I actually rather want to go to bed right now. My eyes feel heavy - I guess after two poor nights of sleep this weekend. But having just stuffed myself with all that the room-service here has to offer, I fear that going to bed right now would be more than my digestion could cope with.

When I flew in this evening, an hour late of course (it took me almost five hours door to door when I could have driven in the same amount of time, if, of course, my car didn't have a flat battery), the sun was just setting. It was my first time at John Wayne Airport, and quite a nice, little airport it is too.

Arrived at John Wayne Airport

It's funny that the two airports I've been at most recently were both named after actors, albeit that I don't think the airport in downtown D.C. was named after Ronald Reagan for his acting skills. I can admit, I guess, that I've always found John Wayne a compelling figure. Whether there was truth in it or not, he stood for a certain honest masculinity and honor that I admired, a code of behavior that you never encounter today outside of, perhaps, the military prep schools. There was something about his voice and his presence too. I'm almost embarrassed to admit this, considering how violently I disagree with the politics John Wayne represented. And I'm almost certain that John Wayne would not have looked kindly on gay culture.

Even more embarrassing - I feel similarly about John Wayne as I do about President Bush. They have a similar vocal twang, and both possess masculine, kindly features, although John Wayne doesn't have the other guy's goofy, lop-sided smile (and don't think that I actually fancy these guys!). I remember being touched by an interview with Barbara Walters (I think) where she poked around in George Bush's psyche, determined to break him out of his clipped sentences and reserve about discussing personal matters, and got the guy to clam up with tears in his eyes when he admitted how felt about his father.

Once out of the airport, I forgot about John Wayne and George Bush. It was a beautiful, still evening in Orange County. The hotel was very close to the airport, so I was in my room shortly after picking up my red Grand Prix at Avis. The guy I rented the car from kept on saying how cool the car was. I'm sorry, but I don't see it.

San Francisco, Sunday, 12th September 1999, 12.47 p.m. PST.

The noise from the family below continues unabated. Yesterday, I just lost it and called my landlord and yelled at him. Unfortunately, it was only his answer machine listening to me, since Adam is on vacation. When he gets back, I'm going to try to calm myself down enough to talk rationally with him and see if he will agree to let me out of my lease.

To add to my frustration level, the battery on my car keeps dying. It was completely dead again this morning, and I don't know when I'm going to have time to take it to the dealership.

Saturday was a mixed day. A great game of tennis in the morning with John. It was grey but warm and I enjoyed feeling the sun breaking, warming my back, half way through our match. San Francisco is a city of many tennis courts, but the courts we normally used were unexpectedly out of commission. So we started the morning by driving all over the city in search of another free court. Eventually, we found an empty court in a playground near Twin Peaks. The whole complex was padlocked due to renovation work so we had to squeeze through a gap in the fence in order to get our game.

I spent the afternoon attempting to catch up with my life. I payed a month's worth of bills, and took my laundry to the wash-and-fold. All afternoon, I had to put up with the kids beneath me running around, yelling, and their parents' innefectual and violent attempts to control them. It wasn't a happy afternoon.

Brett and I got together in the evening for our usual Saturday movie. What an old couple we've become, with our little routines :) But I don't know what I'd do without him - he's such a good, reliable friend who's easy to be with. We watched "Stir of Echoes" at the new Metreon Center, near where I live. Pretty groovy movie - scary, suspenseful, well-acted, satisfying.

And today, I mostly just finished catching up with my life - answering emails etc., and getting myself ready for this afternoon's departure to Irvine (near Los Angeles), where I'll be until Thursday afternoon.