Quintessential life in California: on the way to Macarthur BART, just off the offramp, drive pass some seriously heavy shit about to go down in Oakland - squad cars parked askew in the street; cops with shotguns and automatic weapons shielding behind said cars; more cops frantically sprinting for cover. Shake head, take BART over to downtown SF; find the weather cooler by 20 degrees; hear the roar of Dykes on Bikes - cheer on the start of the San Francisco Pride parade. Hey, that’s the mayor of SF, right there, just a few feet away! Break for lunch - incredibly good fish tacos. Look for washrooms in Bloomingdale’s, hidden somewhere between the $500 handbags, the disdainful salespeople, and the even more disdainful shoppers. Back out to more parade cheering, most especially of leather clad dudes and bear pirates. Wander down Market over to the UN plaza, where cops sternly deliver warnings.. to better hide the cans of booze. (SF cops: parade duty; Oakland cops: hostage situations.) No S&M demos today, looks like it’s time to head back home to rest them weary legs.