US 621 PHX OAK 1240 1415 319 7D was 16E
was
US2790 PHX OAK 1333 1533 CR9 7A

The mainline flight was supposed to leave at 10 something,
but an O-ring in the engine had to be replaced, which the
pilot got on the horn and explained to us. I had a brief
conversation with a cute young woman in 7F (there were just
a couple empties, and 7E was one of them) and then drifted
off for the duration of the flight.

We landed at quarter past, and I hot-footed it to the
AirBART, which now costs $3. Between this and the train
itself, it took me almost exactly 2 hours to get to SFO.

I still had nearly 3 hours, so I had a burger and fries
at Lori's, because Fung Lim was charging something like
12 bucks for a rice plate. Mistake. Lori's burgers are
very poor. The fries, though, are refried, which, despite
being a cost-and/or-labor-saving device, makes an
enticingly crispy if greasy product. I ate most of the
fries and left part of the burger.

The Westin Renewal Lounge.

Cute idea; less than great execution. It's supposed to be
this refuge from the madding crowd, but as it's right next
to the bar's TV lounge, there's this distraction built in.
There should be a door, perhaps sliding, or at least a
white noise machine, isolating the room.

The TV claims to offer views of nature at its own pace,
with very few edits. Well, the video is spectacular, but
the very few edits come every minute or so and are jarring -
one might suggest using the rather basic dissolve technique
instead of jumping from one view to the next?

Every few minutes a burst of aromatherapy stuff from the
corner.

I did the whole 20-minute light bed regimen, and I did feel
somewhat better at the end, though a third of an hour of
horizontalness might have been part of it.

The only other users were a family of furriners, I believe
New Zealanders from their accent: FF daddy, put-upon mommy,
overenergetic but reasonably well-behaved 2-year-old.

Last time I visited, the signature orange-ginger-green tea
tonic beverage was hideous; this time it was okay, tasting
mostly of fresh-squeezed juice.

UA 479 SFO SEA 1915 2119 733 1D Ch9^^

An attentive crew, including a cutish FA who kept my glass
full and mildly flirted with me. Courvoisier, which she
served me in with an outer glass of warm water, sort of
cool. Furiant Malbec. Snooze. There was a cheese plate on
offer. I refused it.

The guy next to me, a late upgrader, was grumpy and stayed
on the phone until 10 seconds into the takeoff roll. I guess
from his demeanor that he's a nervous flyer, either that or
he's a butt, or both. On the other hand, he did move his
legs to let me go to the head, which was important because
of the Courvoisier issue. We landed 15 early. As the RCC
closes at 7, I perched on a recharging cart and used the
wireless anyway, noting that the Mariners upset the Angels
with 3 runs in the 8th.

Went out to the street and got picked up by my friend Hap.

===

Next day. A couple hours' work at Commencement Bay coffee
(I had 3 pints of decaf, which probably means I had about
as much caf as a cup of the real). This worked up a
powerful hunger, so we found Uncle Thurm's Ribs and
Chicken in a somewhat diverse neighborhood in Tacoma.
Good smells and a jolly host. It's a joint for sure, but
some of the best food comes out of joints.

I got the soul food sampler, which comes in two sizes. I
asked the owner guy if he thought I could handle the large,
and after sizing me up he said that I looked as though I
could eat with the best of them. When the large came out,
it was large, but not overwhelming: wings, catfish, ribs,
kale, red beans and rice, cornbread, candied yams. All
respectable, nothing astonishing, good value. We liked
the greens and beans and rice (much pork in both); the
yams were can-died and rather mushy. The other things
tasted good but were quite heavy on the salt.

On to the ballpark, where Hap had to report to work so
steered me to the Pyramid Alehouse, where some beer was had.

I sat in Hap's section and watched history being made, as
the Mariners became the first $100M payrolled team to lose
100 games. They'd been ahead 5-2, and life looked rosy
enough, but they waited way too long to take Felix Hernandez
out (he wasn't getting his pitches down in the zone), and so
kaboom. By the time the last out was recorded, I'd be
surprised if there were more than a few hundred in the stands.
People don't have faith that the Ms can erase a 6-5 deficit
in the bottom of the ninth. Heads must roll in the offseason.

As Hap had to clear everyone out of the section, I had to
leave from the security gate, which was interesting as it
gave a glimpse of behind the scenes after the game.