, materialism, atheism, etc.). Maybe (ahem) this all has something to do - again - with beer? Well, I hope so.. or else this book has nothing to do with anything else in my satchel (and who wants such non-topical accoutrement?).. this shizz is heavy (physically, that is - at least). Still, the Russian people have captured my imagination; and I start Russian 1B at CCSF on August 16th. In another semester or two, follow me to the motherland..

So.

If I could go back in time to add into this shoulderbag my climbing gear, some Kitsune-released CDs, and maybe a bike or two, we would basically have my July 2007 essence in a tight little bundle. And who wouldn't want to be a proud little mama or papa to that? I'm - as always - only slightly moist..