A magazine you should read

The nice thing about being stuck in an airport for a few hours is you get a chance to read. Unless, of course, you like CNN Airport Edition. On my most recent trip, I got a chance to read the Summer 2006 edition of Shimmer Magazine. This little gem is only $5 for a hard copy or $3.50 for a download, and is well worth the read.

The actual magazine is a small digest format, with impeccable cover and interior design. It was packed with a collection of fantasy and SF stories. A few highlights:

- Oscar's Temple, by Stephen L. Moss, is a great read about a near-future world with aliens. The titular aliens are named for the "Oscar the Grouch" character in "Sesame Street" if that gives you a hint.

- Bluebeard, by Angela Slatter, is more of an urban fantasy story about a girl, her mother and the family that "helps" them. It's definitely not for kids, but quite gripping.

- Urban Renewal, by Tom Pendergrass, is a neat twist on the old "Woman in a Shoe" story, told in the form of memos to a corrupt mayor by various staff members. It's chuckle-inducing, so be careful where you read it.

Thoughts on San Francisco

I just returned from vacation in San Francisco. I had never been there, and my cousin moved out about a year ago to attend UC Berkley, so I decided to visit. It's a nice place. A few thoughts:

1) I stayed at the Marriott Courtyard in downtown Oakland. It's a really handy place, two blocks from the main BART station and a block from half-a-dozen restaurants and bars. It's especially nice if you plan to visit other places then San Francisco (like Sonoma county wine country), since you can avoid the traffic in the city.
2) Driving in San Francisco is impossible! The road "grid" isn't, roads are narrow, and parking is rare and expensive.
3) The cable cars and trams are cute, but on weekends, forget it. I ended up walking a good three miles because all the trams were full.
4) The city is just extremely up-and-down. As a friend said, you could get winded driving up some of the hills.
5) Mark Twain once said that "the coldest winter he'd ever seen was a summer in San Francisco." I understand him now. Daytime highs in the city were low 70s with strong, moist winds.

I did, however, enjoy myself immensely. The city is beautiful, the food was great and the people friendly.