Learn something new

Lest you think I'm just lazing around watching television (which I am totally not. At all. Though can I just quickly recount an exchange that might be from a television show that I am totally not watching?)

Couple tromps through the English countryside. The wife is considerably behind the husband.
Him: Amazing, isn't it? Just spending time in all this.
Her: Coulda just went to the coffee shop in the village.
Him: Yeah, but it's not the same as being out here.
Her: No. It's warmer. And they had cake.

The fact that I am fully identify with the last line of that dialogue is quite possibly why I'm single. Oh, the passion for hiking that runs rampant like a dengue fever through this town.

Right. What was I saying? Oh. Things I learned this weekend.

1. When you go for a tour of Hangar One, you're actually going for a tour of St. George Spirits. This surprised me. As it happens, St. George doesn't limit themselves to vodka. They get up to all sorts. There's a very delicious framboise in the mix, for instance. The absinthe is entirely disgusting, but that is not St. George's fault. All absinthe is entirely disgusting. If you disagree with that assertion, it's possible that it's the best absinthe in the world. You'll have to try it for yourself. As a special bonus, almost everything in the distillery looks like it would be equally, if not more, at home in Willy Wonka's factory. It was all very jolly. An employee became instantly smitten with my (not single) companion when she wrinkled her nose in an adorable manner while drinking gin she did not enjoy. I conclude that my "Wow. I really hate absinthe" face is less fetching, as no one fell over himself trying to get my number. This seems unjust, but there it is.

2. Right on the main drag of Alameda, there is an indoor mini-golf course that is excessively charming. All the holes are handmade local landmarks including such things as the Fruitvale Taco Truck, which I've never seen in its actual taco-producing size, but enjoyed hitting a golf ball through. Because of the limited space, many of the holes involve precipitous slopes. I thought I might end up with a par 82 on the Coit Tower hole, but I finally made it up Telegraph Hill on the sixth attempt. Of course, my favorite was Lombard Street, which has just been dying to be incorporated into a mini-golf course all its life. It was good times.