In November and December of 2025, I reached out to a business broker about buying a bar. I signed a nondisclosure agreement and was given access to their financial records. The bar was being sold for about $70k. What that $70k bought you was the existing lease (which would have to be renegotiated within a…
It’s Early September
Yesterday was September First – which felt more significant than many other days of the year. It’s as though the beginning of September is the official end of summer. You feel it in the air, the smells begin to change to fall smells, the memories of seasons past come flooding back. It is both a…
It Started with a Jukebox Song
My friend Alan likes to tell me that I don’t like anything. He says this most often when a pop song comes on the jukebox at the bar or when he sees me roll my eyes at the group of young people shouting at each other nearby. He’s not wrong. Pop songs seldom capture my…
Uggh, Dating
I went on a date a few weeks ago. It was probably the first date I’ve gone on in over a year. It wasn’t awful, but we knew there wouldn’t be a second one. Towards the end of the night, she invited a friend to meet up with us. At one point, while my date…
Midnight Celebration at the Lounge – Birthday Gratitude
At midnight, I showed my bartender the time on my phone and quietly said “it’s midnight, bitches. Birthday time.” He replied, “you sneaky bitch,” walked over to the light switch and flicked on the Christmas lights that line the bar’s ceiling and rafters. Someone put 50 Cent’s song “In Da Club” on the juke box……
This Ride Sucks
I say it frequently and feel it far more often than I say it: I want off the ride, or I want to be on a different ride, or I want to build my own ride. Some days, perhaps many, I loath the time period in which we are living. I dread the bubble that,…
2.42 Miles in the Morning
I leave the apartment under a flat gray sky, low clouds in the distance. The first thing I notice are the rows of cars parked in the fenced-in, blacktop lot by the school where the children usually play and have gym class. I’m reminded of my in-service days as a teacher and the setting up…
Being Chill – Not the Look I’m Going For
“Jenny’s” dating profile says her weakness is “super smart polymath builder/makers.” I look up polymath to confirm that I know what it means. Ironically, doing so also confirms that I’m probably not what Jenny is looking for. She likes complex cocktails – also not my thing. She has starlink and works remotely for weeks at…
Affordability
At the end of June, my neighbor moved out. Since then, the landlord has had various crews come to deep clean the apartment, paint the place, and make what repairs they needed to make. Last night there was an open house. The email to the tenants in the building said due to the high interest…
Not Everyone Hates The Marina
A recent Netflix movie filmed in San Francisco has a one-liner dig on my neighborhood: “’Everyone hates the Marina,’ Jill’s coworker tells her. ‘The Marina hates itself. It’s basically L.A.’” As with most works of fiction, there’s almost always a kernel of truth behind the sentiments. As a resident of the Marina, I can say…
Shrug: More AI Doomerism
The text began, “Hi Matt, I’m Pressella, a PR consultant at Pathos Communications.” It continued to tell me that an area nonprofit is closing down and in citing one of my previous job tiles said, “you’re a credible front-line voice on donor strategy and capacity , yadda yadda… We work pay on results, open to…
July 4th: The 250th Edition
It’s the 4th of July. This year, both America and San Francisco turn 250. As I’ve been reading in the news, the feelings around the country are mixed. Many would argue that we’re not exactly at our high point as a country or as a democracy. In his typical gaudy style, the president is putting…