Married With Cats: Walking With My Baby Down By the San Francisco Bay.

So we're back from a fabulous mini-break in one of my favorite cities of all time, San Francisco! Tim went to attend the Game Developers Conference, and I went because, well, I could! Took a few days off work, booked a trip on Virgin America (super cheap and so convenient!) and weedled my way into Tim's room at the Westin St. Francis in Union Square. Overall, Tim was happy to have me along, as long as I didn't try to hang out with him - he had lots of nerd networking to do. And trust me, there is nothing I am more willing to pass on than an evening meal with a huge group of dorks (the smell alone is enough. I mean, Tim and his friends smell okay, but there is a definite nerd funk. Think of how you'd smell if you wore the same shirt for a few days without showering, and were sweating out fast food. It's like that.)

Mom and Dad both seemed a little worried about me. Mom, that I would freeze to death (I bought a jacket and closed toed shoes) and Dad that I would be bored (thankfully, I'm my own best company. And I have friends in the city.) For me, it was actually perfect. I would walk around, sightseeing and shopping until I felt like eating, then I'd stop and have lunch. Wolfie and I napped every day from three to five pm, and then I'd meet up with a friend for dinner, and then around nine-ish, figure out where my boyfriend was and go say hi to him (we did have dinner on Thursday night with our friends Bob and Nancy, and that was very nice.)

Wednesday I went out to the Mission District and the Castro, because I'd never been out there. Spent most of my time just popping in and out of stores, and walking around until my boots rubbed a blister an inch and a half big on my heel. Thursday I went out to Alcatraz, which I've always wanted to visit. I managed to get on an early boat, and had a nice time checking the place out, even all by myself. It's not as scary as I thought it would be - it's much smaller actually and has pretty gardens. I actually met one of the five remaining survivors of Alcatraz (he was in for theft, but he has found God and been rehabilitated) who was signing copies of his book about his life and his time on the Rock. I thought that was pretty cool. Then I walked back through Chinatown and went charm shopping. Friday it was rainy, so I stuck close to home, browsing through all of the high end stores in Union Square, and then met up with a girl I knew in middle school for lunch, which was a really fabulous flashback. This morning Tim and I unfortunately missed out on the St. Patrick's Day parade, but we had breakfast together and wandered around a little before our flights. And now we're home, and still have tomorrow to rest up before going back to the grindstone.

Tim had a good trip too - he saw all of his former EA boyfriends who are working at companies scattered throughout the land. Stayed up late having booze drinks and went to nerd talks during the day. Tonight we are hanging out with his friend Ed, who just had a birthday. Ed even brought over his own cake, with plenty of frosting. A man after my own heart!

Here are some pictures - now it's almost 10 and I definitely have to go to bed. Cooking Wolfie is a tiring job. I'm nine weeks today, and will get a chance to see him again on Wednesday morning (we're double checking to make sure the second flickering thing in my womb was just the umbilical cord, not a twin. I am really hoping it's not twins. I don't think I could pass two Ford skulls in the same day.)

San Francisco from the boat to Alcatraz

The ROCK.

Noted.

Three stories of 5x8 foot cells. I did get to walk into one of the "solitary" cells, and the guard shut the door behind a bunch of us. It was CREEPY.

The gardens.

Me on the boat ride back, after I pithily texted Tim "Alcatraz actually has a lot in common with the OC. You can see the city, but you don't get to live there." (Don't get all angry, suburban mice. I realize there will be things I'll appreciate more about the OC as my child becomes a viable human being and can attend better public schools than in LA, but I am still a city mouse at heart.)