The long Labor Day weekend is the end of summer in the United States. No more wearing whites, no more seersucker and no more warm evenings. Of course, none of that really holds true for this corner of the world that I call home (for now) – San Francisco. June through August coastal climate patterns bring in the fog and keep things relatively cold around here. August is fogust for a reason – it is foggy and cold. It was (relatively speaking) freezing this year – temperature never got above 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Average high was 65! By the way in 1942, San Francisco had an August this chilly. It is no surprise that the hometown team – SF Giants got cold during the month as well. Damn shame, because I really like the 2016 version of Giants and want them to do another magical run to the World Series.
I hope their fortunes turn with rising temperatures – September and October are officially the warmest months in San Francisco – and do a fairly good imitation of summer. At least for two months, no sweaters! That said, I personally like spending my summers in San Francisco – colder climates are good for those with diabetes – mostly because I don’t like dealing with airports, tourists and sweat.
I did all my traveling early this year – Portugal, Switzerland, India, Faroe Islands and Sweden. It was work as usual for me and I am glad, I ended up spending time catching up on everything – from portfolio stuff to reading. I found myself struggling this summer with words — I am not sure why, but despite having ideas and the desire to write, I ended up ignoring my blogging to a large extent, focusing instead on pieces for The New Yorker!
This past weekend I wanted to write, but hit a creative wall and couldn’t even write emails or tweets. I spent most of the long weekend off the social web, and instead watched online videos — I loved the new four part Chef’s Table France series, which explored four different styles of cooking and creativity. I love going to Paris and enjoying food there, and perhaps next time I am going to venture deeper into the countryside. If you like food, then this new version of Chef’s Table is worth watching. I also binged on The Night Of on HBO and watched a lot of baseball on my iPad Pro! The highlight of the weekend, however was the celebrations around a landmark birthday of my partner and True co-founder, Phil Black. Happy Birthday @mrvelvet!
So what next? I have a busy day today — partner meeting down in Palo Alto. And then need to sit down and write my next piece. Till later!
Sept 6, 2016, San Francisco!