Matt Curtin

Hollywood is pretty well known for making movies with a liberal political theme. However, Avatar is making some major waves and it seems that there are many writeups about it in the news. I saw this film over the Christmas holiday and unfortunately due to the time schedule in 2D. Afterwards, many people kept asking my opinion of the movie as though there was something special about it. Some were simply referring to the outstanding special effects. Others were referring to the political aspect and that is what this post will be about.

At first, I thought I might actually be the only one that did not like the political nuance of the film. Yet, shortly after articles started appearing in major news outlets about these aspects and what they mean. However, most of the articles simply concentrated on the parallels to Iraq and Hollywood sticking it to perceived American Imperialism. Only one article really resonated with me due to the emphasis on the cultural perspectives rather than simply the military.

I think those that have spent a lot of time overseas, spent time assimilating into other cultures, have learned a language and know their history will feel the exact same way as I do about this film. In short, the special effects are great while the storyline is horrendous.

Here is what I was going on in my mind as I watched the film.

A bumbling GI-Joe outcast goes along with the colonialist western powers to plunder yet another third world country. He realizes that what the colonialists are trying to accomplish is wrong and by some miracle is able to learn the language. He then, not only gets laid by the prettiest native, but also just happens to be the strongest and most intelligent of the native tribe! It is then up to him to lead the charge against his own people and unrealistically is able to defeat the far superior power! Then this former bumbler is now the greatest of the natives who could not have done it by themselves and gets to be king or something.

Now for the parallels

1. Evil corporation = Global Corporations coupled with the American military: Halliburton, Nike, Oil Companies etc. Or if we go farther back, the original bad guy, The East India Company

2. Na'vi = American Indians living in what could be: Vietnam, (or all of Indochina), Iraq, Africa, Mexico or any other place that Western powers set up colonies and basically raped the country for their own benefit.

Before I proceed to better endings I also saw a parallel with this movie and Giacomo Puccini's "Madam Butterfly." In that libretto the military captain gets the pretty Japanese woman due to the excitement and infatuation wtih the beautiful native girl. However, this guy leaves her after realizing he should go back, be smart and marry a western girl ("Where da White Women at?" - Blazing Saddles). She is distraught and promptly commits suicide.

I often wonder how this opera is seen from a Japanese point of view. I don't think Americans can even properly contemplate this because it would be like China invading and conquering America, a Chinese captain banging Miss America but then realizing it is better to marry a sophisticated (and better) Chinese lady. Me thinks this would not sit too well with an American audience but it is quite acceptable for the opposite to occur.

Now, let's have some fun and change the storyline to reflect realistic scenarios and would have made me happy. (With the historical reality, not necessarily the outcome)

1. Quick Scenario - Bumbler GI-Joe guy goes into the native areas and is promptly shot by an arrow. End of story.

2. State Department Scenario - The Evil Corporation gets smart and sends a highly intelligent agent from the State Department who really does speak the language and actually does understand the culture to manipulate the Na'vi. Yet the agent knows right away it is wrong, resigns from the agency and starts an awareness campaign of this abuse back on Earth. Then the population is split in their opinions of it. Half go stage a protest on Capital Hill while the far right makes radio programs and Fox television shows demonizing the "traitorous State Department Agent" and saying that he is trying to weaken America.

3. Vietnam Scenario - The Na'vi appeal to help from the UN saying that America (France actually) is destroying their country. The western powers manipulate the UN and tell the Na'vi to feck off. The Na'vi then align with China,, er I mean that larger planet which they orbit. The Na'vi defeat the French but then America spots an opportunity and tells their own population they must defeat the threat of Na'vi solidarity. So America moves in and sets up a Na'vi dictator to split the population in two. When this fails they send "advisors" and these advisors start shooting. Then the North Na'vi infiltrate the southern population with the Na'vi-cong. Then the North Na'vi win and American imposes sanctions on Pandora to only be lifted when they need their help to control and contain the population of that much larger planet around which Pandora orbits.

4. Mexico Scenario - The evil corporation is from Spain. At first they pretend to cooperate but then the Spanish general puts handcuffs on the Na'vi king. The population gets upset so Spain sends in the Jesuits. The Jesuits put pictures of Mary which have been modified to look like a Na'vi goddess on everything. They then they report stories of Na'vi tribes-people who have actually witnessed miracles regarding the Mary-Na'vi goddess and tell them to convert. They also take the Sacred Tree and put a cross in front of it, then mass produce this image and pamphlet the population. Seeing that this new goddess favors the invaders and obviously must be more powerful they do convert and the population is suppressed.

5. Nike-Scenario - After a devastating war the Na'vi can either win or lose it doesn't matter. Then the Americans impose economic sanctions which means the Na'vi cannot buy T.Vs or SUVs. The leaders want these things but need to have money. So they contract out sweatshops with the Nike corporation, make millions and now are rolling in the latest BMWs. Nike notices that some of the Na'vi are athletically gifted (cause they are all 10ft tall) and could dominate in American sports. So they lobby congress to get visas for some of the better players and now the Na'vi are some of the most popular players in the NBA and MLB.

6. Economic corruption scenario - The Americans win but see that the fruits of Pandora are really delicious!! So they start to import the Pandoran fruits to America but realize they are losing money by having to send the ships back to Pandora empty. So they stock the ships with Campbell's soup, powdered milk and other canned goods to sell to the Na'vi upon arrival. Now the Na'vi do not get to eat any more fruits from their own planet but instead must eat canned Dole peaches and Chiquita Bananas.

But no, none of the above scenarios happened. Instead the evil western power destroys the Na'vi village but in order to make the home audience feel good they make a westerner become the most powerful of the natives and defeat the bad forces from their own country and everyone gets to feel good.

No me gusta.

They are calling our current economic state "The Great Recession." As I am bombarded (through my own fault and due to Iphone) with bad news in the media and almost wonder if it is worth reading anymore. I read for enjoyment but also to get a feel as to how things are going to go and to keep a pulse on the world at large. The reason it seems futile to try to get a clear picture is perhaps there is too much information and should there be a slight improvement in some economic indicator the media is all over it. Then things fall again and the media is all over that. It sometimes seems like a roller coaster and I could have just as much a sense of how things are going to go by not reading any news at all.

Instead, I simply need to look around. Living in San Francisco we do not get a true picture of the state of things because everywhere you look you can still find people going out, spending money in expensive restaurants, going to expensive theater shows and so on. However, if one pays attention the downtown foot traffic is not as heavy as it used to be. In my work I also spend a lot of time in high rise buildings and there is often plenty of office space available.

From when I came here three years ago a lot of businesses have disappeared. The video store in front of my apartment went out of business (due to Netflix). Virgin record store closed (Hello Itunes). I don't know of anyone that shops on Market Street and a lot of places went out of business there too.

It also occurred to me recently that three out of the four companies I have worked for also went out of business. In Japan, I worked for the Nova English language school which was the 900 pound gorilla of language schools and had a branch location near just about every train station in Tokyo. However, due to very bad upper management they went bust even before the "Great Recession." Nova was a great place to get a foothold in Japan and I am thankful for my experience there. Yet, I knew at the time it was the kind of business one had to move on from and relatively quickly. It was a shock when they went bankrupt and threw a lot of English teachers out of work, so much that, even national embassies had to get involved.

A much larger shock has come this past week with Japan Airlines going into bankruptcy. When this happened it almost seemed as the sky was falling (mostly for the Japanese) since Japan was one of the most celebrated corporations in Japan. When I obtained a job there in 2004 I was pretty ecstatic. This was one of the most popular corporations to work for in Japan determined by a survey of young people and the kind of place one does not leave. I really did not want to leave Japan Airlines but the aviation industry was falling on very hard times and I did not see any room for advancement given the situation at the time.

I really have a vague idea as to why it happened as the majority of "fat" in the company was in Japan. They were in bed with the government for way too long and the government really did not give them much leeway to make the tough corporate decisions companies have to make to survive. Basically, it was held hostage by the government in terms of routes it had to fly and airports it had to support even though they were not profitable. In the end, it took a change of government to force the airline to come to terms with it's unprofitable model. Couple that with the horrible economic situation there was no room to avoid disaster.

It really is a weird time economically speaking. People of my generation do not have the luxury of taking a job and expecting that they can hold on to it for life. With technological change and the state of the economy entire industries are going down and there are no safe havens. As for loyalty, I do not think that really exists anymore. Companies are laying off at will (and to survive). But this is a double edged sword. The feeling is that if one does a poor job the company has every right to lay a person off. However, if one does a very good job then the company better pay handsomely or the worker would do well to simply move to another company that will pay.

Politically, it is a hard situation because some expect the government to take action while others would prefer the government take no action at all. Both sides feel that if the government would just follow their belief then everything would be better. In reality, it seems that the government is between a rock and a hard place because the ship is sinking anyway no matter which way it decides to turn. My personal feeling is that it should have the courage to do less but this would most likely be political suicide. In fact, even in business upper management needs to be seen doing *something* even if the best course of action is to do nothing.

The Dow has also taken a beating this week due to the unemployment report and perhaps that the government is going to put some restrictions on the banks. Again, this is a tough situation because the banks through reckless lending did cause a lot of trouble. Yet, it is loathsome to think that some bureaucrat in Washington would be telling companies how they should do business. The financial sector is in the business to make money, not to make the world a better place. This is the ugly side of capitalism but the prevailing though is "What is the point of business other than to make money?"

Sometimes, the blame is laid on the consumer and Americans by far really went on a spending binge for a long time. It can make one feel good to rebuke these people that spent too much. I actually heard a commercial today saying that "the big banks got bailouts, but where is my credit card debt bailout?" To me, this is despicable. People spent more money then they had and the taxpayer should compensate them for being financially retarded.

Yet, on the other hand, I was having a discussion with a bright young Chinese woman and really like how she put that situation. "The consumers were LEAD to these un-advantageous loans." In effect, the consumers trust institutions and the sales pitches and besides, everyone else is doing it! They see their neighbors buying large houses and cars and they want to do the same. When the economy turned sour that really bit them in the arse but how much blame should they be accountable for? Most people just trust the system and sales pitches and thought they really were getting a good deal! It's almost like we have to keep on our guard, but being a hyper-capitalist society we are bombarded with sales pitches all day long!

A most recent one on the conservative talk shows is the hosts hawking gold. They get everyone whipped up into a frenzy and some people put their faith in what these hosts are saying. For anyone who recently bought gold and are now losing money, it would be wise to use your own head and not trust anyone who gets paid to hawk any certain item.

Again, it just seems like a very weird time in terms of the economy as there seem to be no more safe havens. When thinking about my own future I wonder which industries would be a safe bet but it's hard to come up with even one. Everyone is talking about Asia being the next big economic engine and that is just fine with me. I feel that I have had a great time in San Francisco but would not hesitate for one minute to work back in Asia again. I am almost tempted to stop trying to plan and just let things proceed as they will. Companies (and people) rise and fall with the tide. In fact, I believe it was Thomas Moore who said "A rising tide lifts all boats." I wonder when the tide will come back in or if we are all going to have to scramble for a while.

The only conclusion I can come to is to simply enjoy life and being alive and let things come as they may. Try not to think about what the future holds as we are in turbulent waters but instead to simply enjoy the ride.

I've kept a blog this blog for quite some time. However, I really haven't been very active in terms of approving comments, learning new things or writing new entries. Just now I looked at the comments and found a lot! I also checked out the visitor statistics which are pretty good for a blog that really doesn't have any set theme. In fact, there was a comment from one of my previous students in Tokyo that was actually here in San Francsico for vacation. (Mari, sorry I missed you, find me on Facebook!)

Note to any that read this blog: If I know you then find me on Facebook! www.facebook.com I'm not hard to find, just search my name and lets connect!

I'll try to write more entries from now on and keep it interesting. The reason I really haven't written much recently is that I got used to my life in San Francisco and I start to feel that things aren't interesting enough to write about. I felt the same way living in Tokyo and Saigon after a while, thought that my writings wouldn't be that interesting since life seemed normal to me. Now I wish I would have written more during those times as I enjoy looking back and realize that even though it wasn't so interesting to me at the time, it might be interesting for others and I would also enjoy reading it now.

So, even though my SF life seems pretty normal to me now I have to make myself realize that it could be possibly interesting for those that do not live here and especially for my friends in foreign countries.

Another reason for the lack of writing has been Facebook. Facebook made things just so easy and I found myself concentrating my time on Facebook which supplanted this blog as my main source of online activity. However, Facebook is really only good for keeping in touch with friends and has a set audience which would be those on the friends list. The internet, being a complete universe within itself does not contain those boundaries and is open to all.

I did set up an RSS feed for this blog to be automatically published to my Facebook and I had to give that a lot of thought. The reason is my entire social network would be able to see what my thoughts are on a variety of topics and these are people with varied opinions. I thought about the exposure to my personal network which seemed a bit more intimate since I actually know those people and might receive some very personal feedback rather than from someone out in the internet who I really do not know.

I thought I might have to temper my fiery political posts since I have such a wide spectrum of friends but after much thought, I decided to do it anyway. One of the reasons is because I'm still pretty much of a hermit having lived away from my hometown for so long and it is most probable that I will not meet most of those people in real life ever again. It is not that I do not desire to meet people but rather, on Facebook these relationships are much farther removed as we are communicating through a computer. In fact, these friends are really just a collection of words, thoughts and pictures and do not have the impact of face to face conversation.

Our friends on Facebook are just memories combined with recent pictures, and electronic communication until one day they might appear in your life again and then they turn "real" again. These meetings are quite fun as one can refer to the events in their lives from posts on Facebook and the conversation and "catching up" seems almost as though it is much more effective and efficient. I've found myself referring to Facebook so many times in conversation with those I've "friended" online but perhaps had not actually seen in person in a very long time. In fact, at a recent family gathering a few cousins of mine decided to play a drinking game where they had to drink every time I said the word "Facebook."

That got me thinking about how communication has changed due to Facebook and for some it can seem silly and as just a diversion with no bearing in real life. However, it is in fact, a real tool and will most likely be referred to quite often for the younger generation when they meet in person and already have a wealth of information about their recent events.

Anyway, I'm trying to write this entry with a movie being played on the T.V. right behind me and it is quite difficult to get my thoughts together. So, I'll make an end to it now but will work on posting more entries in a timely manner.

For the past year I keep hearing this word "Socialist" being flung around like a 10lb bag of crap. On the "conservative" channels it seems this is an extremely dirty word and akin to calling someones mother a so on and so forth. In the political blogs there is always some comment or other about socialism and for the few of you that actually do read my blog your feelings are already starting to tilt one way or another.

However, everyone can relax because this isn't skewed to one side or another and frankly I've become bored with the whole political drama scene. It's like being stuck watching a play that keeps getting more ridiculous and they are just pushing to see how far they can go before people walk out,, but unfortunately half the crowd knows they are locked in and the other half are starting to root for one side or the other!

So back to Socialism, before I studied abroad I really didn't know what it was. I did know the USA was "Capitalist" and ergo Socialism must not be correct. Then, I met all these Europeans who seemed to be a bit more sophisticated about politics than I and half of them were from Socialist countries! One part of me thought they should be wearing all red with hammers and sickles on their heads trying to get me to join a commune.

But, no, they were wearing normal clothing (even slightly stylish) and did not ask me once to join a revolutionary party. Over time as I became familiar with other countries I thought whatever system they were in must not be all that bad because everyone seemed pretty normal. Granted, I did not study the different systems (except Capitalism because I did go to business school) and therefore did not write a Ph.D thesis on the topic but I felt I knew enough and would learn a sufficient amount through osmosis. The point is, I learned that their countries were pretty cool but did not give any other thought to their economic models.

Fast forward to today I keep hearing people yell and scream about this or that being socialist. So I got to thinking, well, what is Socialism? From my laymans perspective it seems it is a system where the Government puts constraints on people concerning taxes with the aim of leveling out the inequalities to varying degrees. In other words, it gives to people with less and takes from people with more.

Again, I do not have any strong feelings one way or the other because I felt that economic models didn't really matter in my daily life and were best left to people that want to concern themselves with such matters.

But, as this word kept being tossed about at anything even remotely seen as "liberal" I got to thinking that in some way or another we are all Socialist.

How can this be?!! Certainly, the USA was founded on the entrepreneur by whose sweat, tears and brains the USA has lead the world in so many categories! But then, how many entrepreneurs do I actually know? And, how many people do I know that go to work for some business and expected to be paid accordingly for their work?

In other words is it not true that most people work for some company and expect to be GIVEN a paycheck? The more I thought about it, a true Capitalist starts his/her own business and gives the workers money for their time and effort. But you may say, it's a fair trade, money for services rendered! This is true, but how many of us could say that another could not do as well or even better than we do? Therefore, we rely on our company and try to hold on as tightly as possible so we are not replaced by another. Is it not true that very few people are so indispensable?

More specifically, could it not be said that employers take care of their employees and in their benevolence not fire and hire so quickly? If we look at Unions which were designed to look out for the easily expendable, would that not be considered a form of Socialism? Surely HR managers are aware of image and lawsuits that could arise should they be so careless with their personnel.

As individuals move out of the blue collar work and to white collar then these hints of socialism do become less as they have to perform quite well to keep their jobs. The sales team has to bring revenue, accountants keep the books and so on. But if we examine a corporation carefully how much "fat" is there in that company?

In this financial crisis we do see a bit of Capitalism at work with so many being laid off from their jobs. Another phrase I'm seeing quite frequently is that "people are looking for jobs." In other words they need an employer to give them something to do and pay them money for their time. Our economy has become so advanced and diversified that it would be very difficult for any one individual to be completely self sufficient. Instead, we all have to learn skills to function in very specific categories. The workers RELY on the system to pay them a salary. For example:

1. The barber needs people to come to his/her shop so he can cut their hair.

2. People that sell guns and butter (economics 101 anyone?) need people to buy their wares and the purchasers need people/things to shoot or to make confectionery.

3. Laywers need people to sue.

Therefore, if nobody needed a haircut, there was nobody to shoot, confections were not being baked and there was nobody to sue then the professions above would be worth nothing. Instead, these people rely on others to come give them employment.

Perhaps we all need a haircut now and then so unless we want to cut our own hair barbers are necessary. AND if I want to shoot someone then the gun seller would come in handy and should I want to eat cake then the confectioner would be useful as well. The point of the whole matter is that in such a complex economy we are all relying on each other one way or another. In a way, this could be considered a bit socialist as we all need to be a bit social to buy and sell to each other. If we were not social then perhaps we would be stuck inside all the time with very long hair, not shooting anyone and have nothing nice to eat and nobody to sue!

In it's most basic form wouldn't the Capitalist go out into the woods, build his own house, hire lumberjacks to harvest trees, sell the trees to China, buy wooden products from China and sell them to his lumberjacks ensuring a wonderful profit! This man would be a true capitalist and everyone else could be considered socialists because without the capitalist they would have nothing left to do but sit inside their house with long hair!

Now if we multiply this scenario by a million and add other employment besides cutting trees would it not be a similar scenario?

As for fair pay for fair work, well the lumberjack had to learn how to cut down trees somewhere. Isn't it wonderful that we live in a society where either our parents or the state provides us, nay GIVES US, an education. Sure some of us come out with loans which we have to pay off but would that not require a company to GIVE US a paycheck?

In fact, thinking like a Capitalist, it would be much better to bring in workers from another country who demand much less of a wage to cut down the trees and then the Capitalist could make even more money! BUT Wait, THERE'S MORE! (R.I.P. Billy Mays). It would seem that we have laws limiting immigration so the Capitalist cannot bring in cheaper workers and therefore must hire the more expensive lumberjacks here locally.

Well, that to me doesn't seem very Capitalistic at all. The Capitalist has a right to make as much money as possible and shouldn't be forced to use local labor. Tree cutting doesn't take that much expertise now does it? So there we have it! People having their jobs protected to a varying degree from Unions, to immigration laws. So how can these so called CINO (Capitalists in Name Only) be for immigration laws? Don't they want to make more money? How absurd!

Now changing gears and arriving to the opinion if someone is against or for Capitalism and or Socialism. (It would seem to me that one could be both - I am depending on the day and my mood.) All these people spewing one opinion or another seem to have recently obtained them from these national Media types. They watch their show (On Fox or MSNBC ,,choose your poison) get all fired up, and then go onto the comment pages and cause a raucous! But the little devil on their shoulder should constantly be whispering "These opinions were GIVEN to you........"

Therefore, could there not be such a thing as an intellectual socialist who listens to opinions in the media, chooses which side he/she agrees with then gets up on the soap box and starts singing the praises of either idea!

I can't imagine that these ideas have come spontaneously into their heads without some assistance. If we imagine a person in the woods who has never had human contact, do we really think they would be considering which is better, Socialism or Capitalism? How about the super professor who has written a lot of books on the subject. Has not the professor spent countless hours in the library studying up on the matter and would it be inconceivable that his/her opinions are derived from the books they have read? How many of the talking heads came up with truly unique ideas to these competing ideologies?? AND how many have stitched together the ideas of others to formulate something they believe might be unique, but in reality is just an accumulation of other peoples ideas!? I suspect that those talking heads are in reality "intellectual socialists" as they borrowed (or stole) from the ideas of someone else.

If we were truly Capitalist would it not be prudent to take this idea of Capitalism, break it down to its individual parts and pay the creators of these ideas accordingly? Perhaps everyone would have to pay royalties to Adam Smith (or his descendants since he is dead.) MAN, what a cluster that would be. Every time the talking head said something their bank account amount would become less! And where did Adam Smith get his ideas from? Perhaps some investigative work into antiquity would be required and soon enough we would perhaps find ourselves back with the Greeks!

In conclusion, could it not be possible that everyone with a job and or an idea, has been given such, and could be regarded a socialist unless of course the individual in question was the outright owner or came up with the idea with absolutely no academic inputs!

As a last thought, and breaking my previous statement that I had "concluded," I also hear this word called "freedom" being tossed about quite randomly. To be honest, every time I hear that word I can't help but imagining the commenter as some renegade with a bandanna tied around his head with a gun in hand running around the words yelling "Freeeeedoommm" as Mel Gibson did in Braveheart.

Now I'm not against freedom at all and am actually quite for it. But again, if we are going to go for something lets go all the way and not take half measures. It would seem that in the USA I have to carry a passport and cannot get in our out of the country without one. Did you know that it wasn't until WWI that people were actually saddled with these things? When I come into the country I also have to answer a series of questions which not answered correctly could put me in the slammer.

Furthermore, I am not allowed to drive my car at 150 miles per hour.

Ok,, forget that last one, I understand that the law is there and in it's essence says I'm free to "swing my fist as long as it does not hit anothers nose." Well, what if I want to smoke a pound of crack? I'm not allowed to do that either and I'm not hitting anyone in the nose. I'm also only allowed to have one wife! Who was smoking the crack when they made that law eh?

Now, back to seriousness, it would seem that laws are made to keep society functioning well based on the principles of some party-poopers called the Puritans! And these Puritans came from England! Thus it just goes to show we can blame all the worlds problems on the English. AND these ideas about Capitalism apparently came from some bloke named Adam Smith who was also ENGLISH!!! Man, for such a small country they certainly cause a lot of trouble.

But getting back to Freedom, it would seem there are all sorts of laws derived from England which do not allow me to be free. So what is all this hooting and hollering about freedom? It would seem we are already compromised and just begging for more yard time even though we are mostly stuck in our cell at the jail. If I were completely free then I think I would move to Japan and become a ninja but unfortunately I could only stay for three months without a work permit and the USA would try to take my yen in taxes. So I'm not exactly free with these yokes around my neck am I?

In conclusion (part deux) it seems that we are not completely Capitalist nor completely free at the moment. It would also appear that we all have to compromise a little to keep society functioning and it all just comes down to arguments about how much. Uncle Sam already takes an obscene of our money so why is everyone just complaining about it now? I believe that before and after the Civil War there were no taxes (or very little). Shouldn't that be the true aim rather then complaining about healthcare??? My healthcare plan is to not get sick, not take any drugs and go to the gym. Yet those complaining on both sides either want it from the Government or from their employer. Either way, to a purist like me, both sides want to be GIVEN it one way or another. Some just put a bit too much worth in their skills which could most likely be outsourced to India so it would probably be wise to not be so pompous. The entire system is taking care of people one way or another.

Everyone is a socialist.

Around 4:00pm on Saturday I got the urge that often whispers to me but is mostly repressed by planned functions on the weekends. It seems that all too often these determined activities eat up Friday and Saturday night and before one realizes what has happened we are back at work on Monday. It is not that these activities are un-amusing but they can often become a blur and flurry of activity that does not let the mind roam or the possibility of exploring blindly.

Last night I had nothing in particular planned yet my mind cried out "It's Saturday! Don't waste it in front of the computer when you are living in San Francisco!" This cry finally overwhelmed my computer addict defenses and before I knew it I was climbing to the top of Nob Hill. My mind kept pressuring me to come up with some sort of plan and some activity. The feeling was that I should do something which would maximize enjoyment to be had on a Saturday night.

The first instinct is to summon forth the wife and go to a restaurant and then perhaps some drinking establishment. The laughter and raucous emanating from these places entices me to come join the fun but I have been there countless times and the "fun-ness" has suffered serious diminishing returns in the past year. It is further hampered that I deem "fun" less the getting drunk, and more-so the meeting of new people. Yet, people tend to stick to themselves much more than in Saigon therefore I have to put forth more of an effort. By the time I logically worked through this predicament the prospect of going out seemed much less enjoyable and the excitement of exploration won out.

Therefore, I ducked into Grace Cathedral at the top of Nob Hill for a dose of history as well as to quiet the mind a little. The church was very dark so instead of inspecting the murals I sat down and had some quiet time. Quiet time seemed more like a pause in time as very little thinking actually took place. It is almost as if my brain has become incapable of deep thought due to the massive amount of stimulus I receive on a minute by minute basis. If I'm not working through the endless stream of work problems, then I'm seeking entertainment on the internet. If I'm away from my computer I'm entertaining myself with my Iphone. It is the rare occasion when I can just sit and be with my thoughts and not have bright lights and loud noises forcing their way into my cranium.

Having achieved a modicum of peace in a 30 minute span it was time to set out again. As I exited the cathedral I looked to my right at the great Masonic temple across from the church. Very little is actually known about the Masons (and I've read many books) and I wondered how they could draw the funds to finance such a massive structure in the most expensive area of the city. I also wondered about the deep undercurrent and struggles (if any) between the institution of the Church and the Masons. Why were these buildings across from each other and what did that symbolize?

On the high end of the top left of the temple there are four sculptures of clean-cut men which are laid directly into the face of the marble. They wear short polo shirts, pressed pants and have clean, neat haircuts. Three of them are facing the man who is second on the left and is the only one looking straight ahead. Their hands are also curiously set upon their thighs which leaves the lasting question in my mind as to what this might symbolize. Then, in pure Divinci Code style I racked my brains to see if I might be able to determine what the other symbols might mean but came up completely empty. Templars? All seeing Eyes? Archaic national symbols? I came up with nothing.

So, it was down Jones street to one of my favorite lookouts which offers a spectacular view of the city and is not well known. Looking around I found several mansions which must cost millions of dollars and I wondered who actually would live in these places and what would they do? As every inch of San Francisco is covered in development of some sort or other it is not easy to tell that a certain house or another must be a mansion. One has to be specifically looking to spot the larger houses and pay attention to the details. In one house there was a Chinese style gate and up the stairs two great lions on either side. In the middle of the lions was a statue of perhaps a great Chinese emperor or perhaps god? Knowing that I would come to no conclusion I looked down the hill towards North Beach.

North Beach at 5:30pm is brilliant with the neon lights and activity. Yet, from the hilltop it was very peaceful and serene. Watching the patrons (who looked like little ants) go to and fro I settled my gaze upon a small bar called O"Reilly's" which is on Green Street very close to Fugazi Theatre which is the home of Beach Blanket Babylon. I could see the patrons sitting out on the sidewalk tables but my vision was not quite good enough to see them actually drinking. I wondered to myself what their conversations were, where they locals or tourists, or perhaps a few were even on a date? It is an interesting feeling to be looking down upon this revelry and the entire city from the peace and quiet from a small hill park on a Saturday night. The mind again sets off badgering me to make some plans, grab a comrade and go to that bar way down there on Green Street, order a pint and join in the fun.

But no, tonight was for exploration and I negotiated a settlement with the mind that I would go down there to see what was going on but would keep up with the exploration. As I approached the street I could see that a line had formed outside of Fugazi Theatre. These people were going to experience Beach Blanket Babylon perhaps for the first time and it made me glad for them. However, as I had not noticed before I quickly began to think of the deceased as right across the street (on which side I was walking) there is actually a funeral parlor. I saw many Asian families coming out and as I looked in the door I could see the names of the deceased which directed people to the appropriate parlor. Each name was in Chinese which got me to thinking that Asian people often live quite long and these were probably the Grandmothers and Grandfathers of these people streaming out.

However, as I looked to my right side I had come upon O'Reilly's bar. What a contrast to having some people enjoying life very fully on one side of the street while quite another aspect of life (and death) was happening on the opposite side. Where these people who were downing their pints really enjoying life or perhaps diverting their attention from it by drink? Some perhaps, could have been on a date and were at the hight of enjoyment while lubricating their inhibitions and drowning their shyness. On the other hand I supposed there could be quite a few lonely people in there as well who just have a need to be around people and are hoping to meet someone new? Or perhaps there were just groups of friends out on the town trying to have some enjoyment?

I suppose these thoughts do not normally occur when at or near a bar but putting a funeral home on the other side of the street certainly does encourage it as I can attest. As for me, my mind again decided to badger me to go in and enjoy a pint!

"But why would I," I protested, "I'm alone and on a mission of exploration!"

"Perhaps a beer would enhance the exploration," my mind implored!

"But if I did, then I would mostly likely have to pee and I still have some miles to go. Exploration becomes much less fun when the bladder is pushing against my lower innards," I reasoned.

Eventually the thought of having to pee and not being able to won the argument and I continued on the journey.

However, I have been to the North Beach many, many times but this time was determined to discover something new. I first went to Saints Peter and Paul church where there is a nice park in the front. Now, San Francisco is full of interesting and offbeat people, one of which I discovered sitting on a park bench. He had the aura of a Harley enthusiast yet this was complicated by his jean jacket with cut off sleeves but none more-so then the entire back being covered by a portrait of Tinkerbell. Now what would possess a man to wear such a jacket I do not know. Tinkerbell is quite lovely but being a 40 year old man this seems as a logical non-sequitur and my mind could not come to grips with it.

Scanning the grounds I thought to take a seat at a bench but the presence of too many folks that did not seem of right mind, I thought I would have no peace and continued back to Columbus Street. Now I know Columbus Street quite well and have frequented many of the restaurants and watering holes there. This time however, I veered off onto Green Street heading East which is opposite of the formerly mentioned O'Reilly's and funeral home. I had not been back in this area much and it seemed very lively.

At first I came to the Grant and Green bar with open air windows and drunken 20 something guys with backward caps, lowbrow conversation, sports on the t.v. and one young gentleman decided to spring out the open air window. It perhaps was fortunate that it was early in the evening and he was not completely hammered or a sprained ankle could have occurred. I took half a second to scan these groups of guys but did not linger so as not to draw attention. Basically, getting slammed was on the menu as well as conversation which if one lingered too long then brain cells would have been lost. I also noticed a complete absence of women. Some would call this a complete meat market and any lady unfortunate enough to wander in might have more attention then she would like to endure. Now, drinking with the buddies can be quite fun but I've never understood why they would want to spend the entire night this way. Unless of course if they were gay which is not uncommon in San Francisco but the Castro district would surely be more of an appropriate venue. For me, the conversation better be damn interesting of I would lose interest very quickly.

Yet, as I proceeded further I noticed a separate room which had BEER PONG! Now, my interest level had shot up to near boiling but what is it that they were drinking? None of the cups seemed filled to the brim with the sweet yellowish liquid known to the plebites as beer. Again, there was an absence of women but the thrill of Competition,, with the reward of success or even failure resulted in Drinking!! My competitive nature flared up as I was certain I could be king of the beer pong tables as years of darts had honed by accuracy but with only guys to impress the victory would seem empty. Furthermore, if they were drinking straight alcohol then the following Sunday (today) would be rather unpleasant and thus I continued my journey.

I continued down Columbus street and came to "Jazz at Pearls" which is a well known joint and always has a crowd. I glanced inside and saw a table evenly split with two guys and two girls. I thought that these two gentleman certainly knew how to maximize Saturday night enjoyment, had a touch of class and were sure to have a better time than those Neanderthals at the previous bar.

I then crossed the street to have a look at Vesuvio's which is a place we have frequented often. Yet, it contained nothing curious so I continued down Grant street right into the heart of Chinatown. I first came to the Wells Fargo Bank which still had the lights on but the doors locked. Inside were some Asian women who had their desks situated right by the window and were typing away on their keyboards. I thought it might be difficult to get any work done when they are on display right by the window and could be disturbed by the inebriated pouring forth from the previously mentioned bars. My second thought was they should stop working and come out and enjoy the glorious Saturday night which was full of activity all around them! But, not wanting to linger nor disturb them from pressing the keys on their keyboards I continued down the street.

I came to my favorite tea shop and from across the street saw Kenny giving his tea tastings and lessons. Now Kenny does this everyday all day long. He must be a tea master and an encyclopedia of tea. I was certain that his customers were learning something valuable and I had half a mind to drop in and try some tea for myself. Yet, the thought of having to pee and even more-so the caffeine keeping me awake at night determined another tea tasting adventure was not suitable at that point in time.

The final trial came when I passed Li Po bar which is right in the heart of China Town. I had never really thought much about this place as the seediness simply emanates from it and I my presence would simply shout "New Guy - Possible Tourist" for the entire bar to hear. It also looked quite empty which would exacerbate my newcomer aura.

As I reached Bush street which is my home neighborhood it also seemed quite lively but not to the dizzying heights of the North Beach. I almost wished for an instant that I lived in the North Beach but then again such activity must be tiring after a while. So I turned to go up the hill while subtly glancing at the passers by wondering what they might have in store for the evening. As I was halfway up the hill I noticed a 40 something guy with short gray and curly hair. He wore a black leather jacket and seemed well to do enough, but unpretentious. As I am constantly aware of my surroundings I perceived he made a sudden turn into one of the businesses on my left and rang the doorbell. The establishment was none other than a "Massage/Spa/Jacuzzi" place aka brothel. I had never, ever seen a "John" go into one of these places before and felt particularly amused with myself to discover that they - in fact - do exist! It was almost as exciting as if I had discovered a leprechaun or unicorn! I was pretty sure how that guy was going to be spending his Saturday night and thought it wise of him to go early, rather than later in the evening and then rebuked myself for letting such a gross thought enter my mind.

I finally came back to the apartment and as it was still quite early in the night my mind tried to convince me to shine myself up and perhaps go participate in the nightlife. Yet, another side whispered "no, you've done it all before." So in the end I was astonished to hear myself saying in unenthusiastic tones to my wife "You want to go out." Her response was "Now?!!" My sarcastic side perked up its ornery head and I almost replied "No, I mean tomorrow morning at about 8:30am." Yet, wisdom and my gentle nature prevailed and I responded "jya, dou suru?" "Nanimo shinai?"

And in the end "Nanimo shinai" won the evening and I ended up reading "Grimm's Fairy Tales." Who knew that Snow White was actually called Snowdrop and that the prince did not even kiss her! I wonder if snowdrop knows how to play beer pong?

It was a nice Saturday night stroll.