Where (and when) else would one find people sporting skirts made of ties, showing off orange, spiked hair, or running in the raw? (Unfortunately, I saw none of the latter.) Why San Francisco during Bay to Breakers, of course!! Well, I didn�t run, and I didn�t know anyone who was running but hey, I was trying for an interesting introduction to the one and only French Club outing to San Francisco.

After the harrowing experiences of last night, I could barely drag myself out of bed, let alone to the BART station. Thus, my mom drove me. (Yay!! Go Mom!) At BART I waited along with Kate and Lauren for the other members of our little excursion: Jonathan, Catherine, and Shannon. Then after figuring out that the stupid machine on the wall wouldn�t give change and after adding a specific amount to my ticket at the two special, �central machines� we waited. And we waited. And we waited some more. We then resolved to call Colleen (who was supposed to join us), but as she was exhausted (no doubt due to her hot date last night) would not. We left without Erica figuring he wouldn�t show up so late. (We didn�t bother to call not because it was Eric or anything, but because we, well, were too lazy to call our parents for his phone number.)

BART ride over: uneventful. It comprised of cards and small talk.

Hmm� then we get to Montgomery to catch BUS LINE 2!!!! But no one listens to me as I said we need to go UPSTAIRS for the buses!! That was okay as Kate had gone to the Palace of the Legion of Honor through Muni before. Trusting in her wisdom, we took the Muni METRO to oh somewhere on the southern side of Golden Gate Park. We picked up a variety of Bay to Breakers people as I quickly discovered I did not like muni: not due to the people though. They were wacky and thus cool, like me!! No, it was the bright red color of the plastic seats (even though red IS my favorite color) and the nauseating feeling the swinging cars gave me, more the color of the seats though. To continue the adventure we waited for Bus 28 near a 76 gas station (prices have gone up). Fortunately, during what could have been a very boring moment, Jay provided the group with comic relief. He lost his ticket in a trash can across the street!! Lauren and I tried for pictures of Catherine and Jay digging through San Francisco trash but the cars just wouldn�t clear out. The bus reeked!! I noted that we should be on bus number 29 and get off at the next stop but every one was certain that there was another stop just up ahead. WRONG!! But that�s okay, it just helps me feel superior! J/K. So we took the line up to California street, one past Clement. We began our hike west, it being closer and closer to noon. Then a novel idea: walk one block south to Clement. Low and behold: a bus!! Someone aboard had pulled the little wire/cable/bell thingy to get off. Thank god!! We ran up and climbed aboard, Jay having to pay for his third ticket. We road to about two blocks south of the bottom of the hill where the Legion of Honor is situated. After Shannon helped an elderly lady to board the bus we headed straight for the hill.

Little did we know, we had been followed. The car crept closer unbeknownst to us. It pulled up to the curb the window rolled down. NO!! No!! Anything but�.Jay�s mom (who is really nice- so don�t think that I meant the �anything but� it was just to spice up the story) who was there to pick up Jay to visit a German dude. Jay asked for a half an hour at the museum. His mom drove off, there being no room for all six of us in the car. We finally reached the bottom of the hill, and as I suggest hitchhiking, who did we see coming down the hill but Jay�s mom?? She was kind enough to give us a lift up. Trust me, fitting all six of us into the car was a cinch. Just think thin!! Really, us being such delightful people and all it was fairly easy to bear.

So up at the top of the hill we met Madame. For those that don�t know: we call her Madame rather than Madame Moser just because when in class you only have one teacher and don�t distinguish when in a foreign language class- so yeah, we�re just used to calling her that. The exhibit I thought was really cool. A much better showing of the post impressionist Montmartre works than an exhibit I saw in Seattle a long time ago which was supposed to be a huge impressionist exhibit with Cezanne and Van Gogh but really only had a piece or two. This exhibit didn�t have as much of Toulouse Lautrec�s work as I had hoped but was fairly well done. I loved the pictures of the Cabarets and the French Avant-Garde magazines: I could actually understand some. On the way out Lauren and I bought lithographs of �Le Chat Noir.� Shannon walked out with a little of everything small.

Madame then drove us (minus Jay who left) to the restaurant Clementine�s on Clement Street. Shannon�s choice looked adorable but alas! We discovered it was closed after finally getting a parking spot. So� we headed towards China town and parked in a garage. The restaurant Mme. suggested was closed but Caf� Passe (I forget the name) was open. The interior was modern and the walls had pictures of actrices from magazines like �Parisian� and �Elles.� The host spoke French. Lunch, even if it was at 3:00, was fabulous. We all had an escargot. I like the garlic and butter more than the snail itself. These ones were much larger than the last snails I had. I kinda gagged on them not because of the taste but the texture- I can�t eat clams or oysters so snails is a bit of a challenge but for the sauce! After talking about a dozen subjects I forget now, we ate our main meals: Kate and I had Croque Monsieur, Mme. and Shannon ate seafood quiche, and Catherine and Lauren split a salade de Caesar plus crab ravioli. Incidentally everyone with the same meal sat directly across from each other- Catherine and I switched spots when the salad came to facilitate food exchanges. After our silent meal- talking only existed again when the food disappeared. Our desert was a raspberry tart (shortcake?)split six ways: delicious!

Catherine, Lauren, and I waited in the bookstore next door while Kate, Shannon, and Mme. walked to the car to get Shannon�s stuff. The bookstore was cool: it had international newspapers and magazines, French paperbacks and comic books, as well typical caf� food! I am definitely heading back there! Shannon and Kate returned and we all walked to the Bart station. On the way back some slept. Shannon read The Engendered Atom and I read a new book of Shannon�s on the history of Bohemia. It was surprisingly interesting!

Dad picked me up at BART, but I was just too exhausted to go to Julia�s party. Around dinnertime I was watching a combination of �Laverne and Shirley,� which I hadn�t seen in ages, and movies. I saw Romancing the Stone on Comedy Central. Cute movie. Then I sat down to type this instead of cleaning my room and didn�t finish until Tuesday, today!! Whew!! I would�ve made it better but time hasn�t been on my side. Danke anyway.

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